The origins of the Tarheel state are the focus of a new documentary airing at 9 p.m. Monday on UNC-TV.
"Birth of a Colony: North Carolina" uses interviews with historians, rare artifacts, original footage and archival images to examine the arrival of European explorers and settlers in this area and their encounters with American Indians. The program covers the years 1524 to 1713.
The program is followed at 10:30 p.m. by another documentary, "North Carolina: An American Portrait."
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It wouldn't be Halloween without Charlie Brown and his misbegotten ghost costume. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" will air Thursday at 8 p.m. on ABC.
The special, which originally aired on CBS on Oct. 27, 1966, weaves together the stories of The Great Pumpkin; Charlie Brown's luckless attempt at trick-or-treating; and Snoopy's tendency to take his fondness for dressing up too far.
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The TV series "Mystery Science Theater 3000," in which comedians mocked old drive-in movies, ended its series run in 1999, but it remains a fan favorite. Shout Factory, a video and music label, has had great success with boxed sets of the show, and also occasionally releases individual episodes exclusively at www.shoutfactorystore.com.
Two of those online exclusives have just been released: 1964's "The Atomic Brain," about an elderly woman who hires a scientist to transplant her brain into a younger body, and 1971's "The Touch of Satan," about a family hiding a dark secret.
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TNT has pulled the plug on "Memphis Beat," a quirky, character-driven comedy-drama, after two seasons. Jason Lee starred in the series as a Memphis police detective. The supporting cast included Celia Weston, an alumna of UNC School of the Arts, as his doting mother. The last episode aired Aug. 16.
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One of TV's all-time great comedies comes to DVD on Tuesday in a lavish boxed set. "Barney Miller: The Complete Series" has the complete run of the 1974-1982 show, which followed the detectives in a Greenwich Village police station. Though it was named for Capt. Miller, who was played by Hal Linden, the show was an ensemble comedy with terrific performances by a talented group of character actors.
The 25-disc set has all eight seasons, plus interviews, commentaries, the original unaired pilot and the first season of the spinoff series "Fish," which focused on curmudgeonly detective played by Abe Vigoda.
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Also new on DVD on Tuesday are new volumes of two cartoons devoted to popular superheroes.
"The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" volumes three and four focus on some of Marvel Comics' top characters, including Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. Extras include short features about the bad guys.
The other series, "Young Justice," focuses on rival company DC Comics and some of its younger characters, including Robin, Superboy and Kid Flash, as they learn the ropes by training with older heroes. The new release, "Season One, Volume Two," has four episodes of the show.
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