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Monday

Tuesday

Tuesday, July 27, 9-10 p.m. EDT (Fox) "MasterChef." Premiere of a new series following famed chef Gordon Ramsay's nationwide search for the best home cooks in America. Joining Ramsay on the judging panel to evaluate participants are restaurateur and winemaker Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot, the youngest four-star chef in the United States. In this episode, amateur cooks present their signature dishes to the three judges, hoping to be awarded the MasterChef apron, which guarantees them a spot in the next round of competition.

Tuesday, July 27, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Presumed Guilty." Filmmaker Geoffrey Smith's documentary tells the story of two young lawyers and their struggle to free a man wrongfully convicted of murder in Mexico City. Part of the series "P.O.V." (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

Wednesday

Wednesday, July 28, 6:30-7 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne." This documentary examines the history of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne established by Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, daughter of famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Rose became a Catholic and founded the Hawthorne Dominican Sisters, the first to provide hospice care and spiritual ministry for those diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Wednesday, July 28, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Paul McCartney in Performance at the White House." This celebration in honor of Sir Paul McCartney's receipt of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song includes performances by McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, the Jonas Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Emmylou Harris, Corinne Bailey Rae, Dave Grohl, Faith Hill, Lang Lang and Jack White, with remarks by Jerry Seinfeld (TV-G -- general audience).

Wednesday, July 28, 10-11 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Demographic Bomb: Demography Is Destiny." An assessment of global coercion shows how population control programs have violated human rights around the world, and created a profound imbalance in the world's economy.

Wednesday, July 28, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Yesterday's Enemy" (1959). While sloughing through the Burmese jungle in 1942, a squad of British soldiers (led by Stanley Baker) execute some villagers to get information about the Japanese invaders, then ironically face the same treatment when captured by the Japanese. Directed by Val Guest, the tough-minded World War II drama effectively raises moral questions about military expediency and basic human rights. Much tension amid wartime violence. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Thursday

Friday

Friday, July 30, 8 p.m.-midnight EDT (AMC) "JFK" (1991). Choppy dramatization chronicles the efforts of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) to refute the Warren Commission's conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) was the sole assassin of President John F. Kennedy and instead charges conspiracy at the highest levels of government by bringing to trial a local gay businessman (Tommy Lee Jones) with alleged CIA connections. Director Oliver Stone freely mixes fact with speculation to validate Garrison's views in a long, unwieldy movie that is dramatically persuasive in reconstructing its version of events. Brief but recurring shots of violence including staged and documentary footage of the assassination and subsequent autopsy, fleeting scene of a homosexual party and intermittent rough language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday

Saturday, July 31, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955). Morality tale in the form of a tense thriller set in a small Western town whose residents are forced to face their guilty past when a one-armed stranger (Spencer Tracy) arrives in 1945 asking for the whereabouts of a Japanese-American farmer. Director John Sturges gets much suspense from the uneven odds against the lone, handicapped outsider confronted by increasingly hostile locals (Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine). Growing menace and brief but painfully effective violence. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Saturday, July 31, 8-10 p.m. EDT (check local listings) (PBS) "Aretha Franklin Presents: Soul Rewind (My Music)." The queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, presents a collection of rare performances by R&B performers of the classic 1960s-70s soul era (TV-G -- general audience).

Saturday, July 31, 9-11 p.m. EDT (ABC) "Flightplan" (2005). Smartly crafted Hitchcockian thriller set aboard a jumbo jet en route from Berlin to New York in which a recently widowed passenger (Jodie Foster) questions her sanity as she desperately searches for her young daughter who mysteriously disappeared midflight, leaving no trace she was ever on board. Directed by Robert Schwentke with a top-flight performance by Foster, the tautly paced nail-biter maintains a high-suspense altitude, though the script experiences increasing turbulence in its story logic and plausibility leading to a more conventional action climax. Several intense sequences, some violence including the bad guy meeting a fiery end, minimal crude language and profanity. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, July 31, 10-11:30 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "9" (2009). Artistically accomplished but intellectually problematic animated fantasy in which the doll-like titular creature (voice of Elijah Wood) leads a band of similar beings (voiced by, among others, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly and Jennifer Connelly) -- each also identified by a number -- as they battle giant mechanical monsters amid the ruins of a post-apocalyptic world. Director Shane Acker's feature debut, an expansion of his 2004 short of the same title, implicitly contrasts a naysaying version of religious faith with enlightening science, a false dichotomy that, despite some eventual modifications, requires mature deliberation by spiritually well-grounded viewers. Complex religious themes, moderate action violence and frequent menace. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Sunday

Sunday, Aug. 1, 6-8 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007). Adept, sophisticated political drama, based on real events, recounting how an obscure, high-living Texas congressman (Tom Hanks) united with a wealthy, ostensibly pious political supporter (Julia Roberts) and a gifted but volatile CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to defeat the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Director Mike Nichols' rollicking film revels in the comic divide between its central character's disreputable lifestyle, which is portrayed at times quite graphically, and his historic achievement, with perhaps an invitation to excuse or even celebrate the one in light of the other. Sustained upper female and rear nudity, implied nonmarital sex, drug use, sexual humor, irreverent dialogue, pervasive rough and some crude and crass language, and scenes of wounded children. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Sunday, Aug. 1, 9-10 p.m. EDT (Discovery) "Ultimate Air Jaws." Kicking off this year's edition of the Discovery Channel's popular "Shark Week" series of programs, this special features an investigation into the airborne attacks great white sharks are capable of launching as they pursue their seal prey in the waters off South Africa.

Sunday, Aug. 1, 9-11 p.m. EDT (National Geographic) "Inside the Iraq War." Woven together with testimonials from dozens of Iraq war veterans, video shot by troops themselves, news footage from embedded journalists and battlefield photos, this special provides an in-depth look at the grim reality of the last six years inside the Iraq War.

Sunday, Aug. 1, 10-11 p.m. EDT (check local listings) (PBS) "Max Raabe & Palast Orchestra: Tonight or Never." Baritone Raabe and the orchestra he founded in 1986 -- to embody the high style and musical glory of the 1920s and '30s with a repertoire of German and American standards -- present highlights from their show "Heute Nacht Oder Nie" ("Tonight or Never"), recorded live at Berlin's historic Admiralspalast (TV-G -- general audience).