Noteworthy Television This Week: A Look Back at the War

After spending a few weeks this month as Mr. Hyde groveling for money with unwatchable schmaltz, PBS is back to its normal self doing the kind of meaningful important programming it does well like long form current affairs documentaries. True, the interchangeable Celtic singers and self help yackers may keep the stations on air, but having in depth looks at the issues of the day is more important, especially with an ongoing war and presidential election and nobody else on television is really doing it.

Over two days, the PBS flagship documentary series Frontline will spend four and a half hours looking back at the “War on Terror” and the Iraq war in a special entitled Bush’s War (Monday & Tuesday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13). The first part deals with the initial part of the war starting with 9/11 and the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. Part two focuses on the Iraq War and how the administration has dealt with it. Both parts will revisit some of the series' previous reports and add some new ones to them.

And no worries if you miss it, since they will have the video on the show's website along with oodles of extras.