Hotel Gramercy Park
A bohemian landmark, Manhattan’s Gramercy Park Hotel has played host to everyone from Humphrey Bogart to Debbie Harry. This documentary profiles the hotel, its colorful denizens, and its equally colorful owners. After the tragedy-scarred Weissberg clan had to give up ownership, hotelier and former Studio 54 co-owner Ian Schrager refurbished the hotel in collaboration with artist Julian Schnabel. Monday, Dec. 7, at 9 p.m., Sundance Channel
Frontline: The Madoff Affair
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Correspondent Martin Smith traces the roots of Bernard Madoff’s global Ponzi scheme, which wiped out $65 billion in investments. First-person accounts come from such key players as a computer expert at Madoff Securities, a fund manager who protected Madoff’s anonymity, and even a Madoff accountant from the early 1960s, when the scam began. Together they paint a disturbing picture of greed and fraud on a gargantuan scale. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Independent Lens: Between the Folds
This eye-opening documentary on origami makes a visually compelling case for paper folding as an art form: The sculptures showcased are not only dazzlingly complex but also beautiful. Yet it points out that origami is also a science: The 10 paper folders profiled include mathematicians and physicists, as well as artists. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …
Long one of rock ’n’ roll’s most literate songwriters, Elvis Costello also has proved to be an adept showman and interviewer with this entertaining music-and-talk show. To open his second season, he welcomes Bono and the Edge of U2, with whom he discusses musical influences and performs several songs. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 10 p.m., Sundance Channel
Community
Witty writing, a gifted cast, and a distinctive mix of sarcasm and uplift help make this comedy about a crew of community-college misfits one of TV’s best shows. So, too, does the show’s pop-culture self-awareness, exemplified by references to its own similarity to the film The Breakfast Club and by this week’s guest star, Anthony Michael Hall, one of the stars of that ’80s teen touchstone. Thursday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m., NBC
Other highlights
The Gates
Shown again to mark the recent death of artist Jeanne-Claude, this fine documentary chronicles the art installation she and her husband, Christo, put up in Central Park in February 2005. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 10:15 a.m., HBO
30 Rock
Julianne Moore guest-stars in a holiday episode as an old flame who unexpectedly reconnects with network honcho Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). Thursday, Dec. 10, at 9:30 p.m., NBC
Explorer: Narco State
Correspondent Lisa Ling reports on the explosive growth of crime fueled by drug cartels in the border cities of Phoenix and Juarez, Mexico. Sunday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m., National Geographic Channel
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