The TV Zone

"Nova ScienceNOW" - that terrific PBS science series with the less-than-terrific name - returned last week, but if you happened to miss the premiere, then tonight's a fine place to start. This episode has what may be the single best overview of the CERN project in Switzerland - you know, that Large Hadron Collider thingie that starts up next spring - that I've ever seen. Which really doesn't say much, does it? The what? The who? The where? The why? It's important stuff - lemme tell you - but don't ask me to explain. Let "Nova" correspondent Dave Wark do the honors and he does them so very well. Wark - like this show and like superlative viewer-friendly astrophysicist/host extraordinaire Neil deGrasse Tyson - never talks down to viewers, but OVER to them. The approach to subjects is often humorous, always warm, never over-bearing, and always informative. It's a journey, and "ScienceNOW" is so skillfully produced that we actually want to reach the end of it. Show is great for kids, adults alike. Other stuff explored on tonight's edition: sleep; something called "emergence," and a profile of archaeologist Julie Schablitsky.
Must watch or must avoid: A definite winner. Can't go wrong here. WNET/13 at 8.