United States

TV tonight: Oliver Stone's 'History,' best 'Bones'

Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

'Bones' pays tribute to veterans with an episode centered on the death of a man who died as a result of the 9/11 attacks.

'Untold History of the United States' begins with WWII
'Bones' pays tribute to war veterans
Moretti is back on 'Mob Doctor'

Untold History of the United States
Showtime, 8 ET/PT

Showtime will spend the next 10 weeks looking back at American history, starting tonight with this hour on World War II. There's nothing novel in that, of course: TV has told this story a thousand times, from Victory at Sea on. The difference? This time the story's being told by Oliver Stone. If you enjoy hearing alternative ideas, even if you don't accept them, this could be the show for you. If, however, the thought of seeing the conventional view of American history recast from a left-leaning perspective makes you break out in hives, you'll probably want to take your viewership elsewhere.

Bones
Fox, 8 ET/PT

Fox's still entertaining procedural presents a Veterans Day episode that, aside from being well-timed, benefits from being the best the show has produced this season. Gore and relationship-problem free, this often surprisingly moving outing boasts some of the series' more unusual twists and, as a bonus, features a reunion of five of Bones' squint assistants. The tug at the heartstrings gets a bit heavy-handed at times, but otherwise it's a touching plea for better understanding of veterans whose journeys home have not gone smoothly.

Mob Doctor
Fox, 9 ET/PT

If you haven't been watching Mob Doctor since its abysmal premiere — and really, why would you be? — you may not know that Michael Rapaport's Paul Moretti, presumed dead after the first episode, has staged a remarkable recovery. Which is pretty much what we should have expected from a show that leaves no bad idea unturned.

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