TV this week Oct. 7 - Oct. 13

MICHAEL APTED’S “49 Up” (airing as part of the documentary series “P.O.V.”), the seventh installment in a documentary series that began in 1964, comes to American television this week. What had originally been a “glimpse of Britain’s future” as embodied in an economically diverse pack of 7-year-olds has transformed over time into a long look at what it means to be human, to bud, to ripen. (But not yet to wither.)

As someone whose age approximates that of the subjects, this series has always seemed like a mirror to me: an opportunity for reflection. But anyone who has lived long enough to have some sense of the past and more than a vague idea of the future should find resonance here.

It has become a ritual that its subjects keep showing up for without quite knowing why. Some claim to hate it, but 12 of the original 14 participants are present for the current edition. The series has followed them through some difficult years, but on the verge of 50, most know themselves pretty well. None mistakes stuff for happiness.

One likens the series to today’s more frequently scheduled reality shows, calling it “fascinating” but wondering, “Does it have any value?” It does, and it’s left to Neal, who spent years on the margins before getting involved in politics, to express the series’ deeper theme. Watching a butterfly slowly beat its wings one summer afternoon, it struck him that “there isn’t any more to life than this, just really being what you are. . . . realizing that life goes on all around and there are millions of other living creatures who have to find their place as well.” (KCET, Tues., 8 p.m.) -- Robert Lloyd

WILD, WILD WEB: After an entire summer of your friends yammering at you to give the show a try, last week you finally tuned in to “Friday Night Lights.” Now you’ve got to see the first season, stat -- and you’re in luck. NBC has all of the episodes available -- for free! They’re streaming at www.nbc.com/Friday_Night_Lights. If you wear headphones, your boss will never catch on that you’re watching at work. We promise.

BACK TO REALITY: Woooo-eeeee-wooooo! Get into the Halloween groove early with a spate of spooky reality programming. Lifetime is casting a wide spell by summoning the second season of “Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead,” while “America’s Psychic Challenge” pits ostensible mind-readers against one another. And because this is what the television landscape was really missing, the self-explanatory “The Search for the Next Elvira” is premiering on Fox Reality. Scary! (“Lisa Williams,” Lifetime, Fri., 9 p.m.; “Psychic Challenge,” Lifetime, Fri., 10 p.m.; “Elvira,” Fox Reality, Sat., 9 p.m.)

FOR THE KIDS: Celebrate Columbus Day with everyone’s favorite rain forest explorer: “Safari Rescue” is a one-hour special episode of “Go, Diego, Go!” Diego travels to the Serengeti and meets with fellow animal rescuer Juma to save elephants from an evil magician. What, you think Dumbo is the only pachyderm to have problems? (Nick, Mon., 9:30 a.m.)

GET OFF THE COUCH: We know it’s hard, but sometimes you have to turn off the pretty, glowing box in the living room. But that doesn’t mean you have to leave TV behind! The Paley Center in Beverly Hills hosts special events dissecting the message of everyone’s favorite medium. On Wednesday at 7 p.m., “Smoke and Sympathy: A Toast to Mad Men” will feature the cast and creators of the AMC show, recently renewed for a second season. Tickets are $25, and more information is available at paleycenter.org.

TIVO THIS: Pssst. . . hey! Remember Jim Carrey? Funny guy? Talks with his butt? He’s hit-or-miss as an actor in dramas, but the Milos Forman-directed “Man on the Moon” stands up as a character study of comedian Andy Kaufman, portrayed by Carrey. Keep an eye out for costars Danny DeVito, Richard Belzer and Paul Giamatti. (USA, Fri., 3 a.m.)

THE RETURN OF . . . “Men in Trees” is a charmer that bounced around the schedule a lot in the first season, but it has finally found a Friday night home. Anne Heche stars (but don’t hold that against it) in the tale of the lovely and lovelorn denizens of Elmo, Alaska. (ABC, Fri., 10 p.m.)

Prime choices for prime time

SUNDAY

It’s like “7th Heaven” with a lot more carnivores and a lot less Jessica Biel. (Like, no Jessica Biel, actually.) The premiere of “Life Is Wild” introduces a big family living in a South African game preserve. (The CW, 8 p.m.)

MONDAY

Who didn’t want to be a ninja when they were growing up? (Wait, have I revealed too much?) Get your kicks with the tremendously entertaining Japanese game show “Ninja Warrior.” (G4, 10 p.m.)

TUESDAY

When 38-year-old filmmaker Lori Benson was diagnosed with breast cancer, she started documenting her life for her newborn daughter. “Dear Talula” is the stirring result. (Cinemax, 7:30 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY

Sure, you may never want to eat in a restaurant again -- but it’s more fun to stay at home and count how many times potty-mouthed Gordon Ramsay is bleeped anyway. This week, “Kitchen Nightmares” tackles a family-owned restaurant. (Fox, 9 p.m.)

THURSDAY

You too can be among the dozens and dozens of viewers Tina Fey thanked when she picked up the Emmy for best comedy series. Help build the buzz surrounding “30 Rock” and you might even get a handwritten thank-you note. (NBC, 8:30 p.m.)

FRIDAY

What if the glass ceiling shattered and all those women picked up the jagged pieces and started slashing away? Cool, right? “Women’s Murder Club” isn’t quite like that, but it is based on the novels of bestselling crime writer James Patterson and stars Angie Harmon. (ABC, 9 p.m.)

SATURDAY

In “The Gathering,” Peter Gallagher plays a doctor whose wife disappears, leaving him with only disturbing visions of a bloody circle on a wall and a half-dead raven as clues to her whereabouts. (Dude, maybe stop reading Edgar Allan Poe?) Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Peter Fonda co-star. Tonight is the first half, a two-hour episode, and the miniseries will conclude next Sunday. (Lifetime, 9 p.m.)