The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

Americans in Bed

Most people don’t talk freely about their sex lives. So it’s something of a miracle that British filmmaker Philippa Robinson managed to convince 10 American couples to be interviewed at length, while lying in their own beds, about just that subject. Whether the couples are nonagenarians married 70 years or young urbanites who’ve broken up dozens of times, they embrace the chance to play John and Yoko—offering candid, humorous, and occasionally profound insights on the role sex has played in their relationships.Monday, Aug. 12, at 9 p.m., HBO

Eyewitness War

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You’ve never seen war from this vantage point—unless you’ve been in one. This powerful new series uses footage from helmet cams to capture the experiences of American soldiers fighting overseas. In the two new episodes airing Aug. 12, white-knuckle moments stretch to half hours as medics rescue the wounded and Marines fight off a Taliban attack. Monday, Aug. 12, at 10 p.m., National Geographic

The Truth About Exercise With Michael Mosley

“No pain, no gain” is the conventional wisdom about exercise. But in this episode of a three-part series built around his own pursuit of greater health, a British journalist-physician explores current science on fitness and comes away with a radical theory: For some people, three minutes a week of high-intensity exercise can be as beneficial as hours logged at the gym.Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

The Pitch

The round-the-clock stresses and cutthroat competitiveness of today’s real-life advertising world would have been enough to drive Don Draper to early retirement. Season 2 of this acclaimed reality series, which follows ad-company creatives as they hone their pitches, kicks off by chronicling a competition between two Southern firms for the business of a franchised national hauling company.Thursday, Aug. 15, at 11 p.m., AMC

The Life of Muhammad

Among non-Muslims, the life of the Prophet Muhammad is not well known. This enlightening three-part series, hosted by journalist-author Rageh Omaar, traces Muhammad’s steps, from his birth in Mecca to his initial prophetic visions to his development of the moral code now known as sharia. Religious scholars also weigh in to discuss Muhammad’s legacy. Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Other highlights

Owner’s Manual

Read the instructions or ignore them? The male co-hosts of this new series are divided on the question, and they intend to test who’s right with a series of manly mechanical challenges, beginning in the cockpit of a stunt plane. Thursday, Aug. 15, at 10 p.m., AMC

Explorer: Area 51 Declassified

Get out your tinfoil hats for this standout special, which both debunks and confirms pieces of the conspiratorial lore surrounding Area 51, a government research site.Friday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m., National Geographic

2013 MTV Video Music Awards

The 30th edition of this awards fest promises to be a showcase for Lady Gaga, who’ll perform a new song. Sunday, Aug. 25, at 9 p.m., MTV