Leopards are the ultimate cat...

They are the most feline, the most intelligent, the most dangerous, and, until recently, one of the least understood. Leopards hunt from South Africa to Siberia, from Arabia to Sri Lanka, and are the most widespread predator of their size on land. A leopard is a cat that walks by itself, unseen, secretively. They are the beautiful killers that live in the shadows. This film accumulates the evidence and puts together a psychological profile of this extraordinarily cunning cat. We learn how these cats rarely move without a completely premeditated strategy.  NATURE...7pm

 

Remembering the quest for the elusive brass ring...

Long before the days of giant theme parks, the United States had many,many amusement parks where families gathered for a cool escape on a hot summer day. This program celebrates these pre-Disney parks, visiting Playland in Rye, New York; Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana; and California's Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, where vacationers can still reach for the brass ring on the merry-go-round. The special also checks out some old wooden roller coasters and other classic rides.
Rick Sebak narrated GREAT OLD AMUSEMENT PARKS...8pm 

A new way to look at autism...and ourselves.

"Neurotypical" is an exploration of autism from the point of view of autistic people themselves. Four-year-old Violet, teenaged Nicholas and adult Paula occupy different positions on the autism spectrum, but they are all at pivotal moments in their lives. How they and the people around them work out their perceptual and behavioral differences becomes a remarkable reflection of the "neurotypical" world -- the world of the non-autistic -- revealing inventive adaptations on each side and an emerging critique of both what it means to be normal and what it means to be human.
POV: NEUROTYPICAL...9pm

This show is a modern day Indiana Jones story: a tale of deception, treasure, intrepid adventurers and international realpolitik.

Did a 19th-century British landowner really discover gold, jewels and the charred bones of the Lord Buddha in an underground chamber on his estate? When Colonial estate manager, Willie Peppe, set his workers digging at a mysterious hill in Northern India in 1898, he had no idea what they'd find. Just over 20 feet down, they made an amazing discovery: a huge stone coffer, containing five reliquary jars, over 1000 separate jewels, and some ash and bone. One of the jars had an inscription that appeared to say that these were the remains of the Buddha himself. This seemed to be the most extraordinary find in Indian archaeology. But doubt and scandal have hung over this amazing find for over 100 years. For some, the whole thing is an elaborate hoax. For others, it is no less than the final resting place of the leader of one of the world's great religions, who died nearly 2,500 years ago. On the heels of PBS' series chronicling the life of Buddha, don't miss the final piece...SECRETS OF THE DEAD: BONES OF THE BUDDHA...9pm 

What's it really like in China? These bloggers get the word out...

"High Tech, Low Life" follows two of China's first citizen-reporters as they document the underside of the country's rapid economic development. A search for truth and fame inspires young vegetable seller "Zola" to report on censored news stories from the cities, while retired businessman "Tiger Temple" makes sense of the past by chronicling the struggles of rural villagers. Land grabs, pollution, rising poverty, local corruption and the growing willingness of ordinary people to speak out are grist for these two bloggers who navigate China's evolving censorship regulations and challenge the boundaries of free speech.POV: HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE...9pm

The weekend begins with the Shaw Festival: Behind the Curtain...

This documentary provides unprecedented access and a behind-the-scenes look at the Shaw Festival, one of North America's longest running, most distinctive and exciting theater experiences. In following the process of getting the play from the page to the stage, we get insights into every aspect of theater production. SHAW FESTIVAL: BEHIND THE CURTAIN...Friday at 8pm

Saturday nights POV presents "Only the Young", about three unconventional Christian teenagers coming of age in a small Southern California town. Skateboarders Garrison and Kevin, and Garrison's on-and-off girlfriend, Skye, wrestle with the eternal questions of youth: friendship, true love and the promise of the future. With sun-drenched visuals, lyrical storytelling and a soul-music soundtrack, this film embodies the innocence and candor of its youthful subjects -- and of adolescence itself. POV: ONLY THE YOUNG...Saturday night at 10pm 

And it wouldn't be Sunday on PBS without a program from Britain. Highclere Castle might be famous for being the backdrop to the world's most successful costume drama, but behind the doors of this fairy tale castle still lives a real Lord and lady. This is the behind the scenes story of one of  England's most spectacular country houses. SECRETS OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE...Sunday at 7pm

Austin City Limits is bringing you some southern twang, pink guitars...

shotgun mic stands and serious country with this encore episode featuring Miranda Lambert and Jeff Bridges. Grammy winner Miranda Lambert has become a household name since her appearance on Nashville Star back in 2003 and is now, undoubtedly, one of country music’s biggest names.
The highly acclaimed actor/singer Jeff Bridges also appears in this episode, singing hits from the Grammy-winning Crazy Heart soundtrack as well as songs from his 2011 self-titled debut.AUSTIN CITY LIMITS...7pm