HBO

Ethel

Documentary, 9 p.m. Oct. 18.

Ethel Kennedy is a survivor in so many ways and a living link to one of the most significant periods in 20th century American political history. Now in her ‘80s and having shunned interviews for more than 25 years, she agreed to be the focus on a documentary by her youngest child, Rory, born after the death of Robert F. Kennedy.

The Girl

9 p.m., Oct. 20

Tippi Hedren was an unknown who rocketed to stardom after being cast in two Alfred Hitchcock films, “The Birds” and “Marnie.” Her experience working with the filmmaker form the basis of a film starring Sienna Miller and Toby Jones, as Hedren and Hitch.

History Channel

Mankind: The History of All of Us

TBA in November

This is a 12-hour look at the history of mankind through the ages, and is created by the team behind the 2010 Emmy-winner “America: The Story of Us.”

MTV

Underemployed, 10 p.m., Oct. 16

A new scripted show that reflects the reality of trying to find a job in today’s economy, made even tougher if you’re a recent college grad and are competing with little experience. The show follows five friends in Chicago.

Catfish: The TV Show

10 p.m., Nov. 12

A new docu-series about couples who have met and fallen in love, but have yet to meet in person. Filmmakers Yaniv “Nev” Schulman and Max Joseph travel around the country profiling various people. There will be 12 hourlong episodes.

National GeoGraphic Channel (Ngc)

Alien Deep With Bob Ballard

7 p.m. Sept. 16, 8 p.m. Sept. 17

The five-part series airing over two nights goes under the sea, to the deepest parts of the ocean to find submerged volcanoes, ancient shipwrecks and places on the ocean floor where red-hot magma bubbles up from beneath the Earth’s surface.

PBS

Money & Medicine

11 p.m., Sept. 25

The nation’s health crisis is likely to continue, regardless of the outcome of the November election. New York’s WNET looks at the costs of health care and runaway spending and waste, interviewing doctors and patients as well as experts on health policy.

Call the Midwife

Dramatic series, 8 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 30-Nov. 4

Who knew that one of the best new series of the fall season would be on PBS and would not be “Downton Abbey?” “Midwife” is a terrific show about a young woman fresh out of nursing school who becomes a midwife in the not so pristine East End of London in 1957.

Half the Sky, Independent Lens

8 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2

Based on the book by Nicholas D. Kristof and Kristin WuDunn, “Half the Sky” is a multi-platform effort to tell the stories of women around the world who are finding solutions to oppression through health care, education and economic empowerment of women and girls.

Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders 2

9 p.m. Oct. 5

A new series produced by the San Francisco Bay Area’s KQED, the hourlong show looks at how humanity is linked through its music. The first show includes a segment on Wynton Marsalis, another on the exquisite soundtrack for Pixar’s “Brave,” a third focusing on African superstar Youssou N’dour and a fourth on the Icelandic rock band Of Monsters and Men.

The Dust Bowl, Ken Burns

8 p.m. Nov. 18 and 19

Not only are Ken Burns and his team skilled filmmakers, they also seem to have an uncanny sense of timing. Following last year’s tour de force on “Prohibition,” Burns couldn’t have timed a look back at the mid-20th century drought that all but redefined the nation. And here we are in the 21st century, still reeling from the effects of a devastating drought.

Inventing David Geffen, American Masters

8 p.m., Nov. 20

David Geffen doesn’t need the publicity at this stage of his life and didn’t participate in the making of this film. But his life and career are the stuff of American legend, from his early days in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency, to the launch of his record labels and instrumental in the careers of superstars such as Cher, and his expansion into films and the creation of Dreamworks with Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg.