The Week's guide to what’s worth watching

The best TV programs this week

Einstein

In his “Miracle Year” of 1905, Albert Einstein published papers that upended centuries of scientific thought. This documentary recounts the surprising and dramatic story of the young scientist’s struggle to develop his revolutionary theories. The coming years would include a failed marriage, ostracism by his peers, and the race to capture a photo of a solar eclipse to prove his radical ideas about gravity and light. Monday, Nov. 17, at 9 p.m., History Channel

NOVA: The Bible’s Buried Secrets

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Independent Lens: March Point

A few years ago three Native American teens in Washington state grudgingly agreed to work on a film about the environment as part of their treatment after getting into trouble with drugs and alcohol. This compelling Independent Lens offering chronicles what they learned about how two nearby oil refineries had affected their tribe’s seafood diet—and what they learned about themselves. Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

CNN Presents: One Crime at a Time

Last year New Orleans had the country’s highest number of murders per capita. This April, a witness in a high-profile case was killed in broad daylight. Correspondent Soledad O’Brien rode with members of the city’s understaffed police department, and also talked with assistant district attorneys and the city’s new inspector general, who is struggling to stem the corruption and fraud that threaten recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Saturday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m., CNN

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All

Taking a break from political satire, Stephen Colbert instead parodies treacly holiday specials, complete with seasonal story line (Colbert is snowed in at his cabin in upstate New York) and duets with musical guests (Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, John Legend, and Feist). To help celebrate Hanukkah, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart stops by as well. Sunday, Nov. 23, at 10 p.m., Comedy Central

Other highlights

Extreme Trains

A train conductor, appropriately, hosts this new documentary series about the inner workings of locomotives. In high-def. Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 10 p.m., History Channel

Lost Cities of the Amazon

Did an indigenous civilization once thrive in the Amazon rain forest? Scientists examine new evidence. Thursday, Nov. 20, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Nature: The Wolf That Changed America

The story of Ernest Thompson Seton, whose 1893 pursuit of a cunning wolf helped start America’s conservation movement. Sunday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings