The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

37 Uses for a Dead Sheep

Documentary and dramatization blend in this impressionistic portrait of the Pamir Kirghiz, a tribe of Central Asian nomads that for generations has caromed among several of the world’s great powers. Today they’re settled in eastern Turkey, but fighting to maintain their ethnic identity. The film won several international festival awards. Monday, Feb. 11, at 9 p.m., Sundance Channel

Jericho

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This drama about life in a Kansas town in the wake of nuclear war was initially canceled after its premiere season last year. Now, thanks to an Internet campaign by fans, it returns with seven new episodes. As the series resumes, the citizens of Jericho struggle to rebuild after their battle with a neighboring town, while discontent with the Cheyenne government grows. Skeet Ulrich leads the cast. Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 10 p.m., CBS

Racing for Time

Charles S. Dutton’s talents as both director and actor elevate this made-for-TV movie above the standard inspirational fare. He plays a Texas prison guard who steers young female inmates away from crime by creating a multiracial track team behind bars. Elizabeth Peña and Yaya DaCosta co-star in the fact-inspired film. Saturday, Feb. 16, at 9 p.m., Lifetime

Nature: Arctic Bears

During the last ice age, the polar bear evolved from the grizzly in order to adapt to Arctic conditions. Now global warming is threatening polar bears by shrinking their habitat, but providing new abundance for grizzlies, which are venturing farther northward. Nature contrasts how the two species are reacting to current climate change. Sunday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings

The Wire

Baltimore comes to a boil as both the police and the Baltimore Sun mobilize to catch a serial killer of homeless men. Meanwhile, flamboyant state Sen. Clay Davis has a dramatic day in court. Novelist Richard Price wrote the screenplay for this episode; cast member Dominic West (who plays McNulty) directed. Sunday, Feb. 17, at 9 p.m., HBO

Other highlights

Michael Palin’s New Europe

Palin’s travels through Eastern Europe continue with a visit to the castle of Vlad the Impaler in Transylvania. Monday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m., Travel Channel

Nick News: The Legacy of Slavery

Linda Ellerbee and Princeton’s Dr. Cornel West offer kids perspective on American slavery. Sunday, Feb. 17, at 9 p.m., Nickelodeon

Dexter

Showtime’s series about a serial killer who targets criminals comes to CBS. Michael C. Hall plays the title role. Sunday, Feb. 17, at 10 p.m., CBS

All listings are Eastern time.

Show of the week

NOVA: Astrospies

NOVA reveals a fascinating, untold chapter of the Cold War: A top-secret Air Force program trained astronauts to spy on the Soviet Union from space. The MOL (Manned Orbiting Laboratory) was a space station intended to replace U-2 spy planes under the cover of scientific research. Several astronauts speak for the first time about the project, and previously unseen footage shows what the lab’s interior looked like. NOVA also gains access to a restricted Russian space facility and reveals the Soviets’ answer to MOL: Almaz, an orbiting spy station equipped with a cannon to defend itself against hostile satellites. Best-selling author James Bamford (Body of Secrets) co-produced the documentary. Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Movies on TV this week

Monday, Feb. 11

It Happened One Night (1934)

This comedy classic about a reporter and a runaway heiress won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Clark Gable), and Best Actress (Claudette Colbert). 8 p.m., TCM

Wednesday

Lost Highway (1997)

David Lynch directed this cryptic crime film about a musician who is framed for murdering his wife but then enters a different life. With Bill Pullman. 11:30 p.m., IFC

Thursday

To Die For (1995)

Nicole Kidman won a Golden Globe for her role in this black comedy as a would-be TV newscaster who goes to extreme lengths in pursuit of stardom. 3:40 p.m., Cinemax

Friday

Six Degrees of Separation (1993)

The screen version of John Guare’s play about a glib young man who dupes upper-crust Manhattanites features Stockard Channing and Will Smith. 8 p.m., Flix

Saturday

Lemon Sky (1988)

Kevin Bacon stars in this adaptation of Lanford Wilson’s drama about a young man struggling to reconcile with his estranged father. 10 p.m., Sundance

Sunday

The World According to Garp (1982)

John Lithgow and Glenn

Close both received Oscar nominations for this film version of John Irving’s quirky best-seller. Robin Williams stars. 11:15 a.m., HBO Signature

New on DVD

The Bubble (2006)

An Israeli reserve soldier embarks on a homosexual affair with a Palestinian man in this tragicomic look at the lives of young people in contemporary Tel Aviv. (Not rated, $28)