C6


R TELEVISION tv previewfrom C1


“city upon a hill” sermon fame) exactly like Benjamin Linus — which gets interesting when Win- throp banishes Anne Hutchinson (Laila Robins) from the town, on account of her progressive thoughts on salvation. She is no longer part of that particular Dharma Initiative. The favored narrative device


for “God in America’s” first half is reenactment, with cinematic scenes and period locations that feature George “the Great Awak- ening” Whitfield (Toby Jones from the “Infamous” Truman Ca- pote biopic, who also played Swif- ty Lazar in “Frost/Nixon”); pio- neer evangelical James Finley (Creighton James); Lincoln (Chris Sarandon) and Frederick Douglass (Keith David).


Such somber fare — in which


the actor stares piercingly at the camera and recites famous lines spoken or written by the histor- ical figure he’s playing — rules most historical documentary now. It gets strange when “God in America” occasionally switches to “grainy” black-and-white scenes of New England colonists walking bleak, wintry beaches: That must be some very old film, there. A viewer can almost sense


“American Experience” eventual- ly handing the reenactment baton over to the newsier hand of “Frontline,” as “God in America” explores the way religion — again,


HIGHLIGHTS


The one-hour Maryland gubernatorial debate between Martin O’Malley (D) and Bob Ehrlich (R) airs on MPT, “Election 2010: The Governor Debate” (at 7 p.m.), and is moderated by WJZ’s Denise Koch.


E! correspondent (and


Washington area native) Giuliana Rancic and her husband, “Apprentice” winner Bill Rancic, return for a third season of their reality show “Giuliana & Bill” (Style Network at 8), and this season, continue to chronicle Giuliana’s attempts to get pregnant.


Acoustic music is provided for the dance numbers on the fourth competition week of “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC at 8). After always being teased mercilessly about being from Canada, Robin tries to show everyone that she’s got what it takes to be a real New York resident on “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS at 8), which has a cameo from the one and only Maury Povich. “God in America” (WETA and


MPT at 9), a documentary about the history of the relationship between religion and democracy in America since the 1600s, is previewed by Hank Stuever on Page C1. Three-part miniseries “Carlos”


(Sundance at 9), which Stuever called in his Sunday reviewa “mesmerizing but certainly too-long biopic,” covers the life of the international terrorist Carlos the Jackal, beginning with his reign of terror in London. (A profile of the lead actor is on Page C1.)


A string of popular authors sit down on new series “Hardcover Mysteries” (Investigation Discovery at 9) to discuss the inspiration for their books, starting with David Baldacci and the idea behind his best-selling 1996 novel “Absolute Power.” Next week: Lisa Scottoline. Original movie “Reviving Ophelia” (Lifetime at 9) — based on the book — centers on two


HELAYNE SEIDMAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST


CAMEO: Maury Povich appears on “How I Met Your Mother.”


sisters who each have a teenage daughter, and what happens to the family when one of the daughters gets involved in an abusive relationship. “The Real Housewives of


Atlanta” (Bravo at 9) continues the new season as Kandi (who is at least partly responsible for castmate Kim’s tune “Tardy for the Party”) collaborates on a song with Ne-Yo, while NeNe leans on new cast member Cynthia for support when life gets hard. After last week’s mission of asking out Taylor Swift, the next item on the to-do list for the guys on “The Buried Life” (MTV at 10:30) is getting married in Las Vegas — so the three of them head to Sin City for 72 hours to find a wife for Dave. Actor Jim Parsons stops by


“Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS at 11:35), along with educator/documentary film subject Geoffrey Canada and musical guests Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. with Q-Tip. “The Tonight Show With Jay


Leno” (NBC at 11:35) hosts actor Jay Mohr, football player/reality star Chad Ochocinco and a performance by Travie McCoy. — Emily Yahr


4.1 WRC (NBC) 5.1 WTTG (Fox) 7.1 WJLA (ABC)


 Access


 Seinfeld  Wheel


9.1 WUSA (CBS) News  T e Offi ce 14.1 WFDC (UNI)  Llena de Amor


 Chuck  House


evangelical Christianity — cur- rently feeds politics and the cul- ture wars, and vice versa. Did the “city on a hill” turn out to be the U.S. Capitol? A megachurch? Or both? The neat trick is to connect the uneasy church-and-state issues that dog Billy Graham, Jerry Fal- well, Pat Robertson (who all play themselves in archival footage, thank you) all the way back to the arrival of the first religion-ob- sessed New World settlers. Ulti- mately “God in America” asks what sort of progress we’ve made toward mutual religious toler- ance. (Some? Yes.) “God in America” takes the


long view and visits familiar terri- tory: Our nation’s history is one of emphatic and often cruel Chris- tian principle, rescued repeatedly from theocracy and other funda- mentalist blunders by the intel- lectual heroics of the founding fa- thers, Abraham Lincoln and other non-divine interventions of com- mon sense. Or, because this is PBS, “God in America” can be seen a whole oth- er way: Without its spiritual fir- mament, the nation would have merely been a collection of im- migrants and ideas, but lacking a . . . soul. It was religion, after all, that


played a large part in getting Americans to at last see the sin in slavery. It is also an undeniable component of the suffrage and civil rights movements. Yet “God


JULIE CRESSWELL/WGBH AN EARLY CLASH: Franciscan monks met resistance fromNew Mexico Indians in the Revolt of 1680.


KLMNO


TV NEWS ONLINE From TV’s top shows to industry buzz, get the latest television news in the TV Column blog at washingtonpost.com/tvcolumn.


MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010


INTERACTIVE TV LISTINGS Keep track of your favorite television shows and movies with our interactive TV listings at washingtonpost.com/tv.


‘God in America’: On PBS, an evenhanded history


in America” is in many ways an examination of people who got — and still get — spittin’ mad, deny- ing others’ rights (gay rights, abortion rights, and now mosque- building rights) because faith got in the way. For every pitfall such zealousness inflicts on American history, viewers are then encour- aged to see the sublime effects re- ligion has had on the nation’s character. A trove of sensibly articulate professors pops up to explain and even marvel at this essential di- chotomy, over and over. It’s so evenhanded that it may seem for- eign to viewers who’ve grown ac- customed to shouting matches. The vitriol of some of our mod- ern-day social squabbles seems tame when compared with the past.


But what about God? There’s a lot of talking about religion in this series, but when it comes to God — what is God? Where is God? Who is God? — “God in America” and its academic experts neces- sarily view Him (or Her) as an ab- straction, a bit player in this saga. If God is watching all six hours,


I guess He (or She) is used to that. stueverh@washpost.com


God in America (six hours) airs Monday, Tuesday and


Wednesday from 9 to 11 p.m. on WETA and MPT.


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A once-indifferent dad now wants to be closer


Adapted from a recent online discussion:


Dear Carolyn: My father didn’t want children


but my mother did. I was their only child. My mom has “made up” for my father’s lack of love throughout my life. I was a real mess for a lot of years trying to figure out what I did to make my father not like me. I’m in my mid-30s now and, as my parents get older, they seem to want me around more. Part of me is appreciative he finally LIKES me, but part of me will always keep a wall between us. I’m not really sure if he’s trying to be nice because he’s planning on needing my help in his later years or if he’s genuinely trying to make up for everything. Is there really any way to tell?


D.C. CAROLYN HAX No, not really. However, it is


often possible to tell the difference between trying to be nice and being nice — and that might be the only distinction you really need to make. Either way, given your history,


you’d be within the bounds of decency if you looked at this situation not for what you can do for your father, but instead what your father can do for you. His choices left you vulnerable to some very difficult feelings, and


any strength you’ve developed was in spite of him, not because of. It’s okay to make your well- being your top priority. That doesn’t mean you tell Dad


to take a hike. You may well decide that it serves your sense of well-being to be charitable toward him — pointedly, in a way he wasn’t charitable toward you. It may be that your dad is struggling to redeem himself, and allowing him room to do that could be a way of saving yourself. Your decision doesn’t have to be


that profound, either. If you get anything out of his unexpected attention — if, say, you just enjoy his company — then don’t be afraid to take him at face value, and leave behind both the what- is-he-angling-for questions and the wow-he-finally-likes-me relief. Just take what he’s offering


without apology, and make the rest up as you go.


If on the other hand his presence in your life isn’t adding much that you care to have, or is chipping away at your emotional progress, then don’t be afraid to keep him at arm’s length. What I advise strongly against is punishing him for the pain you suffered from his indifference. Then it becomes a zero-sum battle, where you punish him for your unhappiness just as he made you pay for his. Your family has endured more than its share of that attitude, at a staggering cost to you all.


NICK GALIFIANAKIS FOR THE WASHINGTON POST


Dear Carolyn: At my age (25), and as a straight female, what do you think is the ideal age of man for me to date? More specifically, how old is too


old? Please speak in generalizations if possible, because they seem to ring true for the men in my city.


Georgetown


There’s no answer to this question. There are only individuals, the unique circumstances they combine to create, and the case-by-case answers to the questions they raise.


Read the whole transcript or join the discussion live at


noon Fridays on www. washingtonpost.com/discussions.


Write to Tell Me About It, Style, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, or tellme@washpost. com.


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