Preview ’92 : Of History Lessons and Election Specials : PBS CONTINUES TO DO WHAT IT DOES BEST: PROBE PEOPLE, PLACES AND POLITICS

A documentary series on the natural history of Russia, an exploration of the world of the dinosaur, an examination of modern Asian-American history, several election specials and the return of numerous favorite series all highlight public broadcasting’s diverse fall season.

Here is a look at the highlights and their dates on Southern California PBS stations:

New Series

“Space Age”--Patrick Stewart of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” narrates a six-part series commemorating the International Space Year, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. KCET and KPBS; Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. KVCR.

“The Pacific Century”--Profile of people, events and trends in modern Asian-American history; Peter Coyote narrates the 10-part series, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. KVCR and 10 p.m. KCET; Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. KPBS.

“The Dinosaurs!”--Four-part series explains where the giant lizards came from, how they lived and why the species disappeared from Earth, Nov. 22 KCET, KPBS and KVCR.

Specials

“Search and Seizure: The Supreme Court and the Police”--Roger Mudd narrates this documentary exploring questions of privacy and the Fourth Amendment, Oct. 5 at 9 p.m. KVCR and 10 p.m. KPBS and KCET.

“Surviving Columbus”--Exploration of the Pueblo Indians’ 450-year-old struggle to preserve their culture, land and religion despite European contact, Oct. 12 at 9 p.m. KCET and KPBS.

“The Cuban Missile Crisis: On the Brink”--Recounts the events 30 years ago when the Soviet Union and the United States were at the edge of mutual destruction, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. KVCR and 9 p.m. KPBS and KCET.

“Campaign for Cuba”--NPR’s Daniel Schorr narrates this look at current efforts by the Cuban American National Foundation to bring down Fidel Castro, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. KVCR and 10 p.m. KPBS and KCET.

“In Concert at the United Nations 1992”--Celebration of the U.N.’s 47th anniversary features a musical tribute to commemorate the quincentennial of Columbus’ voyage to America, Nov. 13 KCET, KVCR and KPBS.

“Elizabeth R”--A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Nov. 16 KCET and KPBS.

Returning Series

“The American Experience”--The historical documentary series’ fifth season opens with “The Kennedys,” a four-hour documentary focusing on the family patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy, and his sons, Sept. 20-21 at 7 p.m. KVCR and 8 p.m. KCET and KPBS.

“Masterpiece Theatre”--The Emmy-winning dramatic series starts it 22nd season with “A Question of Attribution,” starring James Fox as the infamous Sir Anthony Blunt, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. KCET and KPBS and 10 p.m. KVCR; Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. KOCE. Host Alistair Cooke will be retiring in November.

“Mystery!”--The whodunit series kicks off its 13th season with Michael Gambon (“The Singing Detective”) starring as Georges Simenon’s famed sleuth in “Maigret,” a new six-part series, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m. KCET and KPBS; Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. KVCR and KOCE.

“Frontline”--The documentary series opens its 11th season with “Public Hearing, Private Pain,” which explores the aftermath of Judge Clarence Thomas’ bitter confirmation hearings to the Supreme Court, Oct. 13 at 8:30 p.m. KVCR and 9 p.m. KPBS and KCET.

“Nova”--The documentary series opens its new season with “Mind of a Serial Killer,” profiling the FBI unit depicted in “The Silence of the Lambs,” which uses psychological techniques to track down serial killers, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. KCET and KPBS.

“American Playhouse”--The acclaimed dramatic showcase opens its 12th season with an adaptation of Christopher Hampton’s play, “Tales From Hollywood,” starring Oscar winners Jeremy Irons and Alec Guinness, Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. KPBS and KCET.

Election ’92

“Power, Politics and Latinos”--A look at the growing potential of the Latino electorate, Tuesday at 9 p.m., KCET and KPBS; Oct. 6 at 10 p.m. KOCE.

“Louis Rukeyser’s 1992 Election Guide”--The economist compares and contrasts the platforms of the major party nominees for President, Friday at 8 p.m. KVCR and 9 p.m. KCET; Sept. 22 at 10 p.m. KOCE.

“Voices of the Electorate: The African-American Voter”--Highlights of town meetings in Houston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. KCET, KPBS and KVCR; Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. KOCE.

“Voices from the Electorate: The Hispanic-American Voter”--Highlights from Latino town meetings in Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and San Antonio, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. KVCR and 10 p.m. KCET and KPBS; Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. KOCE.

“The ‘90s Election Special”--Features offbeat video segments from eight different video correspondents on election-year politics, Sept. 23 at 10 p.m. KCET and KPBS.

“Life & Times Studio Edition: Conversations with California’s U.S. Senate Candidates”--Profiles of the candidates air for six consecutive weeks, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. KCET; Oct. 11 at 12:30 p.m. KPBS; Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. KVCR.

“Democracy in Action”--A Russian reporting team offers a fresh perspective of the democratic process, Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. KPBS and KCET.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Beginning Tuesday and continuing through Oct. 15, local PBS stations will be devoting numerous hours of programming spotlighting Southern California’s Latino heritage. Among the programming featured is “Latin Jazz in New York” (Wednesday at 10 p.m. KCET), “Austin City Limits: Los Lobos” (Wednesday at 11 p.m. KCET; Sept. 31 at 10 p.m. KVCR) and the four-part series “Made in Latin America,” Friday at 10 p.m. KCET.