What's On TV
Listings are not necessarily recommended by the Monitor. All times Eastern, check local listings.
SATURDAY 2/5
The Others (NBC, 10-11 p.m.): Well-written and beautifully acted and produced, the supernatural thriller centers on a group of friends who help ghosts find peace (see "Supernatural Invasion," page 13).
SUNDAY 2/6
The 50th NHL All-Star Game (ABC, 2:30 p.m.): The greatest collection of hockey stars from both sides of the big pond will chase the puck in Toronto, the city where it all began.
Missing Pieces (CBS, 9-11 p.m.): Oscar-winner James Coburn stars as Atticus Cody, a rancher and widower trying to find his son's killer in Mexico. The intriguing mystery takes unexpected turns, though the dialogue can border on pure sap. Lisa Zane stars as the mysterious love interest.
Masterpiece Theatre - Madame Bovary (PBS, check local listings; part two airs Feb. 13): Gustave Flaubert's tragic tale of a head-strong woman with a deadly romantic impulse is fully realized in this sumptuous British version. Emma Bovary is played by the truly gifted Frances O'Connor. For mature audiences only.
MONDAY 2/7
The Sportscasters: Behind the Mike (History Channel, 10-11 p.m.): Chris Berman, Tim McCarver, Curt Gowdy, and Bob Costas share anec-dotes about legendary voices Mel Allen, Harry Caray, and Red Barber in this hour narrated by Frank Deford.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Duke Ellington's Washington (PBS, check local listings): A fascinating documentary of a little-told place called U Street - where there was a vibrant and influential African-American community long before the Harlem renaissance. It was a society of strong churches, businesses, schools, newspapers, theaters, and social institutions. It was also a mecca for jazz giants like Ellington (pictured above), Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. As one narrator puts it: "The black community was complete within itself." Tenderly recounted, it's a visit to a place that once was and is no more.
Mary and Rhoda (ABC, 8-10 p.m.): For those who pine for the wholesome Mary Tyler Moore Show, here's a chance to see Mary and Rhoda (Valerie Harper) together again - it's an improbable plot about the two looking for work in New York, but good fun for fans.
WEDNESDAY 2/9
The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, An Empires Special (PBS, check local listings): Liam Neeson narrates this chronicle of the empire that laid the foundation for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy (see story above).
THURSDAY 2/10
Civil Rights Martyrs: Free at Last (TLC, check local listings): Through rich archival footage and dramatic re-created scenes, this two-hour documentary is a salute to the courage of 12 civil-rights movement heroes. Some known, some unknown, but all with one goal: change.
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