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TV picks: ‘Dirty John,’ ‘Vikings,’ ‘The Truth About Killer Robots’ and more

What's new or noteworthy on television for the week of Nov. 25.

Rollo (Clive Standen) from the History Channel's “Vikings,” which returns on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
Rollo (Clive Standen) from the History Channel's “Vikings,” which returns on Wednesday, Nov. 28.Read moreJonathan Hession/History Channel / Jonathan Hession/History
    by Ellen Gray | Columnist
    Published 

The Lost Tapes: Apollo 13. The series looks back at the nail-biter of a moon mission in which NASA nearly lost three of its astronauts in April 1970. Episode features never-before-heard audio from the onboard recorder during launch as well as news reports from the time. 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25, Smithsonian Channel.

Dirty John. I can’t say I was a fan of the Los Angeles Times podcast that inspired this eight-episode mini-series about Debra Newell, a successful interior designer (Connie Britton) who’s extremely unlucky in love, but I am a fan of Britton. Eric Bana plays the title character, who (spoiler alert) isn’t everything he seems to Debra. 10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25, Bravo.

The Truth About Killer Robots. Maxim Pozdorovkin (Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer) directed this documentary, narrated by a Japanese android called Kodomoroid, about the potential hazards of automation (which go well beyond putting human voice actors out of work). 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, HBO.

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. In the third season of her Emmy-winning documentary series, the actress and former Scientologist vows to “follow the money,” taking aim at the Church of Scientology’s tax-exempt status. 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, A&E.

Vikings. Who’s afraid of the Dark Ages? Not fans of History’s hit cable drama, which resumes its fifth season. 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, History Channel.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding. Yes, I’ve made fun in the past of Netflix’s foray into the crazy world of movies about weirdly named countries whose princes and kings fall in love with American commoners, but the sequel can’t be any sillier. Or can it? Friday, Nov. 30, Netflix.

Hannukah: A Festival of deLights. William Shatner and Lainie Kazan are among those exploring the meaning of Hannukah in this special that also includes the perspectives of rabbis and historians and features a look at the work of Joy Stember, a Judaica artist in Abington. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, WHYY12.