Little Miss Sunshines

I'm not a big supporter of beauty pageants for kids, but I'm more than happy to make an exception for the contest sponsored by former Miss Iowa, Abbey Curran. "Miss You Can Do It" (8 p.m., HBO) looks at an event designed to bolster the confidence of young girls who, like Curran, have to deal with physical and mental disabilities. Moving stuff.

Liar, liar

"Brain Games" (8 p.m., NGC), the remarkable series that serves as both a science lesson and magic show, wraps up its first season with a look at how often we don't tell the truth. OK, I lied. No, seriously, it really is looking at fibbing. Or is it?

Superdome

Stephen King's last epic novel was big and intimidating, so why not enjoy the story in 13 easy-to-swallow installments? "Under the Dome" (9 p.m., WCCO, Ch. 4) centers on a small town cut off from the rest of the world. It's a rare example of ambitious programming for a network to take during its usually lazy summer.

Neal Justin