American Experience: Dinosaur Wars
In the late 19th century, railroads not only opened up the American West, they revealed a hidden trove of dinosaur bones. American Experience reveals how rival paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope vied so fiercely for pre-eminence in their field that they wound up destroying each other. Monday, Jan. 17, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
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Supernatural fantasy blends with coming-of-age drama in this new series, in which a reluctant vampire, a diffident werewolf, and a pert young woman’s ghost become roommates and help one another navigate the everyday world. Like the critically acclaimed British series from which it’s derived, the show blends horror with humor—though not as deftly. Sam Huntington fares best among the cast as the jittery lycanthrope. Monday, Jan. 17, at 9 p.m., Syfy
Harry’s Law
David E. Kelley, creator of such courtroom series as The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal, introduces yet another quirky lawyer: Harriet Korn, a bored patent attorney who through a series of unlikely events sets up a criminal-law practice in a Cincinnati shoe store. This new comedy-drama is hardly plausible, but the always engaging Kathy Bates plays the title role vigorously, and the characters have an offbeat charm. Monday, Jan. 17, at 10 p.m., NBC
NOVA scienceNOW
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson returns as host of this engaging science magazine, which in its fifth season devotes itself to “six big questions.” In the first episode, “Can We Make It to Mars?,” Tyson visits the Johnson Space Center to see how it plans to surmount such obstacles to interplanetary travel as meteors and cosmic rays—as well as how it will enable astronauts to eat and stay fit during missions lasting two to three years. Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Onion News Network
The satirists at The Onion extend their news-parody franchise to television in this new comedy series. Not every joke hits home, but the show is dead on when it targets the more absurd conventions of 24-hour news networks: strident headlines, meaningless statistics, and preening on-air talent. The program also rewards close attention: Some of the funniest jokes are buried in on-screen graphics. Friday, Jan. 21, at 10 p.m., IFC
Other highlights
Frontline: Are We Safer?
Washington Post reporter Dana Priest investigates the “terrorism-industrial complex” spawned by the 9/11 attacks and its growing reach into Americans’ lives. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
James Ellroy’s LA: City of Demons
In this new series, the great noir novelist re-examines high-profile Hollywood crimes—starting with the murder of his own mother. Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery
Perfect Couples
This comedy about three young couples is part of NBC’s unconventional new Thursday-night lineup: six sitcoms back to back. Thursday, Jan. 20, at 8:30 p.m., NBC
