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THURSDAY

The average HBO series may trump its network counterparts, but to be fair, the big four have more work cut out for them: Because they air fewer feature films, they need more fresh programming, and naturally, there’s more room for error. If nothing else, Great TV Moments With NBC’s Bob Wright and Tim Russert (a Smithsonian Resident Associates-hosted greatest-hits-plus-anecdotes program featuring clips of Bonanza, Seinfeld, ER, and other shows) will highlight the best—or at least the most popular—offerings of the once-dominant rabbit-ear system that is now simply trying to function in a cable and direct-satellite world. This being a network party, it will not be thematic or aesthetic unity that brings these shows under the Smithsonian roof. Instead, you can look to commercialism as a thread, which—for better or worse—is the model that pretty much set the standard for the medium for much of its life. Tune in at 6 p.m. at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s Ring Auditorium, 7th and Independence Avenue SW. $15. (202) 357-3030. (Joe Dempsey)