THE WEEK AHEAD, ACCORDING TO THE CRITICS

It’s a stellar week of programming on Nashville Public Television and PBS stations nationwide, and several local and national critics have chimed in with their television picks.

Michele Jones at the Nashville Scene points to African American Lives: Oprah’s Roots, airing on NPT-Channel 8 on Wednesday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. In the special expanded episode culled from the African American Lives series last year, former Nashvillian Oprah teams up with series host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to examine Winfrey’s family history.

The New York Times also taps the special as a top program of the week, reminding readers that Virginia Hefernan of the Times called the segment “the most exciting and stirring documentary on any subject to appear on television in a long time.”

The Week recommends three programs this week — practically 33% of its total number of TV picks. On Tuesday, January 23 at 9:00 p.m., the Week likes INDEPENDENT LENS: “Beyond the Call,” the story of three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights who travel the wor’d delivering live-saving humanitarian aid difectly into the hands of doctors and civilians. WATCH A PREVIEW

Wednesday, January 24 at 8:00 p.m. is the “streamlined, family-friendly version of Mozart’s beloved opera” THE MAGIC FLUTE, recommends The Week. We wrote about this GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET production by acclaimed director Julie Taymor in an earlier post.

Sunday, January 28 at 7:00 the show to watch is NATURE: “Rhinoceros” and The Week agrees, pointing out that there were once 300 species of rhinoceros that roamed the earth; now there are five, with three near extinction.