‘Captain Kidd’ Dives for Treasure

Ahoy, mates.

The one-hour documentary “Quest for Captain Kidd” (9 p.m. Sunday, Discovery Channel) chronicles the painstaking search by veteran underwater photographer Barry Clifford to find the sunken ship of arguably the most famous pirate in history.

Clifford, whose study of buccaneers has occupied much of his life, assembled a team of 15 divers, archeologists and imaging experts to search for Kidd’s ship, the Adventure Galley, in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar.

At the end of the 17th century, that setting served as the perfect hide-out--some 10,000 miles away from England--for many of history’s most successful thieves.

One member of Clifford’s team learned that the harbor held the remains of at least seven pirate ships. His job was to determine which one belonged to Kidd.

Narrator Mel Gibson notes that Kidd’s formidable fighting ship, designed for speed and mobility, was built of solid English oak. But after 300 years in tropical waters, what’s left of a wooden ship?

The answer proves to be fairly interesting as documented by producer David Conover, whose only misstep is the occasional inclusion of cheesy reenactments used to illustrate Kidd’s larcenous life on the high seas.

It’s the one aspect of the program that strait-laced historians are unlikely to treasure.

Surf Report

SPECIALS

“Drew Carey’s Improv All Stars” (10 tonight, Showtime) features “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” regulars Ryan Stiles, Brad Sherwood, Greg Proops and Colin Mochrie as well as Kathy Kinney, five performers adept at dishing witty quips.

Baha Men, BBMak, Shaggy and Sugar Ray sing on the “Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert” (7 p.m. Sunday, ABC).

MOVIES

John Larroquette and newcomer Nicholas Braun star in “Walter and Henry” (8 p.m. Sunday, Showtime), the story of a father and son singing for small change on the streets of Manhattan.

“The Big Heist” (9 p.m. Sunday, A&E;) is a fact-based crime drama about Jimmy “The Gent” Burke (Donald Sutherland), a gangster who stole $8 million from New York’s JFK Airport in 1978.

SERIES

Robin Williams charts his ascent from stand-up comic to sitcom star and movie actor in a Special two-hour edition of “Inside the Actors Studio” (5 and 9 p.m. Sunday, Bravo).

Robert Wuhl’s sports comedy “Arli$$” opens its sixth season Sunday at 9:30 p.m. on HBO.

SPORTS

No. 3-seeded USC faces Georgia in the NCAA World Series (10:30 a.m. CBS).

It’s a big Saturday for NBC, which covers the women’s final at the French Open (11 a.m.) and the 133rd running of the Belmont Stakes at 2 p.m. Coverage of the men’s tennis final begins Sunday at 6 a.m.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals shifts to Philadelphia as the Lakers visit the 76ers (4:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC).