The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

last updated 8 January 2015

Nova: Judgment Day, Intelligent Design on Trial

In 2004, the small town of Dover, Pa., roiled with controversy when science teachers refused to instruct students that “intelligent design” was an alternative to Darwin’s theory of evolution, as directed by their school board. A special twohour edition of NOVA reenacts and analyzes the ensuing federal court case, which echoed the famous Scopes trial of 1925. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings

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Competitors in the 50-year-old Miss Navajo pageant must do more than merely look attractive; they must speak Navajo, show detailed knowledge of the culture, and demonstrate such skills as baking, weaving, and sheep butchering. Independent Lens follows presentday contestants and visits past winners, providing an engaging glimpse of the Navajo way of life. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Once dismissed as a radical fringe, racist skinhead groups are now a nationwide network—an estimated 10,000 strong—dedicated to violent overthrow of the government. Cameras go inside a secret meeting at which members are encouraged to blend into the mainstream to foment white supremacy. We also hear from members of the counter-organization Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice. Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

This extremely well-made film’s unusual mixture of gritty drama and grimly dark comedy brings the post-perestroika demimonde of 1995 Russia to life. Dying of radiation poisoning, a desperate Russian nuclear plant worker tries to provide for his family by peddling stolen plutonium on the black market with the help of a bungling Moscow pimp. Paddy Considine, Radha Mitchell, and Oscar Isaac star. Saturday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m., HBO

As the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003, Fadil Kadom, a Baghdad taxi driver who had fought for Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War of 1991, began using a small camcorder to document his struggles to keep himself and his family alive. At the same time, Craig White, an American TV cameraman embedded with U.S. infantry, also started recording events in the city. Together their footage provides a rare, up-close view of the war’s small victories and horrific costs for American soldiers and Iraqis. Bob Woodruff, the ABC News correspondent who was injured by an IED in Iraq in January 2006, is host. Saturday, Nov. 17, at 10 p.m., History Channel

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