The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

About Face: Supermodels Then and Now

Jerry Hall’s wry view of aging—“We all know that’s coming, and it’s a bore”—is one of the many satisfactions of this documentary, which brings together a diverse group of women who became famous through modeling. From Carmen Dell’Orefice to Christie Brinkley to Bethann Hardison, each offers a frank take on the pleasures and perils of her career. Monday, July 30, at 9 p.m., HBO

America’s Lost Treasures: Philadelphia

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Hosts Curt Doussett and Kinga Philipps call on experts at the Franklin Institute Science Museum to flesh out the backstories of various local artifacts, including a letter seal used by Robert Morris, a financier of the American Revolution who signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Also spotlighted: an original proof of the engraving of George Washington that’s used on the dollar bill. Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Crime Inc.: A Deadly High

Despite efforts in 41 states to outlaw or curb them, synthetic substances that mimic the effects of illegal drugs are being sold legally under such labels as “bath salts” and “incense.” Correspondent Carl Quintanilla reports on an industry that is generating an estimated $5 billion per year—often with tragic consequences for its customers, many of whom are young. Thursday, Aug. 2, at 8 p.m., CNBC

Vito

Vito Russo was a pioneer in the LGBT community’s battle for equal rights. In this moving documentary, Lily Tomlin, playwright Larry Kramer, and other friends and admirers help paint a powerful portrait of the activist and film historian, who in the 1970s created an influential traveling show about the depiction of homosexuality in the media, before co-founding the watchdog group GLAAD and the AIDS activist group ACT UP. Saturday, Aug. 4, at 3 p.m., HBO

Marilyn Monroe: Still Life

Marking the 50th anniversary of Monroe’s death, this American Masters profile explores why still photos of the late actress seem to have contributed more to her mystique than her films. Photographers who shot the star, including Eve Arnold and Arnold Newman, offer their recollections of her, as do such notables as Gloria Steinem and Hugh Hefner. Sunday, Aug. 5, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Other highlights

I (Almost) Got Away With It

Back-to-back episodes of this true-crime series look at fugitives who found love on the lam à la Bonnie and Clyde. Tuesday, July 31, at 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

Freaks & Creeps: Africa’s Freaky Five

In South Africa, zoologist Lucy Cooke investigates such unlovely species as Cape vultures, girdled lizards, and pangolins (also known as scaly anteaters). Tuesday, July 31, at 10 p.m., Nat Geo Wild

Leverage

Season 5 of this drama series finds the stars attempting to give an unscrupulous scientist his comeuppance through an elaborate con: convincing him that he’s made first contact with extraterrestrials. Sunday, Aug. 5, at 8 p.m., TNT