Best Bets
 The Way We Live Now
David Suchet, best known to Mystery! lovers as Detective Hercule Poirot, stars as shady financier Augustus Melmotte in this Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Anthony Trollope's Victorian-era novel about the trials and tribulations of young love, the enduring values of honorable men and the greed and corruption beneath the surface of London's upper class. -- Abigail Esten
Begins Monday, April 1 at 9 p.m.
 Commanding Heights
This series uncovers the real issues surrounding "The Battle for the World Economy" from World War I through the events of September 11. Bill Clinton, Vincente Fox, Lech Welesa and Mikhail Gorbachev are some of the key players who discuss the battle for economic power, the struggle between governments and markets and the debates about the world's economic future. -- AE
Begins Wednesday, April 3 at 9 p.m.
 The Red Skelton Show
Richard "Red" Skelton is the comedian whose family-oriented humor made millions laugh for more than 70 years. This series consists of episodes from the first two seasons of Skelton's 1950s primetime series. Each episode features Skelton's monologues, pantomimes and sketches, with such memorable characters as unsophisticated country boy Clem Kadiddlehopper. -- AE
Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. beginning April 6
 Globe Trekker
Who says you have to be a celebrity to visit some of the world's most exotic, historic and quaint places? This new travel series invites viewers along as its intrepid hosts venture beyond traditional guidebook attractions to view spectacular scenery, meet local residents and participate in native rituals in such unforgettable locales as Tahiti and Samoa and Ecuador. -- AE
Thursdays at 9 p.m. beginning April 11
 Hollywood on Hamilton
Strawberry pie at the Patio Restaurant is one of many sweet memories in this nostalgic look at the legendary Hess Department Store in Allentown, PA. One of the program's highlights is an interview with marketing genius Max Hess, Jr., son of the store's founder, who spared no expense to create a world-class shopping palace, complete with crystal chandeliers and glamorous models. -- AE
Friday, April 12, 10 p.m.
 Island Out of Time
The people of Smith Island have made their living from the water for more than two centuries, but the homes and culture of this Chesapeake Bay hamlet's 400 residents are now under assault by sea-level rise and erosion, population loss and a decline in oysters and crabs. On the eve of Earth Day, the program examines how these islanders are fighting to survive. -- AE
Sunday, April 21 at 10:30 p.m
 The Pennsylvania Railroad
This original WHYY program chronicles the rise of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1846 to its decline in 1970 as the largest bankruptcy in Wall Street history. Along the way, archival footage and interviews explore the Railroad's glory days, its impact on the developing nation and the major events of the 20th century and the lives of the people who made it run. -- AE
Monday, April 22 at 9 p.m.
 America's First River
Bill Moyers travels from New York Harbor to the Adirondack forest to explore the dramatic history, complex ecology, natural beauty and legacy of the Hudson River. He reports on the colliding agendas that have led the Hudson through its serpentine history and interviews people who love the river and have fought to preserve it, including folk singer Pete Seeger. -- AE
April 23 & 24 at 9 p.m.
 A Brilliant Madness
This true story of eccentric mathematician John Forbes Nash, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at age 30, goes far beyond what is portrayed in the acclaimed movie A Beautiful Mind. Interviews with Nash, his wife Alicia, friends, colleagues and experts in mental illness and mathematic theory explore the Nobel Prize winner's brilliant ideas and his harrowing descent into madness. -- AE
Sunday, April 28 at 9 p.m.
 Why the Towers Fell
Who would have guessed that a steel behemoth of such size and strength -- a building so massive that it had its own zip code -- could actually be reduced to 150 feet of dust and rubble? NOVA follows a team of forensic engineers during their fascinating and intricate investigation into the causes of the horrific World Trade Center collapse on September 11. -- AE
Tuesday, April 30 at 8 p.m.
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