Cocktail hours
Ken Burns' 2011 "Prohibition" remains the definitive source on that teetotaling period of American history, but "Drinks, Crime and Prohibition" offers a nice sampler in just two one-hour episodes with recipes for speakeasy favorites to boot. At the very least, it might whet your appetite for Burns' 330-minute documentary, currently streaming on Netflix.
7 p.m. Mon., Smithsonian Channel
Blood work
Viola Davis takes a break from showing how to get away with murder to shining a light on someone who may have been wrongly imprisoned. "The Last Defense," which she co-produced with her husband, Julius Tennon, centers on Darlie Routier, who was convicted of killing her son. Twin Cities-based blood spatter experts Terry Laber and Bart Epstein offer evidence suggesting she's innocent. The drama isn't as nail-biting as other offerings in the booming true-crime genre, but it's still more engrossing than a "Law & Order" repeat.
9 p.m. Tue., KSTP, Ch. 5
Roughing it
Seems as if the Twin Cities' own Larry Roberts is craving more "Alone" time. The 46-year-old electrician, who was runner-up on Season 2 of the reality-survival series, returns in an all-star edition set in Mongolia. Roberts will compete against nine other veterans in this extreme version of "Survivor," relying on only a few carefully chosen items, including a fishing rod, trapping wire and a saw.
9 p.m. Thu., History Channel
Neal Justin
