Could our water supply be the next disaster?

In the second episode of Ken Burns's DUST BOWL, experience the gradual relief as the families of the plains seek new lives in California and government conservation efforts - and a break in the drought in 1939 - eventually stabilize the soil and bring the farms back to life, but with dangers of another Dust Bowl facing future generations...DUST BOWL: REAPING THE WHIRLWIND...7pm

The most powerful raptor in the world lives in the jungle - and eats monkeys!

Harpy eagles are barely ever seen, let alone filmed. In this extraordinary documentary, our team of cameramen travel to the jungles of South America and into the world of this monkey-eating eagle and even risks injury to obtain intimate pictures of them bringing back large monkeys to the nest. The tables soon turn, however, as one of these massive birds starts following the team.  NATURE: JUNGLE EAGLE...7pm

"The Retirement Gamble" may open your eyes...

Ten trillion dollars in Americans' retirement savings are invested in large and small accounts managed by banks, brokerages, mutual funds, and insurance companies. But whether your IRA or 401K will assure a safe retirement is largely a gamble. Building off reporting from the special "Money, Power and Wall Street," FRONTLINE raises troubling questions about how America's financial institutions protect our savings. "The Retirement Gamble" reveals how fees, self-dealing, and kickbacks bring great profits to Wall Street while imperiling the prospects of a secure future for individuals. The film questions who has the consumer's best interests in mind and whether there is a better way to manage our retirements.FRONTLINE...9pm

A rise of 3 feet in sea level would make the Maldives uninhabitable...

President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives is a man with a bigger problem than any other world leader has ever faced -- the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. After bringing democracy to the Maldives, he must now ensure that his tiny country doesn't disappear under rising sea levels. That means capturing the attention of global superpowers, forging alliances, persuading the skeptical, and learning the ropes of international political horse-trading.INDEPENDENT LENS: THE ISLAND PRESIDENT...9pm

and, he can turn it up to eleven...

Actor Michael McKean was introduced to TV audiences when he played Lenny on Laverne & Shirley. He went on to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. McKean is probably best known for his role in the classic This is Spinal Tap, as well as Best of Show and Waiting for Guffman. He recently starred in The Best Man on Broadway, a role he had to give up when he was hit by a car in New York City last year. Mr. McKean sits down and discusses his career tonight on OVERHEARD WITH EVAN SMITH...8pm

Something about a girl in uniform...

This program traces the evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, this film looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about women's liberation...and how truly inspiring role models can be. INDEPENDENT LENS: WONDER WOMEN! THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICAN SUPERHEROINES...9pm

 

From "Der Bingle" to Black Sunday...remembering the Dirty Thirties...

The Golden Age of Radio is explored with Michael Feinstein and archival clips of Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, Kate Smith and others. He conducts one of the last interviews with TV and stage star Rose Marie ("Sally Rodgers" on "The Dick Van Dyke Show") and learns about her career as a child radio star. On his own radio program, Feinstein showcases virtuoso classical superstars, including violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk. Finally, he discovers a lost radio program that featured Rosemary Clooney, and through digital magic performs a "new" duet with her.  MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK: ON THE AIR...Friday at 9pm

This weekend marks 78 years since "Black Sunday". Listen to survivors of the dust bowl era remember where they were, and what they thought when they saw that gigantic wall of dirt spanning the horizon and barreling across the high plains. MEMORIES OF BLACK SUNDAY...Sunday at 3:30pm

The youngest host of a prime-time show on any of the country’s major cable news channels...

Chris Hayes is  the latest in a long line of tragically hip young guns prowling the sets at MSNBC and appears to be incredibly busy. His show ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES has moved to prime time, he's Editor at Large for The Nation, and  his writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The New Republic, among others. Somehow he found the time to sit down with Evan Smith, to catch his breath and chat...OVERHEARD WITH EVAN SMITH...tonight at 8pm

The grizzly and the wolf -- they couldn't be more different...

What happens when two great predators come face to face in Yellowstone? The bear is a loner, ranging far and wide in search of a rich variety of resources. The wolf hunts to survive and finds its strength in speed and teamwork. Their strategies have taken them to the very top of the Yellowstone hierarchy, and it's no simple matter when they meet face to face...NATURE...7pm

War on Drugs...more than 40 years, and 45 million arrests...

And has made America the world's largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet for all that, drugs are cheaper, purer and more available today than ever before. This program captures heart-wrenching stories at all levels of America's drug war -- from the dealer to the grieving mother; the narcotics officer to the senator; and the inmate to the federal judge.INDEPENDENT LENS: THE HOUSE I LIVE IN...9pm

If you love the slide guitar...

Nine time Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt brings her blues & slide guitar skills back to the ACL stage, along with her new band performing songs from her latest album Slipstream...and on the same show gospel giant Mavis Staples performs songs from You Are Not Alone and Staple Singers classics.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS...7pm

I always think they're talking about me...

This program integrates hard-core science with a light-hearted look at how plants behave, revealing a world where plants are as busy, responsive and complex as we are. From the stunning heights of the Great Basin Desert to the lush coastal rainforests of west coast Canada, scientist J.C. Cahill takes us on a journey into the "secret world of plants," revealing an astonishing landscape where plants eavesdrop on each other, talk to their allies, call in insect mercenaries and nurture their young. It is a world of pulsing activity, where plants communicate, co-operate and sometimes, wage all-out war.
NATURE...7PM

Kit Carson, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, and the Kind Hearted Woman...

The History Detectives investigate stories from the American West. Did a biography of legendary frontiersman Kit Carson once belong to members of his family? Then, from the rodeo to Hollywood, a saddle tells the story of Yakima Canutt, who made life safer for movie stunt artists. What is the meaning behind the mysterious inscription on sheet music of the popular western song "Tumbling Tumbleweeds"? HISTORY DETECTIVES...7pm

Followed by part 2 of the FRONTLINE/INDEPENDENT LENS documentary of the troubles faced by women on an Indian reservation...KIND HEARTED WOMAN...8PM

She's a divorced mother raising her kids...on a reservation.

Filmmaker David Sutherland profiles Robin Charboneau, a divorced mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota's Spirit Lake Reservation. Sutherland follows Charboneau over three years as she struggles to raise her children, further her education, heal the wounds of sexual abuse and battle alcoholism. She fights in tribal court with her ex-husband for custody of the children, even after he's convicted of sexually molesting his daughter and another child. Charboneau's quest to heal her family, earn a degree and return to the reservation to help prevent abuse of women and children leads her on a journey of discovery, heartbreak and, ultimately, redemption...FRONTLINE AND INDEPENDENT LENS presents Part One of KIND HEARTED WOMAN...8pm