Unusual Suspects

After a successful 15-year-long international career with the Australian team,one of their most prolific openers,Matthew Hayden,returns to his home ground in Queensland,Australia,for the show. It is a realistic,entertaining and intimate look into Hayden’s new chosen life — the country life — with his wife and three children. Over the course of the episodes,he builds a garden around their house,cooks delectable dishes and hangs out with his dearest friends,including some popular figures from Australian cricket. Matthew Hayden’s Home Ground airs on Mondays at 10.30 pm on TLC Channel.

Curiosity

Day after day,year after year,we have repeatedly,and largely unsuccessfully,asked each other some very fundamental questions: Did God create the universe? How will the world end? Could you find out exactly how you are going to die? Enlisting the help of celebrity hosts,such as Stephen Hawking,Morgan Freeman,Maggie Gyllenhaal,Eli Roth,Brendan Fraser and Robin Williams,each episode of Curiosity focuses on finding answers to one question from the fields of science,technology and society. The show airs on Mondays at 8pm on Discovery Channel.

Greatest Cities of the World

Shot in six episodes over two series,Greatest Cities of the World has Griff Rhys Jones explore a day in the life of six metropolis — New York,London,Paris,Rome,Sydney and Hong Kong. He goes beyond the usual tourist attractions to delve into how these cities function,uncovering secrets along the way. In New York,he works with the garbage men; in London,he tries his hand at being an auctioneer’s assistant at Sotheby’s; and in Paris,he gives a cut to a Poodle. All these make for interesting viewing. The show airs on Tuesdays at 10 pm on BBC Entertainment.

Animal Armageddon

Scientific research shows that ever since the evolution of Earth,a number of natural disasters could well have been responsible for the extinction of many plant and animal species. Over eight episodes,Animal Armageddon explores various natural disasters and how they have caused the extinction of species. One episode explores how 65 million years ago,a huge comet struck the Earth,wiping out the dinosaurs completely,while another talks about a deadly burst of gamma rays triggering the first mass extinction,450 million years ago. The show airs daily 8 pm on Animal Planet.

Top Shot

Weapons of a pre-historic era are brought back to life and 16 contestants battle each other for a prize of $100,000. Unlikely as it sounds,this is History India’s new reality series,Top Shot. The contestants are divided into two teams of eight each,and will compete in a number of different shooting challenges requiring precision,timing,speed and accuracy. The show airs on Tuesdays at 9 pm on History India.