‘CodeBreakers’ a tale of conscience
Based on history, “CodeBreakers” (6 and 9 p.m. tonight, ESPN) recalls a cheating scandal that rocked not only football but also the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
In the fall of 1951, Army football was on the verge of its third consecutive undefeated season under coach Earl “Red” Blaik (Scott Glenn) and assistant coach Vince Lombardi (Richard Zeppieri). Under pressure to pass West Point’s tough curriculum of math, science and engineering courses, several players developed a system for stealing questions and answers to exams.
“Code Breakers” is a competent period piece, re-creating the atmosphere at West Point during one of its most difficult eras, when every graduate faced the prospect of joining the bloody war in Korea. But it does a superb job in the more intimate scenes in which individual players wrestle with their consciences and attempt to balance their loyalty to their teammates with their obligation to the academy’s honor code.
The emotional stakes for Blaik grow higher when he discovers that his own son may be among those implicated in the scandal. Glenn has played cowboys (“Urban Cowboy”), cops (“The Silence of the Lambs”) and astronauts (“The Right Stuff”). He was born to play the role of Blaik, a stoic man who is forced to balance his obligations as a coach, an officer and a father.
“Total Access: Alison Krauss and Union Station” (8 p.m. tonight, CMT) follows the bluegrass band on its tour of the United Kingdom. Krauss returns to appear on “Christmas Time is Here: A Skaggs Family Celebration” (9 p.m.), a bluegrass concert taped before a live audience in Nashville.
“A Panda Is Born” (8 p.m. tonight, Animal Planet) follows the nervous staff of the Smithsonian Zoo as they await the rare arrival of a cub born in captivity. The special also chronicles the difficult efforts of female Mei Xiang, and her mate, Tian Tian, to start a panda family.
A beautiful, wounded soldier (Emmanuelle Vaugier) is exposed to biological weapons that turn her into a bionic woman in the 2005 fantasy “Painkiller Jane” (9 p.m. tonight, Sci Fi).
Fears of avian flu inspire two Sunday-night specials. Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosts “Killer Flu: A Breath Away” (7 p.m. Sunday, CNN). He travels to Thailand and Indonesia, where bird flu has already claimed human victims, to explain how the virus, named H5N1, kills its human hosts.
“Race Against the Killer Flu” (9 p.m. Sunday, National Geographic) also explains the emergence of H5N1 and shows how victims may be killed by their own immune system.
Correspondent Lisa Myers takes an hourlong look at the growing problem of foreign fighters pouring into Iraq to become suicide bombers and commit other acts of terrorism.
“On the Trail of Terror: Jihad in Iraq” (6 p.m. Sunday, MSNBC) offers interviews with antiterrorism experts as well as the friends and families of seemingly “normal” people who have been recruited by Al Qaeda and its offshoots.
Tonight’s highlights
Professional skating on “Ice Wars” (8 p.m., CBS).
Jimmy Stewart stars in the 1946 holiday fantasy “It’s a Wonderful Life” (8 p.m., NBC).
Jim Carrey stars in the 2000 adaptation of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (8:30 p.m., ABC).
Samuel L. Jackson hosts “Video Game Awards 2005” (9 p.m., Spike), featuring musical performances by 50 Cent, Def Leppard and Missy Elliott.
Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (10 p.m., CBS): a family lives in fear after a mother’s disappearance.
Sunday’s highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): illegal immigrants and unsecured borders; the dangers of shark tourism; outsourcing torture.
A winner emerges on the three-hour finale of “Survivor: Guatemala” (8 p.m., CBS).
The president plays peacemaker on “The West Wing” (8 p.m., NBC).
Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) resurfaces on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox).
First lady Laura Bush, James Denton, Wayne Newton and Brian Wilson cameo on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8 p.m., ABC).
Reba McEntire hosts the “7th Annual Family Friendly Awards ” (8 p.m., WB).
“Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team” (8 p.m., HBO) chronicles a sports revolution from the 1980s to 2004.
Host Mark Totty looks at quirky holiday traditions that transpire where snow is but a rumor on “Warm Weather, White Christmas” (9 p.m., HGTV).
You’ve got to have heart on “Grey’s Anatomy” (10 p.m., ABC).
Clips from Christmas past on “Top Ten Holiday Moments” (10 p.m., TV Land).