The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

Matt Lauer Reports

In his first one-on-one interview since leaving office, former President George W. Bush sits with the Today anchor to talk about his new memoir and its accounts of the contested 2000 election, the 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the financial crisis, and his decision in 1986 to give up drinking. Monday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m., NBC

Inside the State Department

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National Geographic interviews Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and follows her to Pakistan, Israel, Egypt, and Afghanistan as it spotlights America’s international-relations team. Cameras also go inside State Department headquarters, visiting the “gift vault” where items from foreign dignitaries are stored. Monday, Nov. 8, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Conan

Ten months after his abrupt departure from The Tonight Show, Conan O’Brien returns to late-night television with a new Monday–Thursday talk show. Actor Seth Rogen and musical guest Jack White are to appear in the debut; also scheduled for opening week are Tom Hanks (Tuesday), Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (Wednesday), and Michael Cera (Thursday). Andy Richter reassumes his 1990s role as O’Brien’s sidekick. Monday, Nov. 8, at 11 p.m., TBS

Frontline: The Confessions

Four U.S. sailors confessed to a brutal 1997 rape and murder they didn’t commit, and Frontline investigates why. Though the “Norfolk Four” are out of prison today, they have not been exonerated, despite a complete lack of evidence and a fifth man’s confession to having acted alone. The report raises troubling questions about police interrogation techniques, including sleep deprivation and the use of threats. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Independent Lens: The Longoria Affair

When Pvt. Felix Longoria was killed in battle in World War II, his Texas hometown’s only funeral parlor refused to let his family use its chapel because they were Mexican-American. Independent Lens traces how the incident led to a fateful alliance between Lyndon Johnson and civil-rights advocate Hector Garcia, resulting in landmark legislation. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Other highlights

The Good Wife

Guest star Michael J. Fox plays a disabled attorney who uses the symptoms of his own neurological disorder to win a jury’s sympathy while defending a pharmaceutical company from a class-action lawsuit. Julianna Margulies stars. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 10 p.m., CBS

Smallville

Erica Durance’s Lois Lane finds a tape made for her by her late mother, played by guest star Teri Hatcher—who came to fame in the 1990s Superman series Lois & Clark. Friday, Nov. 12, at 8 p.m., CW

Sarah Palin’s Alaska

The premiere of a new documentary/travelogue series hosted by the former Alaska governor. Sunday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m., TLC