D O C U M E N T A R Y

Wayne and his mentor

THE PROFESSIONAL and personal relationship between John Ford and John Wayne is the story of American cinema. A record winner of six Best Director Oscars, Ford’s greatest triumph may have been transforming Wayne from a B-western cowboy into a larger-than-life icon. Their 50-year collaboration, changed the movies and, in the process, how America saw itself. Their remarkable body of work – including “The Searchers” and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” – reflects the country’s generosity of spirit, sense of loyalty and a restless nationalism.

AMERICAN MASTERS

Wednesday,9 p.m.,PBS

STUPID CELEB TRICKS

SPECIAL

MAGICIAN and psychological illusionist Keith Barry will say abracadabra on a fun special in which various celebs – Jessica Simpson; Matthew McConaughey; Wilmer Valderrama of “That ’70s Show” and Nicollette Sheridan of “Desperate Housewives,” among many others – submit to a series of magic tricks. First of all, may we ask what “The Sexiest Man Alive,” Mr. McConaughey, is doing on this show?

Maybe the bongo-playing superstar just couldn’t resist to play along with this TV Houdini. Another question comes to mind about the special: Is this what celebrities do when their shows are finished filming (Sheridan), or going off the air (Valderrama), or when their careers are going down the toilet (Simpson)? Mr. Barry’s tricks include the $1 Million Card Challenge, Mind Control Effects, Blindfolded Driving and a Public Hanging.

Wonder who volunteers for the Public Hanging. May we suggest Miss Simpson?

KEITH BARRY: EXTRAORDINARY

Friday,8 p.m., CBS

DRAMA

Griffin gets cheeky

SELF-PROCLAIMED Hollywood misfit Kathy Griffin will do anything for attention. As anyone who saw her series, “My Life on the D-List” last summer, she’ll go to great lengths to promote herself – and get a laugh. On her new special “Strong Black Woman,” Griffin does her typically risque stand-up act and takes no prisoners when it comes to revealing Hollywood’s juiciest secrets and red-carpet blunders.

Everyone from “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul to troubled child actress Dakota Fanning, one of Griffin’s past targets, is fair game. But the biggest joke may be on Griffin herself, who does a good portion of the act with her pants down.

KATHY GRIFFIN: STRONG BLACK WOMAN

Tuesday,9 p.m.,Bravo

M A D E – F O R – T V

Chicken fight

A CASE of Avian Flu that mutates into a miserable global virus is the subject of “Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America.” Dr. Iris Varnack (Joely Richardson) is summoned to China to assess the outbreak; Secretary of State Collin Reed (Stacy Keach) acts as go-between for Varnack and American leaders; Virginia Governor Mike Newsome (Scott Cohen) quarantines a city. Nurse Alma Ansen (Justina Machado) multitasks at a makeshift flu facility.

FATAL CONTACT:

BIRD FLU IN AMERICA Tuesday,8 p.m.,ABC

D R A M A

Christopher cameo

RENEWED for an unbelievable 17th season, “Law & Order” keeps going. It gets a shot of television Viagra this week as Michael Imperioli returns as smartass Detective Falco.

(Time will tell if Imperioli joins the show permanently when “The Sopranos” ends.) Falco is between a tiled floor and a hard place when he finds a young woman he took home the night before slashed to death in his bathroom. Panicking, he does a few things at the crime scene that indicate a coverup. Fortunately, Detectives Fontana and Green believe their colleague was drugged by the victim in a plan to rob him but she was later killed by a violent female rival. Proving Falco’s innocence in court poses a challenge for A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston).

LAW& ORDER Wednesday,10 p.m.,NBC

D R A M A

Prime suspect

JORDAN (Jill Hennessy) finds herself in an unexpected situation that will challenge her both professionally and personally. After celebrating Lily’s (Kathryn Hahn) engagement and pending nuptials, Jordan wakes up the next morning with a gun in her hand lying next to the body of her former beau J.D. Pollack (guest star Charles Mesure), who has a bullet in his chest. With little recollection of the previous night’s events and no explanation for what transpired, a shell-shocked Jordan becomes the number one suspect.

This is the show’s 100th episode.

CROSSING JORDAN Sunday,10 p.m.,NBC