TV program notes -- week of Oct. 28

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Here are some television program notes for the week of Oct. 28 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.

Sunday, October 28, 8-9 p.m. EDT (Animal Planet) "Almost Human, With Jane Goodall." For nearly a quarter-century, the chimps of Tanzania's Gombe National Park have been studied by Goodall and filmed by cameraman Bill Wallauer. The program gives viewers a new view of these animals as Goodall and Wallauer arrive in Gombe to locate one of their favorite chimps, Gaia. She has recently lost her second child and they are both deeply concerned for her welfare. The program explores the psyche of wild chimpanzees and visualizes the kind of emotions and feelings that most people believe are uniquely human.

Sunday, Oct. 28, 9-11 p.m. EDT (History) "The Lost Book of Nostradamus." In 1994, Italian journalist Enza Massa stumbled upon an unusual find in its stacks: a mysterious 1629 manuscript at the Italian National Library in Rome: "Nostradamus Vatinicia Code," by Michel de Notredame, the prophet Nostradamus. This special follows the trail of how the manuscript was found in the archives and exactly how it got there. The story promises to give new insight into the life of Nostradamus -- his relationship with his son, Cesar, and his connection to the Vatican -- in particular, Pope Urban VIII, who knew about this manuscript and had it in his possession for many years.

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 8-9 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Marathon Challenge." What does it take for the average person to run one of the world's toughest races? The "Nova" series finds out in a program that's both a human story and a scientific exploration of the way our bodies respond to intense exercise demands. Filmed in cooperation with the Boston Athletic Association, the program follows 13 novices as they take the first step toward completing the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon in April. The group of participants includes a variety of people from diverse backgrounds, the unifying element is that not one of them had been a runner (TV-PG - parental guidance suggested).

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 9-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) "The Undertaking." In this documentary, the "Frontline" series enters the world of Thomas Lynch, a poet and undertaker whose family has cared for the dead in a small Michigan town for three generations. Through the intimate stories of families coming to terms with grief, mortality and a funeral's rituals, the film illuminates the heartbreak and beauty in the journey taken between the living and the dead when someone dies.

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 10-11 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Untold Blessings: Three Paths of Holiness." Father Robert Barron continues his exploration of paths to Christian holiness; in this lecture he proposes the path of "knowing you are a sinner" and of "being conscious of your need for God."

Thursday, Nov. 1, 9-10:15 p.m. EDT (HBO) "To Die in Jerusalem." Documentary which aims to humanize the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as the mother of an 18-year-old female suicide bomber, Ayat al-Akhras, searches for answers to her daughter's senseless death, which also resulted in the death of 17-year-old Israeli Rachel Levy.

Thursday, Nov. 1, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Way of the Warrior." This documentary examines the visceral nature of war and the bravery of American Indian veterans who served in the U.S. military during the wars of the 20th century, and explores the paradox of these veterans who chose to fight for a country that considered them outside the American mainstream. Their stories are told through the prism of what it means to be "ogichidaa," or one who protects and follows the ways of the warrior (TV-PG - parental guidance suggested).

Thursday, Nov. 1, 5-6:30 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Brother Andre." A drama that re-creates the story of Blessed Andre Bessette as he speaks with his niece, who is discerning a vocation, about the struggles and perseverance it took to get approval to build a shrine -- St. Joseph's Oratory -- in honor of St. Joseph in Montreal.

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