A Small Act
Thanks to an anonymous donor, Kenyan Chris Mburu was able to work his way to Harvard Law School and become a U.N. human-rights advocate. In gratitude, he established a scholarship fund for Kenya’s next generation. This documentary chronicles these “small acts” of generosity—and Mburu’s meeting with his own benefactor, a now-80-year-old Jewish woman who fled the Nazis as a child. Monday, July 12, at 9 p.m., HBO
The Closer
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Major Crimes Division has moved to a high-tech headquarters as The Closer returns, but Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) is her same prickly self, and the show remains an entertaining blend of police procedural and character comedy. Season 6 starts with “The Big Bang”—the case of a man murdered while gazing at the stars from a rooftop. Monday, July 12, at 9 p.m., TNT
Rizzoli & Isles
Confident performances by Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander in the title roles—as a feisty police detective and a brainy medical examiner, respectively—animate this likable new police drama. The debut episode, in which macabre homicides mimic the modus operandi of a serial murderer who once nearly killed Rizzoli, owes more than a little to The Silence of the Lambs. Lorraine Bracco adds zest as Rizzoli’s mother. Monday, July 12, at 10 p.m., TNT
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel
Correspondent Frank Deford profiles golfer Erik Compton, who qualified for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach after coming back from two heart transplants. Other segments include an interview with Pete Carroll, longtime USC coach and new coach of the Seattle Seahawks; and an update on sports marketer Lloyd Lake, who claimed that running back Reggie Bush received under-the-table benefits while playing under Carroll at USC. Wednesday, July 14, at 9 p.m., HBO
Chasing Mummies: The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Zahi Hawass
In addition to his academic credentials, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass has an engaging, television-friendly personality. This new series follows him through six months of excavations and plenty of mishaps: In the debut episode, for instance, two of his crew members get locked inside the Step Pyramid. Wednesday, July 14, at 10 p.m., History
Other highlights
Huge
This new series set at a weight-loss camp has drawn attention for its sensitive approach. Monday, July 12, at 9 p.m., ABC Family
NICU
This new, 10-week documentary series goes inside neonatal intensive care units in Baltimore, San Diego, and Cleveland, following doctors, nurses, and families as they care for premature infants. Thursday, July 15, at 10 p.m., Discovery Health
Haven
Based on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid, this new series centers on an FBI agent in a town whose residents have supernatural powers. Emily Rose stars. Friday, July 16, at 10 p.m., Syfy
