Secondhand news
You would think that in the wake of "Spotlight" winning the Oscar, TCM would have a sturdier tribute to great journalism movies than a lackluster marathon shuffled off to the daytime hours. The lineup is full of stars — James Cagney, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn — but none of them will inspire you to immediately re-up your subscription to the Star Tribune. Early risers get the best of the crop with 1931's "The Front Page," a screwball-less predecessor of "His Girl Friday."
6:45 a.m. TCM
Gonna fly now
"David Attenborough's Conquest of the Skies" avoids the temptation of examining the airline wars and focuses instead on the evolution of flying animals, a tale 300 million years in the making. Despite the British presenter's best efforts, the film failed to land interviews with Underdog or Rocky the Flying Squirrel.
7 p.m. Smithsonian Channel
Lucky Looie
Two years before beaming "Star Trek" into our living rooms, Gene Roddenberry helmed "The Lieutenant," a military drama in which onetime Minnesotan Robert Vaughn discovers that the friendly skies aren't always so friendly. Sixteen episodes from the 1963 season will air throughout the month with guest appearances from Rip Torn, Robert Duvall and future Enterprise crew members Leonard Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols.
7 p.m. getTV
Neal Justin
