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TV Picks

You won't want to miss these highlights from WETA Television in the next two weeks!

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This film follows the first year of a humpback whale’s life as she learns the lessons of humpback society from her mother. Pictured: Two breaching humpback whales.

Nature: Fellowship of the Whales

This film presents the story of the first year in a humpback whale's life. With her mother, she makes the long journey from her birthplace in the subtropical waters in Hawaii to summer feeding grounds in the cold seas off Alaska's southeast coast. Before the youngster sets out on her own, she encounters the seas' dangers, and she must learn to use her flippers and tail to announcer herself and to communicate with other whales.

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Pictured are some of the Dayaks who protected the U.S. airmen and fought the Japanese in Borneo during World War II.

Secret of the Dead: Airmen and the Headhunters

This documentary investigates the extraordinary survival story of a crew of airmen shot down over the jungles of Japanese-occupied Borneo during World War II. The film recounts the rescue of a U.S. bomber crew by Dayak tribesmen -- known for taking the heads of their enemies -- who passed the airmen on to a maverick British officer fighting a guerrilla war against the Japanese.

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The WETA Movie

The WETA Movie: Mississippi Burning

This 1988 drama stars Gene Hackman and Willem Defoe as two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights activists in 1967 Mississippi.

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Victory at Sea

Victory at Sea Marathon

Marking Veteran's Day, WETA TV 26 presents a 26-part groundbreaking 1953 documentary series -- in its entirety -- that spotlights major naval campaigns of World War II, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, battles in the North Atlantic, the Midway and Leyte Gulf campaigns and more.

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A team of snake handlers hopes to change public perception of what they feel is a misunderstood snake, the black mamba, one of Africa’s most feared.

Nature: Black Mamba

Nature spotlights on of Africa's most feared and dangerous snakes. The black mamba is known for its aggressiveness, rearing up four feet above the ground, striking with deadly precision, and delivering toxic venom that is 10 times more deadly than needed to kill an adult human. Without treatment, the mortality rate is 100 percent.

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An actor portraying a member of the tiny population of Homo sapiens from whom we all sprang. Geneticists have traced our ancestry to a bare 600 individuals who lived on the shores of Pinnacle Point, South Africa, learning to read the moon to exploit a rich marine resource.

NOVA: Becoming Human: Unearthing Our Earliest Ancestors

This definitive three-part special on human evolution combines interviews with renowned scientists and the most recent, groundbreaking discoveries with vivid images of our earliest ancestors to tell the first comprehensive story of our human past.

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Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron in An American in Paris.

The WETA Movie: An American in Paris

Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron star in Vincente Minnelli's Academy Award-winning 1951 musical about a struggling American artist who falls for a shop girl in Paris.

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African American Lives host and executive producer Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

African American Lives: The Road Home/A Way Out of No Way

This genealogy special journeys deep in the African-American experience to unearth the family histories of a group of celebrity participants. The first hour focuses on stories of participants' ancestors in the early 20th century, including the tragic fate of Tom Joyner's great-uncles, and Bliss Broyard's discovery about the identity of her father -- renowned New York Times critic Anatole Broyard -- at the time of his death. Then Gates continues to trace the guests' lineages back through the 1800s to the Civil War.

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It is the dream of many young girls to grow up to be a princess. Yet, if they only knew what that apparently-glamorous life could entail ... Pictured: Princess Mary of Denmark

Princesses of the World

This documentary presents a fascinating portrait of the most beautiful and beloved royal women of the past 50 years, taking a regal tour of the romance, heartache, tragedy and controversy that is the life of these modern day fairytale princesses.

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Gwen Ifill

Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal

Hosted by Gwen Ifill, PBS's longest-running public affairs series features Washington's top journalists analyzing the week's news stories and their effect on the lives of all Americans.

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"The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," featuring Jeffrey Brown, Gwen Ifill, Jim Lehrer, Margaret Warner, and Ray Suarez.

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is the country's most distinguished source for televised news. Each weekday, the program provides in-depth analysis of current events with a news summary, live studio interviews, discussions, and both foreign and domestic on-site reports.

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The documentary is narrated by acclaimed actress Kathleen Turner in the first person through readings from Rosalind's autobiography, and features clips from the star's numerous films are ample as is rare footage from her personal collection.

Life Is a Banquet: The Rosalind Russell Story

This film traces the remarkable show business career of the legendary actress of Hollywood's Golden Era. Rosalind Russell was the star of Auntie Mame, His Girl Friday, Gypsy and scores of other memorable films and Broadway shows. She was also a lifelong humanitarian, helping to found the U.S.O., and managed to live a normal, fulfilling family life. Actress Kathleen Turner narrates.

When to watch on WETA Television »

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes: The Eligible Bachelor

This feature-film-length production stars Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and Edward Hardwicke as Watson, joining in the search for a missing woman. Holmes' disturbing dreams both impede and aid his investigation.

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The Windsors: A Royal Dynasty follows the story of Britain's royal family — their triumphs and tragedies — since the interwar era.

The Windsors: A Royal Dynasty

Part 2 of 4. The King Who Saved the Crown. Bertie, Duke of York, is crowned George VI on May 12, 1937. His wife, Elizabeth (the future Queen Mum), helped him find a new confidence, and World War II revealed him to be a modest hero. His daughter, Elizabeth, married Philip, a prince of Greece and Denmark, in 1947 and gave birth to Charles and Anne.

When to watch on WETA Television »

Civil rights protestors (Photo credit: Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress)

Washington in the 60s

This WETA TV 26 production explores the political, social and cultural events that collectively make up the history of the Washington D.C. area during the seminal decade of the 1960s. This dramatic time in area history is brought to life through the memories of notable Washingtonians such as Ben Bradlee, Marion Barry, Patrick Buchanan, Maury Povich and Rev. Walter Fauntroy. Connie Chung narrates.

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The investigation of a multi-vehicle road accident unravels the shocking secrets of the complete strangers involved, revealing government cover-ups, smuggling, embezzlement, and murder. A remarkable cast portrays the stories of 10 people who share a single defining moment. Pictured: Kate Ashfield as Ann Stallwood and Douglas Henshall as DI John Tolin.

Masterpiece Contemporary: Collision

The investigation of a multi-vehicle road accident unravels the secrets of the complete strangers involved, revealing smuggling, murder, international intrigue, and betrayal. The victims, survivors and rescuers all share a single defining moment.

When to watch on WETA Television »