By ROB OWEN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A viewer's political allegiance will largely dictate whether he or she chooses to watch HBO's "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" (9 p.m. Tuesday). For virulent Obama opponents, the documentary represents just another opportunity to paint the media with an extra-large Obama-lovers brush. For supporters, it's a chance to re-live the president's rise to power.

If you are of a certain age -- in your 30s or maybe early 40s -- odds are good you'll remember "V," NBC's 1980s sci-fi saga about aliens who come to Earth promising peace but turn out to be lizards in disguise keen on making humanity their food supply.

PASADENA, Calif. - The Iraq War continues to command the attention of TV drama writers, most notably with FX's short-lived "Over There" and HBO's "Generation Kill" miniseries last year.

There's not much on NBC worth praising anymore, especially since executives canceled "Southland" before its second-season premiere, but with Thursday night's return of "30 Rock," the network has put together the best night of comedy in prime time.

PASADENA, Calif. - Filmmaker Ken Burns should be the best ambassador for his new film, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." But Shelton Johnson, one of Burns' interview subjects, may have him beat.

Fox premieres the new comedy "Brothers" on Friday with two back-to-back episodes, which does the show no favors. The first episode (8 p.m. EDT) is not great but there are a couple of funny moments and it's fun to see CCH Pounder, so tough on "The Shield," back in a comedic role.

In the first season of "Dexter" (9 p.m. EDT Sunday, Showtime), it made sense to put the smiling serial killer who dispatches other murderers in jeopardy. The tension of "Will Dexter Get Caught?" created a rich atmosphere that helped make Dexter sympathetic despite his status as TV's blood-spattered anti-hero.

Long gestating as a spinoff of "Family Guy," Fox's "The Cleveland Show" arrives Sunday (8:30 p.m. EDT) and proves to be just as rude-crude as its progenitor. But there is a key difference: "The Cleveland Show" has more warmth that flows from its gentle title character, Cleveland Brown (voice of Mike Henry, also the show's co-creator).

Since the premiere of "Lost" in 2004, networks introduced a surfeit of serialized, large-ensemble, mythological dramas, but this fall there's really just one: ABC's "FlashForward," which begins with an adrenaline-fueled, disaster-movie-worthy pilot (8 p.m. EDT Thursday).

The family comedy gets a welcome and winning update in ABC's "Modern Family" (9 p.m. EDT Wednesday), the fall's best new sitcom.