“Tougher in Alaska”
Thursday 10pm, History Channel
Forget “Northern Exposure”: Alaska isn’t all quirky neighbors, impossibly beautiful law enforcement officers and wandering moose. This new documentary series explains how life in America’s 49th state is, well, tougher than anything us pansies in the continental United States ever have to deal with. At 6’3", 225 pounds, host Geo Beach—and let’s just call that the new best name ever; no need to vote—is a big hangin’ man. He’s lived in Alaska for 25 years and during that time has worked as a logger, a fireman, a medic and a crab fisherman. So it’s a safe bet that he knows from tough. Each episode examines a different fascinating/hellish aspect of the state, from gold mining to salmon fishing to railroading. Of particular interest is the upcoming episode on “Wild Waste,” which features Geo trying to collect trash before it attracts black bears, a spotlight on the lone plumber for 12 bush villages in the Yukon, and Geo thawing frozen septic pipes to keep Fairbanks’ crappers free flowing. Oh, the glamorous life…
“Robin Hood: The Series”
Saturday 9pm, BBC
O.K., so it’s not technically a documentary. But it’s British, and it’s based on folklore, and…to hell with it. It’s like a non-shitty version of “Smallville.” This modern retelling of the Robin Hood tale broadens the whole robs-from-the-rich, gives-to-the-poor premise, fleshing out the supporting cast and adding more political and social intrigue. It’s intended to appeal to a broad family audience, so the cast is all young and beautiful, especially the gorgeous Lucy Griffiths as Lady (not Maid) Marian and Robin himself, played by Justin Timberlake look-alike Jonas Armstrong. It gets pretty melodramatic, and the Sheriff of Nottingham is just plain eeeeevil. But it’s well shot and surprisingly engrossing, and infinitely less embarrassing than the Kevin Costner film version from the ’90s. Season 2 has just started here in the States, but do yourself a favor and don’t venture on the online message boards. The spoilers for the season finale will, shall we say, kill you.
“Sex: The Revolution”
Monday 10pm, VH1
This four-part, nightly documentary series examines the Sexual Revolution from its beginnings in the 1950s through to its arguable conclusion in the ’80s, with each episode focusing on a different decade. Given the recent neo-Puritanical hand-wringing over those Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair photos, I’m not convinced the whole “revolution” took. But it sure made for some interesting archival footage, as the filmmakers piece together their argument from reports about everything from Hugh Hefner and The Pill to Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell. It’s all held together by interviews with various experts and personalities, including author Armistead Maupin, publisher Helen Gurley Brown, film-maker John Waters, actress Cybill Shepherd (why not?) and porn star Marilyn Chambers.
