What's On
TV highlights for the week of Nov. 3-9. All times are Eastern; check local listings.
* SUNDAY - 11/3
The Lion King (ABC, 7-9 p.m.): A sweeps month - when networks vie for viewers to win ad dollars - is upon us, and that means megaprogramming. ABC kicks things off with this animated Disney blockbuster about Simba's journey from lion cub to king. The story is charming, with catchy songs, lots of laughs, and sweeping animation. But some subject matter may be a bit strong for the very young, such as the murder of a beloved character early on. Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, and Jeremy Irons lend their voices.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - 19th Anniversary (Family Channel, 7-9 p.m.): Relive hilarious moments with Johnny, who reigns even in reruns.
Biography (A&E, 8-10 p.m.): It's "Great Candidates" week as "Biography" profiles presidents. Much of the information in this premire on John F. Kennedy will be familiar to viewers, but it does a good job of vetting where his desire to lead and interest in world affairs came from.
Other installments in the series include a program on Abraham Lincoln on Tuesday and either Bill Clinton or Bob Dole on Wednesday.
The Simpsons (FOX, 8:30-9 p.m.): The season premire finds the family moving out of their beloved Springfield when Homer gets an apparently spiffy new job. But nothing is ever that simple for this zany bunch.
Survival of the Yellowstone Wolves (TBS, 9-10 p.m.): Actor Matthew Fox ("Party of Five") follows the controversial reintroduction of wolves into Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park.
The Reagan Legacy (Discovery, 10-11 p.m.): Here's a chance to learn about two issues from Ronald Reagan's presidency: Reaganomics and the Strategic Defense Initiative. The two-part program, which concludes Monday, begins with an enlightening look at Reagan's tax proposals and their effect on the national debt.
* TUESDAY - 11/5
Election coverage (CNN, 6 p.m.; ABC, CBS, FNC, NBC, MSNBC, 7 p.m.; C-SPAN, PBS, 8 p.m.): Most networks and news channels will report on election returns all night. Holdouts are FOX and WB, which will air movies, and UPN, offering sitcoms.
Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher (Comedy Central, 9-11 p.m.): Lighter analysis of the election from Maher & Co. will air live from Manhattan Center in New York. It is the final original episode of "Incorrect" appearing on Comedy Central.
* WEDNESDAY - 11/6
NewsRadio (NBC, 9-9:30 p.m.):The quirky WNYX staff attends a broadcast awards ceremony hosted by sports commentator Bob Costas, starring as himself.
Star Trek: Voyager (UPN, 9-10 p.m.): Los Angeles in 1996 is the backdrop for this two-part episode. Voyager is mistakenly pulled back in time and its crew tangles with a technology-hungry genius (Ed Begley Jr.) as they try to avert a future catastrophe. Part 2 airs Nov. 13.
An Essay on Matisse (PBS, 10-11 p.m.): Spend an hour with French painter and designer Henri Matisse.
* FRIDAY - 11/8
Fortunes of War (Bravo, 8-9 p.m.): When the BBC looked for leads for this costly 1988 miniseries, they took a chance on two actors who at the time were unknown outside Britain: Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. The project marked the first time the two worked together on film.
First aired in the US as part of "Masterpiece Theater" on PBS, the seven-part series is based on British author Olivia Manning's books. It traces a newly married couple from their arrival in Bucharest in 1939 through their fleeing to Athens and Cairo when Romania falls to the Germans during World War II. The action can be slow at times but the acting is solid. Branagh lends his talents to the role of the husband, a work-absorbed professor, and Thompson plays his often-neglected wife with her usual dash of wit. The sumptuously filmed series continues subsequent Fridays.
* SATURDAY - 11/9
Father of the Bride (ABC, 8-10 p.m.): Steve Martin prepares for the marriage of his only daughter in this 1991 remake of the 1950 classic with Spencer Tracy. Also featuring Diane Keaton and Kimberly Williams, star of ABC's "Relativity."
