We’ve got two new season premieres and an important special, especially if you are a woman of African American descent.
First up on TeenNick (formerly The N, the evening version of Noggin, which is now something else, I think) at 8 p.m. is the season premiere of Degrassi: The Next Generation. This teen soap from Canada has long been hailed for its remarkable ability to talk about the tough stuff without encouraging it and the special one-hour premiere shows why.
Peter, one of the teens, gets himself hooked on crystal meth – nasty, nasty stuff – and, fortunately, the wheels come off the wagon pretty quickly for him. But while you might feel a little lost – I know I did since I’m not a regular viewer, the episode does pack a punch and is well worth looking at with your pre-teens. Or teens if you can get them to watch.
Next up, at 9 p.m., on the National Geographic Channel is the season opener of The Dog Whisperer. Now, I’m a big fan of Cesar Millan, who rehabilitates problem dogs by working with their nature as dogs. And his techniques do work.
In this special premiere, he looks at preventing problem behaviors by raising your puppies right. My problem is that they could have done a whole season and not just the one episode. You don’t really get a feel for what he’s teaching, unfortunately. But his bulldog, Mr. President, is adorable.
Finally, TVOne, on Sunday, is presenting a very moving documentary at 7 p.m. called Breast Examined: An African American Perspective. Get out your hankies, but more important, get over your fears, because this is about the whole process, with the survivors talking about their experiences from diagnosis, through treatment and on to activisim. It is a scary disease, but one that can be survived and lived with.
Even if you’re not African American, there is a lot to be learned here and the spirit of the people telling their stories is incredible. If you are African American, there are some issues that seem to affect African American women more than White women (although White women are far more likely to get breast cancer), so early detection is all the more important. So check it out.
Anne Louise Bannon
Your Family Viewer
