MANKIND: THE STORY OF ALL OF US
History, 9:00 p.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: Hooray for History for remembering what its network is named, and actually mounting a history series for a change. Hooray, too, for tackling a formidable subject: a 12-hour examination, presented in six weekly installments, of nothing less than the entirety of man’s history, starting (even before us) with the Big Bang. The presentation, though, is a combination of tacky recreations and often superfluous talking heads. Good basic information, but not very good television. It’s noted here, though, to commend the effort, and perhaps to recommend the show to high-schoolers, for whom even information this basic might be surprising. For more on the series, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes.