Following Antiques Roadshow, at 9pm History Detectives has a flight theme. The detectives investigate stories involving the first trans-Atlantic flight (10 years before Lindbergh), the plane crash that left Howard Hughes scarred for life, and a hot-air baloon from 1862.
At 10pm, we start re-running the series Make Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America. The first episode examines “Nerds, Jerks ,and Odballs”, with the likes of Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Andy Kaufman, Woody, Allen, Cheech and Chong… and so many more.
On Prime, Nova and Nature both tell interesting stories about primates. At 7pm, Nova goes the Congo to visit a little-studied group of apes called bonobos, which closely resemble humans:
Deep in the Congo lives a little-studied group of apes called the bonobos. Like chimpanzees, bonobos are among humans’ closest relatives. But unlike chimps, known for their violent behavior, bonobos are far more peaceful, even matriarchal. They embrace their neighbors and resolve conflict in an usual way — by having sex. Much like humans, bonobos have sex not just to procreate, but also for pleasure. The discovery of these more gentle ape traits have fascinated scientists and led them to question our origins and the roots of human nature as a whole. But in 1997, just as research on these elusive apes was getting off the ground, civil war broke out in the Congo. Bonobo researchers were forced to evacuate immediately, leaving behind the astonishing apes they were studying. Now, years later, NOVA returns to the Congo with veteran bonobo researchers who are worried that war and the bush meat industry may have decimated the bonobo population. What they find gives them hope for the future of the species. The program tells the intimate, emotional story of these amazing apes, detailing their survival, and the experiences of the scientists who have followed them so closely for so long.
And, on Nature:
In a wildlife story with Shakespearian overtones, life becomes very dangerous for twin baboons in Zimbabwe when their father is defeated as alpha male of the troop by the dominant ruler of a neighboring troop, throwing the social order into turmoil and unleashing potentially deadly intrigue.
And, at 9pm on Prime, we shift gears with The Power of Harmony, a documentary about a gay men’s chorus that formed in the heart of the Bible-belt.
