The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

Plus, Other highlights; Show of the week; Movies on TV this week

The Colbert Report

Stephen Colbert’s lampoon of vacuous political punditry recently won a Peabody Award; now, for the first time, it goes on the road. To cover the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, the show will tape four episodes at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center. Monday–Thursday, April 14­–17, at 11:30 p.m., Comedy Central

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

The Truth About Cancer

After all the money and research dedicated to curing cancer, why do people still die from it? That’s the agonizing question filmmaker Linda Garmon set out to answer as she chronicled her own husband’s unsuccessful battle with lung cancer and other cases in Boston-area hospitals. This moving and eye-opening documentary will be followed by a panel discussion among cancer survivors led by Linda Ellerbee. Wednesday, April 16, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

The Devil Came on Horseback

As an official military observer in the Darfur region of Sudan, former U.S. Marine Capt. Brian Steidle got a firsthand look at the horrific handiwork of the Janjaweed—an Arab militia purging the nation’s black African population, with government support. His video and photos are incorporated into this powerful documentary. Friday, April 18, at 10 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Masterpiece: My Boy Jack

Harry Potter portrayer Daniel Radcliffe stars in this colorful Masterpiece entry as Jack Kipling, son of Rudyard Kipling, who fought in World War I and struggled to prove himself worthy of his famous father’s name. Writer/actor David Haig adapted his own 1997 play and portrays Rudyard Kipling; Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall plays his American wife. Sunday, April 20, at 9 p.m., PBS

Other highlights

American Experience: Walt Whitman

Poets and writers reflect on the legacy of America’s quintessential poet in this thoughtful profile. Monday, April 14, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Independent Lens: King Corn

After growing an acre of corn, two friends investigate how it is used in this Super Size Me–style documentary. Tuesday, April 15, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

The Return of the Cuyahoga

Once infamous for catching fire, the Cuyahoga River has come back to life. This documentary traces its rebirth. Friday, April 18, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

All listings are Eastern time.

Show of the week

Frontline: Sick Around the World

The U.S. is among history’s richest nations, yet 47 million Americans have no medical insurance, and the World Health Organization ranks our health-care system 37th in the world in quality and fairness of care. How do other countries do better? Correspondent T.R. Reid visits five of them: Great Britain, which has become a world leader in preventive care; Japan, which regulates medical prices and forbids insurers to make a profit; Germany, where, a parliament member says, “the rich pay for the poor, and the ill are covered by the healthy”; Taiwan, which has tried to combine the best elements of other systems; and Switzerland, which successfully reformed its U.S.-style system in 1994. Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Movies on TV this week

Monday, April 14

M (1931)

Criminals unite to bring a child murderer to justice in this German expressionist classic from Metropolis director Fritz Lang. Peter Lorre stars. 3:05 p.m., IFC

Tuesday

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Mel Brooks’ vulgar but funny sendup of cowboy clichés earned Madeline Kahn an Oscar nomination as chanteuse Lili Von Shtupp. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder star. 11 p.m., TCM

Wednesday

Babe (1995)

This charming family fantasy from Australia about a pig who learns to herd sheep was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Supporting Actor (James Cromwell). 7:15 a.m., Encore

Thursday

The White Countess (2005)

Ralph Fiennes portrays an American ex-diplomat who becomes involved with a fugitive Russian countess in the demimonde of 1930s Shanghai. Natasha Richardson co-stars. 6:30 p.m., Sundance

Friday

Starman (1984)

Jeff Bridges received a Best Actor nomination for his role as a benign extraterrestrial who assumes the shape of a young widow’s late husband. With Karen Allen. 6:05 p.m., Flix

Saturday

The Painted Veil (2006)

In this adaptation of a W. Somerset Maugham novel, an unforgiving scientist and his adulterous wife battle cholera in a Chinese village. Starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. 10 a.m., HBO

Sunday

The Egyptian (1954)

Lavish production values and a Bernard Herrmann/Alfred Newman score highlight this costume epic set in 18th Dynasty Egypt. With Victor Mature and Jean Simmons. 9:30 a.m., Fox Movie Channel