Prodigal Sons
Kimberly Reed set out to make a documentary about returning to Montana for her high school reunion, after 20 years and a startling change: from star quarterback to transgendered blonde. But her film’s focus soon expands to her younger, gay brother and to their adoptive brother, who turns out to be the biological grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. Monday, June 21, at 8 p.m., Sundance Channel
History Detectives
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Latest Videos FromThe Week
The titular team of experts and historians returns for an eighth season of analyzing intriguing (though not always authentic) objects and folklore. In a space-themed episode, they scrutinize a scrap of Mylar that could have come from an early satellite; examine a jury-rigged ski boot that may have been a NASA prototype; and investigate whether there really is an Andy Warhol artwork on the moon. Monday, June 21, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel talks to three members of the U.S. World Cup soccer team about a troubling topic: the racial taunts they’ve received from fans abroad. Other segments include profiles of Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden, who threw a perfect game last month, and Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas, the only openly gay man on a professional sports team. Plus, a visit with chess prodigies from Brownsville, Texas. Tuesday, June 22, at 10 p.m., HBO
Memphis Beat
In this new police drama, Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) is an Elvis-loving Memphis cop whose freewheeling style frequently brings him into conflict with his doctrinaire new supervisor, played by Alfre Woodard. In the premiere,
he investigates an abuse case involving a female DJ who’s a local legend. Colorful locations and a soundtrack peppered with soulful Memphis hits offset sometimes shallow writing. Tuesday, June 22, at 10 p.m., TNT
Boston Med
Cameras capture real-life drama inside Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in this eight-part documentary series. A follow-up to the Peabody Award–winning series Hopkins, the show will spotlight high-stakes procedures, including a complex operation on a newborn, the reconstruction of a police officer’s shattered jaw, and a face transplant. Thursdays, starting June 24, at 10 p.m., ABC
Other highlights
In America: Gary & Tony Have a Baby
Soledad O’Brien follows a gay couple’s efforts to have a baby, including legal battles as well as the challenges of finding an egg donor and a surrogate. Thursday, June 24, at 8 p.m., CNN
Rookie Blue
The week’s second new police drama follows the lives of five photogenic young cops fresh out of the police academy. Thursday, June 24, at 9 p.m., ABC
POV: William Kunstler, Disturbing the Universe
This film by the daughters of the often controversial civil-rights lawyer traces his evolution from liberal to full-fledged radical. Tuesday, June 22, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
