SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: This six-hour documentary series focuses on different aspects of different plays and genres of William Shakespeare. Two installments are shown each Friday, beginning with tonight’s double feature on Macbeth (hosted by Ethan Hawke) and The Comedies (hosted by Joely Richardson). The drawback is that these shows spend too much time on the hosts. The asset: Each hour presents tastes from previous TV and cinematic treatments of Shakespeare’s plays. And while most of the comedies get sadly short shrift in the second hour, there is indeed a gorgeous unscripted moment, when Richardson, on the set of the open-air Globe Theatre in London, interrupts herself to admire the beautiful snowfall. That’s some host time well spent: It is, indeed, a magical sight. Check local listings.