The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

last updated 8 January 2015

History Detectives

Artifacts—some fake, some real—undergo scrutiny from a team of experts in the sixth season of this entertaining series. This week: what may be part of the wreckage of the Hindenburg; a stamp related to the “Bonus Army” of World War I veterans who marched on Washington in 1932 to demand benefits; and the supposed fight bell from a legendary Jack Dempsey bout. Monday, July 28, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

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In northern Uganda, nearly 25,000 children—some as young as 5 years old—have been kidnapped during the past 20 years by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group waging war against the government. Wide Angle visits a rehabilitation center that shelters escapees from the LRA and helps them to recover from the emotional wounds inflicted by having served as child soldiers and sex slaves. Tuesday, July 29, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

The Great Wall is one of this colorful travelogue’s titular attractions, of course, but this hour reveals a half-dozen more, including the 8,000 terra-cotta warriors of the ancient capital of Xi’an; a hanging monastery perched precariously on the sheer cliffs of Mount Heng; and the mammoth, recently restored statue of Buddha near the Sichuan province city of Leshan. In high-def. Wednesday, July 30, at 10 p.m., Travel Channel

This powerful special, updated since its original airing in 2004, explores the clinical side of Alzheimer’s disease and the latest progress toward finding a cure. It also captures the human side of what one expert calls “a tragic illness where the essence of the person slowly ebbs away.” Afterward, actor David Hyde Pierce hosts a half-hour program offering help from experts. Sunday, Aug. 3, at 9 p.m., PBS

Due to a birth defect, Oscar Pistorius’ lower legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. On prosthetic limbs, the South African became one of the world’s top disabled sprinters, winning multiple medals at 2004’s Paralympics in Athens. After seeing his hopes to compete in this year’s Olympic Games nearly dashed by a ruling banning technical aids, he eventually won the right to compete—but this week failed to qualify for his country’s Olympic team. Sunday, Aug. 3, at 10 p.m., BBC America

Sgt. Clay Usie is a highly successful Army recruiter. This documentary shows how he uses both patriotism and personal charisma to attract Houma, La., high school seniors to enlist—even after six National Guardsmen from the area are killed in a single incident in Baghdad. Filmmakers follow four recruits who are seeking an alternative to the limited economic opportunities in Houma. They finish high school and prepare for military service, at first not fully cognizant of the rigors of basic training and the perils of combat in Iraq. An official selection at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Recruiter is a timely chronicle of the struggle to maintain U.S. troop levels in the face of ongoing conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Monday, July 28, at 9 p.m., HBO

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