Pageant
This charming and colorful documentary covers the 34th edition of a beauty pageant for female impersonators, the Miss Gay America contest, where hormone treatments and surgical enhancements are forbidden. The film follows five contestants, as well as their loved ones and family members, making an eloquent argument for tolerance. Monday, June 7, at 8 p.m., Sundance Channel
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Take a generous helping of The Prisoner, mix with a dollop of Lost, add a pinch of Survivor, and you’ll have something like this intriguing new drama about seven strangers who awaken to find they’ve been abducted and placed in an empty town for reasons they cannot fathom. The Usual Suspects screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie created the series and wrote the pilot episode. Monday, June 7, at 10 p.m., NBC
CNN Documentary: The Atlanta Child Murders
Between 1979 and 1981, at least 25 African-American children, teens, and young adults were murdered in Atlanta by a single man—or so the police believed. Wayne Williams, who continues to profess his innocence from behind bars, was labeled America’s first black serial killer and convicted of two murders. In 2005, however, five of the cases were reopened, and doubts linger about whether Williams was responsible for all of the crimes. Soledad O’Brien investigates. Thursday, June 10, at 9 p.m., CNN
The 64th Annual Tony Awards
For the 13th consecutive year, Broadway’s big awards show will be broadcast live from New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The new musical Fela! and the revival of La Cage aux Folles are tied for the most nominations, with 11 each; the revival of August Wilson’s play Fences drew 10. Sean Hayes (Will & Grace), himself a nominee for his Broadway debut in Promises, Promises, will host. Sunday, June 13, at 8 p.m., CBS
True Blood
Irreverent humor and unabashed ribaldry make this series from Six Feet Under producer Alan Ball stand out amid the current glut of vampire TV shows and films. As Season 3 begins, heroine Sookie Stackhouse is determined to find her vampire lover, Bill Compton, who was seized by kidnappers before she had a chance to answer his proposal of marriage. Anna Paquin leads the cast. Sunday, June 13, at 9 p.m., HBO
Other highlights
American Pickers
Two antiques “pickers” from rural Iowa continue to scour back roads, junkyards, and barns for items of Americana, as this popular series returns. Monday, June 7, at 9 p.m., History
Neighbors From Hell
A family of demons masquerade as suburbanites in this new animated comedy series. Will Sasso, Molly Shannon, and Patton Oswalt supply voices. Monday, June 7, at 10 p.m., TBS
Explorer: Talibanistan
Explorer goes to the regions straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan to assess the challenges facing the NATO and Pakistani forces as they battle a resurgent Taliban. Tuesday, June 8, at 10 p.m., National Geographic Channel
