The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

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

Independent Lens: Water Flowing Together

In this documentary profile, dancer Jock Soto faces retirement from the only life he has ever known. Independent Lens looks at Soto’s unlikely roots on Arizona’s Navajo Indian reservation, his remarkable 24 years with the New York City Ballet, and his life as a gay man and an artist. This film is the first by photographer Gwendolen Cates. Tuesday, April 8, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

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30 Rock

The Emmy-winning comedy returns for its first new episode since the writers’ strike. Network executive Jack Donaghy is riding high on the success of his new reality hit, MILF Island—until a disparaging item in the New York Post threatens his ambitions, prompting a determined search for the anonymous source. Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey star. Thursday, April 10, at 8:30 p.m., NBC

Human Footprint

How much does the average American consume between cradle and grave? This special complements statistics with colorful visuals—such as an array of 28,433 rubber ducks to represent the number of showers taken in a lifetime. It traces where the products we use originate and also visits landfills to show where many of them wind up. ABC News’ Elizabeth Vargas anchors. Sunday, April 13, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Masterpiece: A Room With a View

In this adaptation of E.M. Forster’s satirical romance, Elaine Cassidy portrays a young Englishwoman torn between passion and propriety after a fateful trip to Tuscany. Fine performances, an intelligent script, and colorful locations in Italy and England all augment this top-drawer production. Sunday, April 13, at 9 p.m., PBS

Other highlights

Inside Straight Edge

A look at the youth movement Straight Edge, which shuns alcohol and drugs but has a violently militant faction. Wednesday, April 9, at 10 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Meeting David Wilson

A young African-American journalist meets a descendant of his ancestors’ slavemaster in this documentary. Friday, April 11, at 9 p.m., MSNBC

Night of Too Many Stars

A crowded roster of comedians is slated to perform in this live benefit for autism education. Jon Stewart will host. Sunday, April 13, at 8 p.m., Comedy Central

All listings are Eastern time.

Show of the week

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo

In the civil war–ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo, rape is a weapon wielded by gangs of armed militia. During the past decade, more than a quarter-million women and girls have been systematically raped, condemning them to pain, shame, and health dangers, including AIDS. In this poignant and powerful documentary, director Lisa F. Jackson—herself a victim of a gang rape in Washington, D.C.—persuades victims to break their silence and share their shattering stories. She also talks to U.N. peacekeepers, law enforcement officials, and caregivers, as well as to some of the rapists themselves. Her film, which won a Special Jury Prize this year at Sundance, is a piercing cry of outrage to a world that has ignored injustice on a shocking scale. Tuesday, April 8, at 10 p.m., HBO

Movies on TV this week

Monday, April 7

King Kong (1933)

A 75th anniversary showing of the fantasy classic that pairs beauty Fay Wray with the ape whom director Merian C. Cooper called “the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood.” 8 p.m., TCM

Tuesday

Ulee’s Gold (1997)

Peter Fonda was Oscar-nominated for his quietly powerful performance as a Florida beekeeper struggling to rebuild his shattered family. 7 p.m., IFC

Wednesday

Come See the Paradise (1991)

In one of his strongest roles, Dennis Quaid portrays a labor organizer whose Japanese-American wife is put in a U.S. internment camp during World War II. Tamlyn Tomita co-stars. 9:30 p.m., FMC

Thursday

Raggedy Man (1981)

Sissy Spacek gives a sensitive performance as a divorced mother contending with small-town gossip and a mysterious stranger in 1940s Texas. With Eric Roberts. 7 p.m., Sundance

Friday

Best in Show (2000)

Christopher Guest directed

this sendup of the insular world of dog shows. His ensemble cast includes Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and Parker Posey. 2 p.m., HBO

Saturday

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter (2008)

Dermot Mulroney, Emily Watson, and Gretchen Mol star in this made-for-TV adaptation of Kim Edwards’ best-seller, which begins when a doctor delivers his own twin babies. 9 p.m., Lifetime

Sunday

L.A. Confidential (1997)

The film version of James Ellroy’s novel about police corruption in 1940s Hollywood won Oscars for supporting actress (Kim Basinger) and screenplay adaptation. Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe star. 8 p.m., Encore