The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

The best programs on TV this week

Gloria: In Her Own Words

Gloria Steinem has been virtually synonymous with feminism for more than 40 years. This comprehensive profile uses recent interviews to revisit her sometimes controversial career, including her 1963 exposé of the life of a Playboy Bunny, her co-founding of Ms. magazine, and her battles with breast cancer and low self-esteem. Monday, Aug. 15, at 9 p.m., HBO

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: The Last Heart Attack

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Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans, but can it be prevented? In this report on the latest advances in heart disease diagnostics, cardiologists and experts argue that it can, through changes in lifestyle, even among those with genetic proclivities to it. The documentary includes a candid interview with former President Bill Clinton, who had an emergency bypass at 58 and says, “I was lucky I didn’t die.” Sunday, Aug. 21, at 8 p.m., CNN

The Liquid Bomb Plot

In 2006, a group of conspirators was hatching a plan to blow up as many as 10 airplanes around the world with liquid explosives. This report, which features interviews with ex-CIA director Michael Hayden, former Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, and other high-level officials, reveals the details of the investigation into the plot—an operation that yielded 11 convictions and may have saved thousands of lives. Sunday, Aug. 21, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

RFK in the Land of Apartheid

In 1966, during the harshest period of apartheid rule, Robert Kennedy made a five-day visit to South Africa, giving hope to the system’s opponents. Previously unseen footage reveals the little-chronicled story of RFK’s historic trip, which included a speech at the University of Cape Town and a visit to the black township of Soweto. Monday, Aug. 22, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview

In this in-depth interview, the former president recalls that at the moment he learned of the Sept. 11 attacks, he “was horrified like everyone else” but made an effort to project calm. His account of that day is punctuated by news footage and stills. Bush also reacts to the death of Osama bin Laden, which occurred the day before the interview was conducted. Sunday, Aug. 28, at 10 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Other highlights

Downsized

As this docuseries about one family’s struggles with unemployment and foreclosure returns for its second season, belt-tightening is taking a toll. Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 9 p.m., WE tv

90 Minutes in Hell: Assault on Oslo

This documentary chronicles the July 22 massacre in Norway, and analyzes the motives of Anders Behring Breivik. Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 10 p.m., Military Channel

William and Catherine: A Royal Romance

Jane Alexander portrays Queen Elizabeth in this new dramatization of the run-up to the recent royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Saturday, Aug. 27, at 9 p.m., Hallmark Channel

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