9:00 – 10:00PM

Wide Angle – "TBA."  That means "to be announced" as in, I can't say what the episode will be at this moment, but it will be an episode of Wide Angle.

10:00 – 11:00PM

P.O.V. – "Campaign".  Do you have any idea how Japanese Democracy works?  Neither do I.  Thankfully, P.O.V. is there to show us the intricacies of running for a seat on a suburban city council.  Plus, it sounds like there just may be a little bit of corruption involved. 

Wednesday, July 30:

8:00 - 9:00PM

Click & Clack's As the Wrench Turns. Back-to-back episodes of this animated sitcom (including the premiere) follow the Tappet brothers, Click and Clack.  Or, if you prefer, people similar to (but not the same as) Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the hosts of NPR's "Car Talk" who were actually featured on an episode of Nova a while back.  Now you wonder why they were in that episode, yes?

9:00  – 10:00PM

Nova ScienceNOW. ScienceNOW is the newest addition to the Nova family, currently in its third season. Episodes in this series look at a variety of topics over the course of a single episode instead of just one thing for the whole hour.  This week you've got a story on the Phoenix lander, a story about a couple of fossilized mammoths, and a tribute to Judah Folkman.  By my count that's only three stories; if I had to guess the last one will be double-sized, but that's just a guess.

10:00  – 11:00PM

Carrier – "Rites of Passage".  Well, here it is, again, PBS has previewed it over and over and over again, and now the time has finally arrived. Carrier is here (in repeat fashion). The series follows a group of people on board the USS Nimitz, from admirals on down to newbie sailors. It promises to be a fascinating look not just at this mammoth aircraft carrier, but the Navy in general.

Thursday, July 31:

8:00 - 9:00PM

The This Old House Hour - Episode TBA. It’s This Old House and Ask This Old House. It’s like maintenance… for your home. Wait, no, that’s exactly what it is. That doesn’t mean it’s not awesome though. Seriously, The This Old House Hour is one of the finest home improvement hours on PBS. No joke.

9:00 - 10:00PM

Antiques Roadshow  – "Bismarck (Hour Three)".  I'm going to level with you, I know very little about Bismarck, North Dakota.  I know very little about the Dakotas in general.  I've driven across the country twice, once down south and once more middle/northish, but I never made it to either Dakota.  I wanted to, what with Mt. Rushmore being in one of the Dakotas, but I never got there.  The Antiques Roadshow, however, did.

10:00 - 11:00PM

Soundstage – "Matchbox Twenty".  After five years of not making music together (in the studio anyways), the band is back with a new album.  Apparently it has some new stuff on it, but pretty much it sounds like it's a greatest hits deal or, as my description here says "a retrospective collection of 11 previously released smash singles."