The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

last updated 8 January 2015

Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work

What do royals do all day? This four-week series offers an unusually intimate look at the lives of Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the British royal family. Far from lives of leisure, theirs turn out to be a busy round of official visits, charity events, and public ceremonies. The first episode centers on preparations for the queen’s visit to America, including the Bush administration’s first (and only) white-tie dinner. Wednesdays, Nov. 12–26, at 8 p.m., PBS

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In 1978, more than 900 followers of the Rev. Jim Jones—almost a third of them children—died in Guyana in a mass suicide-murder pact. Yet some 30 members of Jones’ Peoples Temple escaped the massacre, including two mothers who walked dozens of miles through the jungle with their children. In this report by correspondent Soledad O’Brien, one woman returns to Jonestown to relate how she got away. Thursday, Nov. 13, at 9 p.m., CNN

Official U.S. military policy bans women from direct ground combat. But in Iraq female soldiers have been regularly “attached” to combat units since 2003 to reduce tension between male soldiers and Iraqi women. Though these “Lioness” soldiers lack the training of their male counterparts, they have seen some of the bloodiest action of the war. This eye-opening report follows five of these American heroines. Thursday, Nov. 13, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

For centuries, the Great Pyramid of Giza has confronted scholars with a mystery: How did the ancient Egyptians get 2.5-ton limestone blocks to the top of the 480-foot pyramid? Using 3-D software, one architect has come up with a radical new theory: spiraling internal ramps. This brisk documentary goes to Giza to put his theory to the test, and uncovers another surprising secret. Sunday, Nov. 16, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

A funny performance by the wonderful Julie Walters anchors this droll Masterpiece import about one straight-laced woman’s crusade to hold back the tide of cultural revolution in 1960s Britain by pressuring the BBC to purge prurient content. Hugh Bonneville co-stars as Mary Whitehouse’s beleaguered network adversary in the fact-based comedy. Sunday, Nov. 16, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Two days after the Sept. 11 attacks, Tomas Young enlisted in the Army, hoping to fight al Qaida in Afghanistan. Instead, he was sent to Iraq, where he was paralyzed by a sniper’s bullet after only five days. He now lacks control of many bodily functions and relies on ice packs to regulate his body’s temperature. This documentary follows Young’s life after his return, when despite his injuries, he got married and became an outspoken member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Co-directed by talk-show host Phil Donahue, the film makes no secret of its political sympathies, but its emotional force is undeniable—especially on Veterans Day. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m., Sundance Channel

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