SUNDAY, MARCH 18

St. Thérèse in Carmel

EWTN, 8 p.m.

This 90-minute French production uses photos and excerpts from the Little Flower's journal to recreate her holy life of “the little way” in the cloistered Carmel in Lisieux, France, from her entrance at age 15 in 1888 until her death on Sept. 30, 1897. To be rebroadcast Thursday, March 22, at 1 p.m. and Friday, March 2, at 3 a.m.

and 10 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

Close-Up: Sesame Street

A&E, 8 p.m.

This two-hour “Biography Close-Up” takes us behind the scenes and on the set with the creators and current crew of the still-running educational TV series that debuted in 1969. We see every phase of making a TV show episode: Research, production, rehearsal and filming. We also watch the show's previously unseen pilot, interviews with the cast, footage of Frank Oz and the late Jim Henson, along with the Muppeteers, in action.

MONDAY, MARCH 19

Monsters of the Sea

History, 8 p.m.

This “History's Mysteries” premiere from Indigo Films investigates tales of “sea monsters” from Greek mythology onward. Included are such cases as an intriguing incident in Cape Ann, Mass., in 1639; the Loch Ness monster; and the coelacanth.

MONDAY, MARCH 19

Secrets of San Simeon

Travel, 9 p.m.

In this two-hour special, Patricia Hearst escorts us around the incredibly lavish estate in California's central coastal area that her grandfather, the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, spent three decades building. Historic film footage captures Hearst and the celebrities of the day whom he loved to host.

MONDAY, MARCH 19

Lighthouses

History, 10 p.m.

This “Modern Marvels” premiere from Actuality Productions explores the history of lighthouses since the spectacular ancient Pharos of Alexandria. The show visits historic lighthouses, salutes brave lighthouse keepers of the past and explains that today's mostly unmanned coastal warning beacons remain indispensable as navigational life-savers.

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

Search for Battleship Bismarck

PBS; check local listings for time

This “World of National Geographic” presentation follows a quest by ocean explorer Robert Ballard, who found the Titanic in 1985. This time, Ballard pinpoints the German battleship Bismarck, which sank 60 miles off France and is three miles down. After sinking the British battle cruiser Hood on May 24, 1941, the Bismarck and 2,000 of its crew met their doom just three days later, blasted by British aircraft and ships.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

Pope John Paul II: Almost an Autobiography

EWTN, 8 p.m.

Vatican Television supplies its own film footage, plus photos and reenactments, to tell the Holy Father's life story. The show uses the Pope's own writings as the narrative. To be rebroadcast Wednesday, March 28, at 8 p.m. and Thursday, March 29, at 3 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.