SUNDAY, Jan. 29, 8 and 11pm

The 400-Million-Dollar Emerald

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL This documentary traces the history of the Bahia Emerald, an 840-pound giant found in Brazil in 2001. The emerald, which has disappeared for long periods, is the subject of court battles over who really owns it.

TUESDAYS, 5:30pm

EWTN’S VATICAN REPORT

EWTN Every week, this half-hour show follows Pope Benedict XVI’s activities and studies newsmakers at the Vatican and current events there. Re-airings at 3:30am Friday, Feb. 3, and 6:30pm Saturday, Feb. 4.

TUESDAYS, 8pm

All-Star Dealers

DISCOVERY CHANNEL In this new series, expert sports memorabilia authenticators from the Grey Flannel Auctions company determine which of the many seemingly historic items that people send them for verification are genuine and which are not.

THURSDAY, Feb. 2

Presentation of the Lord

EWTN Live at 8am, the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word will celebrate Mass of the Presentation, in Irondale, Ala., with re-airings at noon and midnight. At 9:30am, Family Theater’s Mysteries of the Rosary will feature the Fourth Joyful Mystery, The Presentation. Live at 11:30am, Pope Benedict XVI will preside at Vespers With Religious in St. Peter’s Basilica, with a re-airing at 6:30pm.

FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 1pm

Demographic Bomb: Demography Is Destiny

EWTN This 2009 documentary, a sequel to 2008’s Demographic Winter, shows how the population controllers’ myth of “overpopulation” has led to plunging birth rates that, says producer Barry McLerran, are resulting in fewer “workers, consumers and innovators — leading to falling consumer spending and too few workers to support the elderly.”

SUNDAY, Feb. 5, 3pm

Puppy Bowl VIII

ANIMAL PLANET In this annual two-hour event on Super Bowl Sunday, 58 romping puppies from shelters and rescue groups will compete, in a “stadium” just right for their size, to become the MVP (Most Valuable Puppy) of furry football. A piglet pep squad will cheer them on, kittens will stage a “Kitty Half-Time Show,” and viewers will enjoy the show’s puppy cam, water-bowl cam, and an “aerial” view of all the rampant cuteness.

MONDAY, Feb. 6, 10pm

Underground Railroad: The William Still Story

PBS This new 60-minute documentary employs historical accounts, diaries and re-enactments to explore the dramatic career of Philadelphia abolitionist William Still (1821-1902). A free black man, Still was a leading force in the Underground Railroad, the clandestine volunteer enterprise that helped fugitive slaves escape to Canada. One of the hundreds of slaves he helped save turned out to be his long-lost brother Peter.

Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.