Eyewitness to the golden years of natural history filmmaking...

Sir David Attenborough's 60 years on television focuses on three fields that he feels have been transformed most profoundly: filmmaking, science and the environment. With sequences re-mastered in HD along with new interviews, "Understanding the Natural World," features Sir David as he shares his memories of the scientists and the breakthroughs that helped shape his own career. He also recalls some of his more hair-raising attempts to bring new science to a television audience: standing in the shadow of an erupting volcano as lumps of hot lava crashed around him or being charged by a group of armed New Guinean tribesmen.  NATURE: ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE STORIES, PT 2...7pm

And the Oscar nominated filmmaker is from Amarillo

In Austin, Texas, 15 people influence what is taught to the next generation of American children. Once every decade, the highly politicized Texas State Board of Education rewrites the teaching and textbook standards for its nearly 5 million schoolchildren. And when it comes to textbooks, what happens in Texas affects the nation as a whole.That's what makes this film so compelling...an elected board of education influencing the very basis of learning through their ideas and ideology - not scientific fact. Watch tonight and tell us what you think. 
INDEPENDENT LENS: THE REVISIONARIES...9pm

My weekend picks...

Wayne White is a nut. His off-kilter style and self-deprecating sense of humor offer a peek into an imagination that refuses to grow up, and is put to good use on his groundbreaking work on PeeWee's Playhouse. This film chronicles the vaulted highs and the crushing lows of this Tennessean commercial artist who literally changed the look of television for an entire generation...a fascinating look at an artist as he struggles to find peace and balance between work and art.  INDEPENDENT LENS...Saturday at 11pm

Rick Husband training for space is documented in a KACV production from a few years ago, and you'll come away rooting for a local boy who made good. A proper tribute to him as we approach the 10th anniversary of the Columbia Shuttle disaster...RICK HUSBAND: MAN WITH A MISSION...Sunday afternoon at 3pm. Followed by a special Face to Face program with his wife Evelyn who describes picking up the pieces after the tragedy.

Nashville's hottest ticket isn't the Grand Ole Opry but Monday nights at the tiny Station Inn with this all-star, 11-piece western swing outfit. With lead vocals provided by Dawn Sears, Kenny Sears, Vince Gill and two-time Grammy-winner "Ranger Doug" Green, this band features Music City's instrumental A-list...BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND Sunday at 4pm

And of course, let's not forget the ongoing Downton Abbey, starting at 7pm on Sunday.

When the Soaps moved to Prime Time...

PIONEERS OF TELEVISION goes back in time again to revisit our guilty pleasures...beginning with "Dallas" and "Dynasty" kicking off the nighttime soap frenzy in the late 1970s, followed by the long-lasting series "Knots Landing." Sometimes forgotten is the genre's grand daddy: 1964's "Peyton Place," starring Mia Farrow and Ryan O'Neal. We also hear from Larry Hagman, Joan Collins, Linda Evans, Diahann Carroll, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Michele Lee, Joan Van Ark and Donna Mills. PIONEERS OF TELEVISION...7pm

Norah Jones, soul food and Office Space...

ACL features Norah Jones singing songs from her Dangermouse-produced album Little Broken Hearts...AUSTIN CITY LIMITS...Saturday at 10pm

Filmmaker Byron Hurt sets out to learn more about the African American love affair with soul food...including its benefits and consequences. After watching this documentary, you'll wonder if soul food has become an addiction in the black community. INDEPENDENT LENS: SOUL FOOD JUNKIE...Saturday at 11pm 


Texas-based filmmakers behind OFFICE SPACE, LONESOME DOVE, and EL MARIACHI are the focus for ON STORY, featuring Mike Judge, Bill Wittliff and Robert Rodriguez...Sunday at 5:30pm

And the DOWNTON ABBEY saga continues, with last week's episode airing at 7, and the new episode at 8pm on Sunday

An eye-opening evening...

KACV takes a close look at the poverty issue here in the panhandle...first up is a special Face to Face with Dr. Donna Beegle. She describes growing up in generational poverty and the tricks her family used to get by in everyday life...7pm

Next we feature a Conversation with Don Baylor, Jr...he's the director of Opportunity Texas, an organization that studies data and trends in the state regarding poverty...8pm

And finally, a production by KLRU in Austin called A FIGHTING CHANCE, a documentary that follows 5 families and their efforts to keep their heads above water while raising their kids...8:30pm

Did you know Koalas have pouches...and fingerprints?

NATURE takes us into the day-to-day dramas of an extended family of koalas, seen through the eyes of the scientists studying their every move and vocalization. Fascinating social dynamics include territorial displays, vicious fighting and the surprising life and loves of a "traveling salesman," a rogue male who truly plays the field...and you just thought they were cute and cuddly.
NATURE: CRACKING THE KOALA CODE...7pm