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Programming

Best Bets - May 10-16, 2010

Posted by Greg Petersen on 05/10 at 07:49 AM

The Doors, a Focus on Autism, and a Fascinating Look at the History of Surgery

TV: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE – Monday, 9pm – “Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World” – A history of American whaling. This documentary by Ric Burns recalls an 1820 incident in which the whale ship Essex sank after being rammed by a sperm whale that was as large as the ship itself.

TV: INDEPENDENT LENS – Tuesday, 10pm – “The Horse Boy” – The story of an autistic boy and his parents, who travel from their Texas home to Mongolia in hopes of finding a shaman who can help him overcome the disorder.

TV: AMERICAN MASTERS – “The Doors: When You’re Strange” – Wednesday, 9pm – Johnny Depp narrates this phenomenal history of the Doors, the rock group responsible for such classics as “Light My Fire” and “L.A. Woman.” It utilizes only footage shot from the band’s 1965 formation to singer Jim Morrison’s 1971 death.

TV: CHILDREN AND AUTISM: TIME IS BRAIN – Thursday, 9pm – This WPSU production is an engaging portrait of two families faced with the daunting challenge of raising an autistic child. The program focuses on the importance of early detection, intervention, and the use of Applied Behavioral Analysis as a means of obtaining the best outcome for children with autism. (Repeats Saturday at 6pm.)

TV: AUTISM AND THE SIBLING RELATIONSHIP – Thursday, 9:30pm – This new WPSU production examines the factors that influence the quality of the sibling relationship — which is often considered the longest and most complicated relationship in the family. (Repeats Saturday at 6:30pm.)

TV: BLOOD & GUTS: A HISTORY OF SURGERY – Friday, 10pm – “Bloody Beginnings” – Premiere of a five-part series about the sometimes brutal, bloody and dangerous history of surgery. Michael Mosley finds out how the early days of surgery were dark and barbaric, when the surgeon’s knife was more likely to kill you than save you, and invasive medicine generally meant being bloodlet by leeches to within an inch of your life.