Madonna of the Mills
Some 500,000 puppies sold in America each year originate in “puppy mills,” where dogs are bred for pet stores, often in inhumane and unsanitary conditions. Disturbing but ultimately uplifting, this documentary follows an animal-rights crusader from Staten Island, N.Y., on her one-woman campaign to rescue dogs from puppy mills in Lancaster County, Pa. It also follows the fates of several of the more than 2,000 dogs she has rescued. Monday, Aug. 29, at 11 a.m., HBO2
Quirky
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Launched by 24-year-old entrepreneur Ben Kaufman, Quirky.com is an aptly named product-development company that sifts among concepts submitted by prospective inventors, then propels the creators’ dreams by supplying development and marketing. This six-week docuseries follows 12 such inventors, including a mother of two with an all-in-one pasta strainer, a college student with a flexible power strip, and a Kansas City dad with a new twist on the can opener. Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 10 p.m., Sundance Channel
Border Wars
A new season begins for the series that follows real-life agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In the season premiere, cameras get a rare glimpse inside classified locations where seized drugs, weapons, and cash are stored until cases proceed through the legal system and the contraband can be disposed of. Sunday, Sept. 4, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel
Masterpiece Mystery! Inspector Lewis, Series IV
Kevin Whately, who played a sidekick in British TV’s earlier Inspector Morse series, returns here as an Oxford crime solver working with a partner of his own. In the first of four new whodunits, the murder of a student at the reunion of an all-female Oxford college may be related to a decade-old case. Sundays, Sept. 4, 18, 25, and Oct. 9, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor
After Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center during the attacks of Sept. 11, construction manager Frank De Martini and inspector Pablo Ortiz worked to free survivors trapped behind jammed doors on the upper floors. Though they both perished, they saved 77 lives and inspired other rescuers. Archival footage, dramatizations, and interviews with survivors document their heroism. Sunday, Sept. 4, at 9 p.m., TLC
Other highlights
Today
In one of his first in-depth interviews since the end of his two terms as vice president, Dick Cheney will sit down with program co-host Matt Lauer. Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 7 a.m., NBC
Project Shiphunt
This documentary follows five high school students, armed with laptop computers, during their hunt for a sunken ship in Lake Huron. Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 10 p.m., Current TV
Dinosaur Revolution
Top animators and illustrators portray the latest discoveries about dinosaur behavior in vivid, dramatic vignettes. Sundays, Sept. 4 and 11, at 9 p.m., Discovery
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