MASTERPIECE: "WORLD ON FIRE"
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
MINISERIES PREMIERE: This British import, which aired there last fall, is a drama about the impending slow march into a second world war. The year is 1939 – and while England is at war already with Germany, the U.S. is practicing isolationism, until the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in 1941. But overseas, World on Fire shows us the escalating conflicts through the eyes of British citizens and soldiers – and, significantly, also through the eyes of an American journalist in England witnessing the initial battles. She’s played by Helen Hunt, marvelously. And with the rest of World on Fire offering other perspectives as well, from several countries outside of the U.K. (including the United States), this miniseries, already scheduled to continue its story in a second season, tells the story of World War II from a point of view that does, indeed, take the World part into account. For full reviews, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower, and Mike Hughes' Open Mike. Check local listings.