TBS gets under and over wild weather; Fox delivers its ‘Baby’ and the 1970s before fall; VH1’s ‘Boys’

Sunday

“Killer Weather” / 6 p.m. TBS

As song titles go, this one doesn’t do as much for us as, say, “Stormy Weather.” But we digress. In point of fact, this sobering documentary deals with the horrendous atmospheric conditions of 1998, from tornadoes in the South to ice storms in the North. And, of course, who could forget El Nino? It also reviews the 1889 Johnstown Flood, the 1930s Dust Bowl drought and the 1995 Chicago heat wave.

****

“Holding the Baby” / 7:30 p.m. Fox

Someone had to get a jump on the fall season and, as usual, it’s our friends at Fox. Proving that first is not necessarily best, this sappy sitcom centers on a frantic young father (Jon Patrick Walker) forced to raise his infant after Mom suddenly bolts for Tibet. Nonsensical as that is, Gordon must now cope with help from his irresponsible, womanizing brother (Eddie McClintock) and a reluctant grad student-turned-nanny (Jennifer Westfeldt) who really just wanted to be a receptionist.

****

“That ‘70s Show” / 8:30 p.m. Fox

Several of the fall comedies focus on single guys raising kids. This is the one new sitcom about teens raising Cain. Well, not really. Actually, it deals with 17-year-olds growing up in 1976 Wisconsin at a time of lava lamps, leisure suits and Vista cruisers. The close-knit pals (Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher) sneak beers at their parents’ party, go to Todd Rundgren concerts and smoke some pot, which will not be a regular occurrence in future episodes, according to the network.

****

“The Baby Dance” / 9 p.m. Showtime

Emotionally wrenching and superbly acted, Jane Anderson’s adaptation of her play comes to TV. It’s the heartbreaking story of a dirt poor, trailer-park couple in Louisiana (Laura Dern and Richard Lineback) who give up their fifth child for adoption to a Jewish couple (Stockard Channing and Peter Riegert) unable to conceive on their own. As writer and director, Anderson elicits exquisite performances from the principals, whose characters bond and subsequently clash when money and manipulation intervene.

****

“Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story” / 9 p.m. VH1

No telling whether Brian Wilson will ever reunite with Mike Love and other current members of the enduring pop group. At least we can revel in their good vibrations of the past. And in this two-hour documentary, a mix of interviews and vintage footage covers the last three decades of their ebb and flow. “Harmony” is divvied into two parts, the first recalling their early success and the second charting their “triumph and tragedy” from 1966 to 1997.

Monday

“Great Performances” / 9 p.m. KCET

The spirited chemistry of husband and wife Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu plays a prominent role in “The Elixir of Love.” An updated production of Donizetti’s opera is set in rural Italy of the 1930s, where honorable peasant Nemorino (Alagna) tries to win the hand of the rich and fetching Adina (Gheorghiu) by drinking a love potion in the form of red wine. Alas, Adina is attracted to Belcore (Roberto Scaltriti), a dashing soldier enlisting recruits for his troop.

****

“Before Your Eyes: Don’t Take My Daddy” / 10 p.m. CBS

If a man is found guilty of committing a crime, serves his time and thereafter leads a respectable life raising a family, should he be threatened with deportation from the United States more than a decade later? This CBS News documentary follows the plight of three women whose husbands are natives of Northern Ireland with ties to the IRA, which amounts to terrorism in the eyes of U.S. officials. The hour is narrated by Roma Downey, who calls this “an opportunity to educate the public about the complicated situation” in her homeland.

Tuesday

“One on One With David Frost” / 6 and 10 p.m. A&E;

Famous interviewer grills renowned president in this two-hour meeting of the minds. Actually, the special plays like an extended episode of “Biography,” in which George Bush recounts personal and political memories going back to his roots in New England. Taped in Berlin, Moscow and Beijing as well as the Bush Library in Texas, this program focuses on war stories, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, the Iran-Contra scandal and the Gulf War. Included are White House videotapes and photos from the Bush family scrapbook.