TV program notes -- week of May 4

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Here are some television program notes for the week of May 4 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, May 4, 8-10 p.m. EDT (History) "Clash of the Cavemen." A look at 25,000 B.C., when freezing temperatures gripped the planet as the peak of the last Ice Age took hold. The special compares the Neanderthals and the Cro-Magnon Homo sapiens in physical characteristics, pain and cold thresholds, language and communication skills, immunity and hunting strategies, and follows these early humans through a season of survival -- ending with the extinction of one species and the triumph of the other.

Sunday, May 4, 9-10 p.m. EDT (Discovery) "Greensburg." In a one-hour special, host Josh Bernstein will visit Greensburg, Kan., site of last year's devastating tornado, one of the most destructive in U.S. history. His mission: to experience how this small town is turning tragedy into opportunity by using green technology to rebuild. Beginning with the science of the tornado, the special will move on to explore what the townspeople experienced and why they opted to try rebuilding green.

Sunday, May 4, 9-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Cranford." This three-part "Masterpiece" miniseries is based on Elizabeth Gaskell's witty and poignant novels about an English village on the cusp of change. In the first episode, Mary Smith (Lisa Dillon) moves to Cranford to live with her two spinster friends, Miss Deborah (Eileen Atkins) and Miss Matty (Judi Dench). Adventures ensue, including the arrival in town of handsome Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods) with his newfangled medical ideas, a glittering garden party hosted by Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) and great agitation over the approach of a railway and the change it will bring. Also starring Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Alex Jennings and many more. (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

Monday, May 5, 9-11 p.m. EDT and Tuesday, May 6, 9-10:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "George H.W. Bush." The latest in the "American Experience" series of presidential portraits, this two-part biography examines the life and career of the often-overlooked 41st president, from his service in World War II and his early career in Texas to his days in the Oval Office, first as vice president to President Ronald Reagan, then as the leader who presided over the first Gulf War. Drawing upon Bush's personal diaries and interviews with his closest advisers and most prominent critics, the film also explores Bush's role as the patriarch of a political family whose influence is unequaled in modern American life (TV-PG/L,V -- parental guidance suggested; infrequent coarse language, moderate violence).

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Wednesday, May 7, 9-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Marvin Gaye: What's Going On." The story of Marvin Gaye -- the Motown star who challenged and changed the face of black music. With performance footage and insight from Mary Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Mos Def and others (TV-PG/L -- parental guidance suggested; infrequent coarse language).

Thursday, May 8, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Camelot." The New York Philharmonic performs a semi-staged version of the Lerner and Loewe musical about the idealized kingdom of Camelot and the love triangle of King Arthur (Gabriel Byrne), Queen Guenevere (Marin Mazzie) and Sir Lancelot (Nathan Gunn). A "Live from Lincoln Center" presentation (TV-G -- general audience).

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