Weekly TV Picks

SUNDAY, SEPT. 4

Something Beautiful for God

EWTN, 2 a.m.

This famous documentary from 1969 about the life, work and spirituality of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta includes an interview of her by English author Malcolm Muggeridge. Re-airs Thursday, Sept. 8, at 1 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 4

In Performance at the White House:

The Congressional Picnic

PBS, 8 p.m.

Taped June 15, this event on the South Lawn of the White House features Shirley Jones, Tom Wopat and others performing for President and Mrs. Bush and members of Congress and their families. The program shows staffers preparing to stage the picnic.

MONDAY, SEPT. 5

Rome: Engineering an Empire

History Channel, 9 p.m.

This two-hour special focuses on the architectural and engineering advances that undergirded Rome's far-flung conquests from circa 55 B.C. to 537 A.D. Computer-generated images depict the Via Appia, the Pantheon, the Forum, the Colosseum, aqueducts and Hadrian's Wall as they might have appeared originally. Re-airs Friday at 8 p.m. and 12 midnight and Saturday at 5 p.m. Advisory: TV-PG.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 6

The Hobart Shakespeareans

PBS, 10 p.m.

Los Angeles inner-city teacher Rafe Esquith gets his fifth graders to perform “Hamlet” — with advice from actors Michael York and Sir Ian McKellen. Esquith's students meet the high standards he sets for them in English, math and literature.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 7

Julius Caesar's Greatest Battle

History Channel, 9 p.m., 1 a.m.

At Alesia in Gaul in 52 B.C., Julius Caesar defeated the chieftain Vercingetorix. Some estimates are that in eight years of war in Gaul, the ruthless Caesar destroyed more than 800 cities, killed a million people and captured a million more. Advisory: TV-PG.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 10

Criminal History:

Ancient Rome

History Channel, 3 p.m.

Rome's emperors committed their own crimes with impunity, but they did not extend that “privilege” to their citizens. This show uses re-creations to depict law enforcement bodies such as the Vigiles, the Urban Cohort and the Praetorian Guard. It also examines the place of gladiators in Roman crime and punishment. Advisory: TV-PG.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 10

EWTN Bookmark

EWTN, 8 p.m.

Host Doug Keck interviews EWTNews Director Raymond Arroyo about his new book, Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve and a Network of Miracles.

SATURDAYS

Sermon on the Mount

Familyland TV, 5:30 p.m.

Host Lew Sterrett, a horse trainer, uses his faithful mounts to illustrate lessons from the Bible.

Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.