BY CLIF GARBODEN

FRIDAY 11

8:00 (44) Nova: The Viking Deception. Repeated from last week. Nova discovers — maybe — that the Vinland Map, which purported to prove that the Vikings reached North America before Columbus, is a clever fraud. We won’t even mention St. Brendan and his sixth-century coracle, since we’re standing by our assertion that North America was discovered by Gilfaethwy the Intrepid But Basically Unpronounceable and Becca the Winsome Blonde on their hot-air-ballooning way to Shanghai for Chinese take-out. To be repeated on Saturday at 2 a.m., and at 5 a.m. on Channel 2, and on Monday at 3:30 p.m. back on Channel 44. (Until 9 p.m.)

9:00 (44) Frontline: The House of Saud. Probably more than you’ll feel comfortable knowing (oil shortages? September 11?) about the family who have ruled Saudi Arabia since it was established back in 1932. To be repeated on Sunday at 2 a.m. on Channel 2. (Until 10 p.m.)

SATURDAY 12

3:30 (12) Basketball. Kentucky versus Arkansas.

4:30 (44) In the Heat of the Night (movie). Repeated from last week. Sidney Poitier is African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs, who’s sent from Philadelphia to a small Southern town to help police chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) solve a murder in this 1967 Oscar winner from Norman Jewison. (Until 6:20 p.m.)

6:20 (44) Murder Ahoy (movie). Repeated from last week. Margaret Rutherford as Agatha Christie’s Jane Marple solves a murder on a British naval-cadet training ship that’s being used to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents. From 1964; George Pollock directs. (Until 7:55 p.m.)

7:55 (44) That’s Entertainment III (movie). You’d figure that after That’s Entertainment I and II, they wouldn’t have much left except for outtakes and bloopers, and that appears to be the case. If we’re very lucky, those will include Audrey Hepburn and Jeremy Brett (he was Freddy) doing their own singing in My Fair Lady. Gene Kelly, June Allyson, and Cyd Charisse are among the hosts. (Until 9:45 p.m.)

8:00 (6) A Charlie Brown Valentine. Chuck actually gets up the nerve to call the little red-haired girl and ask her to go to the Valentine’s Day dance with him, but then he misdials and ends up with Peppermint Patty. We don’t even want to think what Freud would say. (Until 8:30 p.m.)

8:30 (6) Winnie the Pooh, a Valentine for You. Pooh and the rest of the Hundred Acre gang get jealous when Christopher Robin sends a Valentine to a girl. Don’t let Freud near this one either. Or Hollywood. (Johnny Depp as A.A. Milne?) (Until 9 p.m.)

9:00 (6) Happy Days 30th Anniversary Reunion. We shudder to think. But those of you who harbor fond Happy Days memories can rest assured that Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Don (wasn’t it always Donnie?) Most, Anson Williams, Scott Baio, Erin Moran, and special guests Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams will be on hand to look at old clips and reminisce, and there’ll also be footage of last fall’s Cunningham Hardware–Arnold’s Diner softball game (an annual institution, we gather), plus, of course, bloopers. (Until 11 p.m.)

9:30 (44) American Masters: Hank Williams: Honky-Tonk Blues. An "encore profile" of a true American master, featuring interviews with the country superstar’s son and grandson, Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams III, plus "rare audio and film clips." (Until 11 p.m.)

11:00 (2) In the Life. Laura Linney hosts this edition of the monthly gay-and-lesbian-oriented newsmagazine, one that’s given over to the "History of Queer TV," with features on reality TV (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, of course), gay identity with regard to selling merchandise, and Showtime’s The L Word, plus a "Where Is Your Anger" segment from ITL resident commentator Harvey Fierstein. (Until midnight.)

SUNDAY 13

1:00 (6) Basketball. The San Antonio Spurs versus the Miami Heat.

1:30 (12) Basketball. Michigan versus Purdue, followed by Connecticut versus Notre Dame or Washington versus Arizona State.

3:30 (6) Basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.

8:00 (2) Nature: From Orphan to King. The heartwarming story of an orphaned orangutan whose mother was shot by hunters; he escaped from police custody (or maybe a zoo) and, against the odds, learned to survive in the jungle, where at age 35 he’s been top orangutan for 15 years. Now, however, Kusasi, who lives in Borneo, has challengers. To be repeated tonight at 3 a.m. on Channel 44, and on Monday at 2:30 and 8 p.m. on Channel 44, and at 3 a.m. back on Channel 2. (Until 9 p.m.)

8:00 (12) The Grammy Awards. Live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Will James Levine be named Musician of the Year? Will Pierre Boulez win for Best Album? Don’t hold your breath. (Until everything is handed out or the local news cuts in.)

9:00 (2) Masterpiece Theatre: Island at War, part four. The soapy tale of life on a fictitious Channel Island during the Nazi occupation continues. "James is suspicious of the baron’s relationship with Felicity." James and Felicity are married, albeit uneasily, and that’s a German baron, so James has reason for concern. To be repeated tonight at 1 a.m. on Channel 44, and at 4 a.m. on Channels 2 and 44, and on Monday at 1 p.m. on Channel 44. (Until 10:30 p.m.)

9:00 (12) The Magic of Ordinary Days. An unmarried and pregnant woman hooks up with a lonely Colorado farmer during World War II. Kerry Russell, Skeet Ulrich, and Mare Winningham star. (Until 11 p.m.)

9:00 (44) P.O.V.: Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed. Repeated from last week. In 1968, New York Democrat Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress. In 1972, she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. You wonder whether she’d be more or less appreciated today. To be repeated on Tuesday at 3 p.m. on Channel 44. (Until 10:30 p.m.)

10:30 (44) Race: The Power of an Illusion: The Story We Tell. And what if the story we tell about race is a biological myth? Part two of three. (Until 11:30 p.m.)

11:00 (44) Austin City Limits. Featuring music from former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. (Until midnight.)

MONDAY 14

9:00 (2) The American Experience: Kinsey. You saw the movie with Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. Now here’s the documentary about the researcher who dragged America’s sexual habits out of the closet. To be repeated tonight at 1 a.m. on Channel 44, and at 4 a.m. on Channels 2 and 44, and on Tuesday at 1 a.m. on Channel 2. (Until 10:30 p.m.)

9:00 (44) Mystery: The Inspector Lynley Mysteries IV: A Suitable Vengeance. Nathaniel Parker plays aristocratic police inspector Thomas Lynley opposite Sharon Small’s street-smart sidekick Barbara Havers. Here, Lynley returns home to celebrate his engagement to Lady Helen Clyde (Lesley Vickerage), and of course someone gets murdered and he has to go to work. Even from the five minutes of this series we’ve seen, it seemed painfully obvious that the person Lynley should be marrying is Havers. To be repeated tonight at 1:30 a.m. on Channel 2, and on Tuesday at 1 p.m. (Until 10:30 p.m.)

10:30 (2) The American Experience: The Pill. The logical follow-up to Kinsey, this looks back to the US Food & Drug Administration’s approval of a contraceptive pill on May 11, 1960. To be repeated on Tuesday at 5 p.m. on Channel 44, and at 2:30 a.m. back on Channel 2. (Until 11:30 p.m.)

TUESDAY 15

7:30 (2) La Plaza: Conversations with Ilan Stavans: Maricel Presilla. The cuisine of Latin America, with an eye to its future. (Until 8 p.m.)

8:00 (2) Nova: Saving the National Treasures. After more than 200 years, no surprise that the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are flaking and crumbling. This tells us what the National Archives is doing to remedy the situation. To be repeated tonight at 1 and 3 a.m., and at 4 a.m. on Channel 44, and on Wednesday at 1 p.m. on Channel 44, and on Thursday at 5 p.m. on Channel 44. (Until 9 p.m.)

8:00 (44) Globe Trekker: Northern Thailand and Laos. Trekker Ian Wright tries Thai boxing in Bangkok, visits a floating fruit market, engages in a tug-of-war with an elephant, takes part in a festival honoring monkeys, then makes his way through a war-devastated area of Laos to arrive in Ventiane in time for the Full Moon Festival. To be repeated on Wednesday at 3 p.m., and at 3 a.m. on Channel 2, and on Thursday at 4 p.m. back on Channel 44. (Until 9 p.m.)

9:00 (2) Frontline: Rumsfeld’s War. Has Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld overstretched American fighting forces? Do we have a clue as to what we’re doing around the world? What do you think? To be repeated tonight at 2 and 4 a.m. on Channel 44, and at 5 a.m. on Channel 2, and on Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Channel 44. (Until 10 p.m.)

9:00 (44) Alan Alda in Scientific American Frontiers: Chimp Minds. Deeper than Rumsfeld’s? Watch and decide for yourself. The actual theme here is why we have genes that are similar to chimpanzees’ but lifestyles that are quite different. To be repeated on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (Until 9:30 p.m.)

10:00 (2) Great Performances: John Lennon’s Jukebox. Another "encore" presentation. It’s about the emergence in 1989 of a jukebox owned by John Lennon with 41 American 45s including the Isley Brothers’ "Twist and Shout," Otis Redding’s My Girl," Wilson Pickett’s "In the Midnight Hour," and the Lovin’ Spoonful’s "Do You Believe in Magic." To be repeated on Thursday at 3 p.m. on Channel 44. (Until 11 p.m.)

10:00 (44) National Geographic Specials: Whales in Crisis. WGBH doesn’t mention any specific crises, but just having to put up with human beings probably covers it. A look at some people who are trying to help. To be repeated on Wednesday at 5 p.m. (Until 11 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY 16

9:00 (2) Slavery and the Making of America: Seeds of Destruction and The Challenge of Freedom. Part three of this Black History Month series looks at the expansion of slavery from 1800 through the beginning of the Civil War; the concluding part four follows the progress of emancipation, the end of Reconstruction, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. Morgan Freeman narrates. To be repeated tonight at 1 a.m. on Channel 44, and at 4 a.m. on Channels 2 and 44, and on Thursday at 9 p.m. on Channel 44. (Until 11 p.m.)

9:00 (44) Battlefield: The Battle of El Alamein. How the Allies beat Rommel and his Afrika Korps. To be repeated tonight at 2 a.m. on Channel 2, and on Thursday at 2 p.m. back on Channel 44. (Until 10 p.m.)

THURSDAY 17

7:30 (2) Basic Black: A Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles. That is, an "encore interview with the groundbreaking filmmaker" of Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. (Until 8 p.m.)

8:00 (2) The Roman Empire in the First Century: Winds of Change. Emperor Nero’s rule is less than a complete success. (Until 9 p.m.)

8:00 (12) Survivor: Palau. Why is this different from all the other Survivors? Wait a minute, the CBS Web site has the answer: "Everything the Survivors have come to expect will be wiped out in the first 10 minutes." Palau, for those who still care, is in the South Pacific. (Until 9 p.m.)

9:00 (2) Broadway: The American Musical: Tradition (1957–1979) and Putting It Together (1980–Present). West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Company, Cabaret, A Chorus Line, Les Misérables, Cats, Miss Saigon, Rent, The Producers, and The Lion King. West Side Story has almost more memorable songs than the rest of that list put together. To be repeated tonight at 1 a.m., and on Friday at 1 p.m. on Channel 44. (Until 11 p.m.)

The 525th line. The "Hey, Where’s Clif?" Dept.: He’s been in the hospital getting the wheels retightened and promises to be back in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, the bullpen (which has not subbed in this column for some 20 years) will do its best and begs your indulgence. Be assured we miss Clif every bit as much as you do.