The Arsenio Hall Show
To audience chants of “Woof! Woof!” talk show host Arsenio Hall briefly invigorated late-night network television just as the first President Bush took office. The original Arsenio Hall Show produced its share of cultural moments—Bill Clinton playing sax, Magic Johnson addressing his HIV diagnosis. Two decades after Hall briefly challenged Johnny Carson for ratings supremacy, he’s finally back, hoping to regain his mojo. Monday, Sept. 9, CBS; check local listings
The Million Second Quiz
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Latest Videos FromThe Week
Time is money in this elaborate new game show hosted by Ryan Seacrest. For 12 consecutive days, contestants will sit inside a giant hourglass in New York’s Times Square and earn $10 for every second they’re able to better all challengers—including players online—in answering trivia questions. The game will air live during prime time on 10 nights, and finalists will face off for the largest cash prize in game show history. Monday, Sept. 9, at 8 p.m., NBC
American Masters: Billie Jean King
Few tennis players ever swung a racket the way Billie Jean King did. This insightful documentary, airing 40 years after King’s ballyhooed “Battle of the Sexes” victory over Bobby Riggs, doesn’t explore recent reports that Riggs threw that match. Instead, it charts King’s rise from playground instructor to winner of 39 Grand Slam titles and celebrates her tireless efforts to achieve gender equality in sports and beyond. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings
The Presidents’ Gatekeepers
Forget the vice president. It’s the president’s chief of staff who is often the real No. 2, serving as the boss’s most trusted confidante at moments of national importance. For this two-night special, all 20 living chiefs of staff—including Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Erskine Bowles, Rahm Emanuel, and Denis McDonough—will be brought together to trade dramatic and affecting behind-the-scenes stories.Wednesday, Sept. 11, and Thursday, Sept. 12, at 9 p.m., Discovery
Derek
Ricky Gervais has come up with yet another mockumentary-style series. In this British import, the creator of The Office plays a -nursing-home caretaker with cognitive issues similar to autism’s. Critics have labeled the portrayal a cruel spoof, but the show is notable more for its tenderness than its cynicism. Available for streaming Thursday, Sept. 12, Netflix
Other highlights
Sons of Anarchy
A sixth season begins for this critically acclaimed show about an outlaw biker gang that runs an arms ring to support its idyllic California town. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 10 p.m., FX
Fame High
This documentary-musical, which profiles four hardworking and talented teens at a California high school for the arts, acts as a reality check on American Idol–style dreams.Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., Showtime
Real Time With Bill Maher
The left-leaning libertarian host resumes his celebrity-panel discussions of lightning-rod social and political issues. Friday, Sept. 13, at 10 p.m., HBO
