One of the myriad PBS programs I nerdily DVR is P.O.V., "television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films."  It's a great resource for a documentary fan like myself, and films vary in subject from Apted's 7 Up series to shorter pieces like Bill's Run: A Political Journey In Rural Kansas, which came out in 2004 and which my DVR grabbed last week.  It's an insightful film (if a little bit too folksy in places -- we can see everyone's wearing overalls; we don't necessarily need the Ken Burnsian banjo cues on the soundtrack), a good story, an accessible length (under an hour), and it's like NPR in that you can listen to it while you pay bills or tidy up.

PBS programming is a great backup in the event that the WGA strike lasts into next year; depending on your local station's line-up, shows like P.O.V. and American Experience get rerun a great deal, and you can rack up a bunch of documentaries on the TiVo and watch your tax dollars at work.

Tags: american experience, ken burns, pbs