TONIGHT'S MUST SEES

“THE BIG BANG THEORY,” 8:30 P.M., CBS

You've probably guessed that Leonard knows absolutely nothing about football. You wouldn't guess, however, that Sheldon understands the game.
(Well, maybe that's logical. He is, after all, from Texas.)
Now he explains it to Leonard. Also, a kite-flying incident creates trouble between Raj and Howard.

“THE PEOPLE V. LEO FRANK,” 10-11:30 P.M., PBS

The defendant in a 1913 Atlanta Murder trial had all the disadvantages. “Leo Frank was a Yankee, Leo Frank was an industrialist, Leo Frank was a Jew,” Van Pearlberg, currently the senior assistant District Attorney for Cobb County, says in this documentary.
Making rich use of re-enactments, this compelling film views biases against:
– Females. Mary Phagan, 13, had left her small-town home to work in a pencil factory. Shortly before being killed, she had picked up her paycheck for $1.20.
– Blacks. Prosecutors told the jury that two black suspects couldn't have been the killers, because a note found near the body was written in correct English.
– And Jews. In the aftermath, the Klu Klux Klan was revived, expanding its hatred beyond to include Jews. The story has been retold often, including the superb 1988 mini-series “The Murder of Mary Phagan,” but this film piles on new layers.

For more small screen recommendations and news, visit MikeHughes.tv for the television writer's column and blog.