The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

last updated 8 January 2015

Ax Men

In its first cycle of episodes, this colorful documentary series followed five logging companies as they faced the hazards of timber cutting in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Now the show widens its focus to the sea and air, chronicling an outfit that uses helicopters to log the woods of Montana and a group of aquatic loggers who fish for their timber, as well as a fractious father-son team in Washington state. Monday, March 2, at 10 p.m., History

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In 2001 a copper and gold disc, inlaid with images of the moon and stars, suddenly appeared on the international antiquities market. Regarded as a fabrication at first, it now is generally believed to date to 1600 B.C. This special reconstructs the surprising story of a strange and beautiful artifact that may shed new light on Europe’s Bronze Age. Tuesday, March 3, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

In July 2008 onetime presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages were rescued from the Colombian guerrilla group FARC after six and a half years of captivity. Previously unseen footage, some taken by the guerillas themselves, helps tell the remarkable story of how Colombian military intelligence pulled off the rescue without firing a single shot—in an elaborate ruse that took months of planning and infiltration. Wednesday, March 4, at 8 p.m., National Geographic Channel

High levels of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere, in addition to contributing to global warming, create another problem: ocean acidity. Some scientists predict acid levels will increase 60 percent to 80 percent by 2050, destroying reefs and depleting stocks of the fish that breed in them. Correspondent Roger Harrabin files a special two-part report. Friday, March 6, and Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m., BBC America

Combining high-definition underwater photography with computer graphics and satellite imaging, this special follows a team of scientists as they probe a puzzling spate of deaths among blue whales, the largest creature of all time. Cameras delve beneath the Costa Rica Dome to document the youngest member of the species ever filmed. Tom Selleck narrates. Sunday, March 8, at 8 p.m., National Geographic Channel

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