Mummies, Yummies and the Millennium

Travel to exotic locales with some of the world’s most-famous celebrities or travel the country with four fairly normal teenagers via cable TV this fall. Time travel through the millennium, or journey back four millennium to uncover the riddle of the desert mummies of China.

Here are some of the cable programming highlights:

A&E;

“Biography of the Millennium”: More than 360 journalists, scholars and political leaders voted for the people who have most shaped the world. The results inspired a two-part, four-hour countdown special. Oct. 10-11

Bravo

“Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends”: Theroux, a former reporter for Michael Moore’s offbeat “TV Nation,” boldly goes where few serious journalists have gone before in this new weekly series inspired by today’s tabloid headlines. Oct. 1.

BET

“Live From L.A.”: Black Entertainment Television enters the late-night talk-show wars with a weeknight music and variety program, hosted by comedian Cedric the Entertainer before a live studio audience. Already debuted.

CNN

“Millennium: A Thousand Years of History”: In what essentially amounts to a Cliff’s Notes version of the last 10 centuries, CNN has boiled 1,000 years of human development into 10 one-hour documentaries. Executive producer Jeremy Isaacs pinpoints defining moments of the millennium. Each weekly episode is made up of five separate vignettes which, linked together, tell the story of a century. Oct. 10.

Discovery Channel

“Riddle of the Desert Mummies”: Scores of human mummies with Caucasian features have been exhumed from beneath the deserts of Western China, leading investigators to ask, “Who were these people and how did they end up in the heart of Asia?” Oct. 10.

“Supernature”: Ever wonder what a restaurant looks like through the eyes of a fly? Or why talking to a plant helps it grow? This three-hour miniseries uses the most advanced movie-style special effects to take science filmmaking in an attempt to answer questions about the otherworldly powers of nature. Nov. 1

E!

“The End of the World Fashion Review”: Hosts Joan and Melissa Rivers bury a time capsule with the hottest couture of the century. Oct. 30.

“Search Party”: This new series features celebrities doing things you’d never expect to see on TV. Nov. 29.

Food Network

“From Martha’s Kitchen”: Lifestyle expert Martha Stewart adds her unique flavor to the Food Network with a daily new half-hour show. Already premiered.

“Legendary Handouts”: “60 Minutes” journalist Morley Safer lends his distinctive voice and presence to a series of specials that will visit the favorite restaurants and watering holes of the elite, past and present. Already premiered.

The History Channel

“The Korean War: Fire & Ice”: This four-part, four-night series details the bitter three-year Korean War and how that skirmish set the rules for East-West superpower conflict in the nuclear age. Sept. 20-23.

“Modern Marvels: Men at Work”: Ron Hazelton, a.k.a. “The House Doctor,” hosts this four-day series that begins with a chapter on the advent of power tools and how they altered our daily lives. Oct. 11-14.

“Sell & Spin: A History of Advertising”: A fast-paced romp at the way products, ideas and people have been sold over the years. Oct. 15.

“The Missouri: A Journey With Stephen Ambrose”: This documentary looks at why the Missouri River is so important to this nation’s history. Nov. 4.

HBO

“Innocent Until Proven Guilty”: Public defender James Foreman Jr., the son of a civil rights activist, is profiled in this documentary as he tries to help young African American clients survive the criminal justice system. Oct. 17.

“Howard Cosell: Telling It Like It Is”: The controversial and outspoken former lawyer who went on to become perhaps the most famous sports broadcaster ever is the film’s subject. Nov. 1.

“American Hollow”: An intimate look at a poor Appalachian family whose isolated eastern Kentucky hollow has not shared in America’s economic recovery. Nov. 29

“A Century of Living”: This unique and often poignant visit with centenarians--people born before or at the dawn of the 20th century--features firsthand memories of historic events such as World War I, the Great Depression, the advent of the automobile. December.

The Learning Channel

“The Thrill of ... “: This new Friday night series of fast-paced, true-life action programs takes the fast lane through the adrenaline rush hour, allowing viewers to ride along with the police on a high-speed pursuit or accompany rescue workers in a race against death. Oct. 1

“The Secret World of...”: How many people does it take to dress an Oscar-bound celebrity? What secret cargo is hidden in aircraft carriers? And who puts the monster in monster trucks? This behind-the-scenes series explores those questions and others. Oct. 2.

“Case Reopened”: Did Lizzie Borden really give her mother 40 whacks? Who severed the corpse of the Black Dahlia? And was the Zodiac Killer a psycho or a genius? This three-hour miniseries turns to the keen minds of three of literature’s top crime-fiction writers to reinvestigate. Oct. 10.

“Tobacco Wars”: TLC and the BBC News team up to present this comprehensive, three-hour look at the intense, high-stakes battle between “Big Tobacco” and the mounting body of evidence on the dangers of smoking. Oct. 21.

“Great Quakes”: San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, October 1989: The country watches live on television as a devastating earthquake interrupts the World Series and rocks the Bay Area. In this three-hour special, the world’s top earthquake experts reveal their theories about the cause and effects of that quake as well as other deadly shakers. Oct. 31.

“Bullet Catchers”: This two-hour special looks at the history, training and motivation of bodyguards working in both the public and private sector, as well as the headline-making assaults and assassinations that have tested their mettle. Nov. 7.

Lifetime

“Intimate Portrait: Jacqueline Onassis”: This one-hour installment from Lifetime’s popular profile series details the life and death of America’s most fascinating first lady. Sept. 20.

“Not Your Mother’s Breast Cancer”: Meredith Vieria hosts this one-hour special that explores the latest medical and technological information on mammograms, surgery and new treatments that are increasing the quality of life for women with breast cancer. Oct. 5

MTV

“Rising Hate Crimes Among Youth”: As part of its continuing “Fight for Your Rights” series, MTV examines hate-related incidents. It asks why the number of these types of spectacular crimes are on the rise when other crimes are declining. Tonight.

“Violence From the Eyes of Youth”: Young people give first-person accounts of how violence has infiltrated their life. Oct. 6.

“DWB: Driving While Black”: This half-hour special ducks beneath the headlines to explore the controversial law-enforcement practice of racial profiling. Oct. 27

“webRIOT”: Television’s first interactive game show will feature four contestants in MTV’s Time Square studio and up to 25,000 online players. The topic: music and music videos. Nov. 29.

Nickelodeon

“Marathon to the Millennium”: Nick at Nite will count down the final days of the century with a 10-week showcase of its most popular marathons hosted by the Y2K Guy who lives in his mother’s basement and is obsessed with television. Oct. 25.

Turner Classic Movies

“A Conversation With Gregory Peck”: One of Hollywood’s legends is the subject of a one-hour documentary that explores his day-to-day life in film clips and personal reminiscences. Oct. 18.

TNT

“Medal of Honor”: This one-hour documentary visits with recipients of the nation’s highest military honor who share their personal stories. Nov. 9

“An All-Star Tribute to Bob Marley”: An all-star lineup of performers will gather on the beaches of Jamaica in a made-for-television concert honoring the legacy of reggae’s legendary superstar. Dec. 19.