This program follows the courtroom drama surrounding the trial of Iraq’s former president, revealing a tainted procedural that can be seen as a microcosm of the challenges and dysfunctions of forming the Iraqi government itself.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Nixon” 

Monday, October 13, 9:00pm-12:00am

One of the most controversial and enduring figures on the American political landscape, Richard Nixon was at the center of American politics for 25 years.

NOVA “Space Shuttle Disaster”

Tuesday, October 14, 8:00-9:00pm

Through interviews with astronauts, their families and members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, this program gives viewers a new look at the Columbia space shuttle tragedy — and at NASA itself.

FRONTLINE “The Choice 2008”

Tuesday, October 14, 9:00-11:00pm

It is one of the most memorable presidential elections in decades. It is a race that pits the iconoclast John McCain against the newcomer Barack Obama; the heroic former prisoner of war against the first African-American major party nominee.

PBS NEWSHOUR DEBATES 2008: A SPECIAL REPORT “Presidential Debate”

Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 9:00-11:00pm

The third presidential debate between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama focuses on foreign policy.

NATURE “Parrots in the Land of Oz”  

Sunday, October 19, 8:00-9:00pm

Parrots are everywhere in Australia. Their colors, behaviors and habitats are all described in depth by the scientists studying them and by the Australians who live among them.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “LBJ” 

Monday, October 20-27, 9:00-11:00pm

One of the most perplexing, astute and larger-than-life politicians in modern American history, Lyndon Baines Johnson was the poor boy from Texas who ascended to the pinnacle of power — only to see his presidency undermined by the conflict in Vietnam.

NOVA “Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives”  

Tuesday, October 21, 8:00-9:00pm

Mark Oliver Everett — better known as E, the lead singer of the EELS — travels across America to learn about the father he never knew — Hugh Everett III, one of America’s top quantum physicists.

FRONTLINE “Heat” 

Tuesday, October 21, 9:00-11:00pm

Martin Smith investigates what some businesses are doing to fend off new environmental regulations and how others are repositioning themselves to prosper in a radically changed world.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD “Battle for the Bible”  

Wednesday, October 22, 8:00-9:00 p.m.

The gripping stories of faith, flames and martyrdom that led to the Bible’s translation into English.

INDEPENDENT LENS “Chicago 10”

Wednesday, October 22, 9:00-11:00pm

Film mixes original animation with extraordinary archival footage to explore the buildup to and unraveling of the infamous conspiracy trial of the Chicago Seven. Terrence Howard hosts.

NATURE “White Falcon, White Wolf”

Sunday, October 26, 8:00-9:00pm

The film follows the perilous parenthood of two species — white gyrfalcons and Arctic wolves — on Canada’s remote Ellesmere Island, where winter lasts nine months and raising young in such a hostile environment is a daily struggle.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW “Jackpot!”  

Monday, October 27, 8:00-9:00pm

It’s every collector’s dream: turning a modest outlay into a staggeringly high return on investment. ANTIQUES ROADSHOW “Jackpot” rolls the dice on those heady moments when luck smiles on flea market mavens and yard sale savants.

NOVA “Hunting the Hidden Dimension”  

Tuesday, October 28, 8:00-9:00pm

A revolutionary new branch of math called fractals has changed the way we see the world and opened up a vast new territory to scientific analysis and understanding. 

FRONTLINE “The War Briefing”

Tuesday, October 28, 9:00-10:00pm

The next president of the United States will inherit some of the greatest foreign policy challenges in American history — an overstretched military, frayed alliances and wars on two fronts. FRONTLINE gives viewers a hard, inside look at the real policy choices the next president will face.

INDEPENDENT LENS “Dinner With the President: A Nation’s Journey”

October 28, 2008, 10:00-11:00pm

Pakistan’s President, Pervez Musharraf, converses with the filmmakers about his political past and vision for the future. Terrence Howard hosts.

A RIDE ALONG THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY

Wednesday, October 29, 8:00-9:00pm

Rick Sebak travels across America’s first transcontinental highway, checking out the changing landscape along the route from Times Square to San Francisco. This road show incorporates American culture, history, food, family, traditions and the changing way of the automobile. 

GREAT PERFORMANCES “Carnegie Hall Opening Night 2008” 

Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 9:00-11:00pm

Carnegie Hall opening night concert features the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, in an all-Bernstein program; with Dawn Upshaw, Thomas Hampson and Yo-Yo Ma.