When it comes to art, Simon Schama isn’t so interested in prettiness as in another P-word: power.

“Power of Art”, the new PBS series from this noted writer-scholar, explores powerful turning points in the lives of eight artists and the masterpieces that resulted — defining their careers and forever changing the way the world sees art.

Each artist was facing a crisis. Each artwork clashed with a hostile or indifferent public. But art stood its ground.

“Power of Art” melds dramatic re-enactments, location shooting and Schama’s spirited narration to return immortal artworks to their moment of creation, and restore them to the living world we all share.

“This is not a series about things that hang on walls; it is not about decor or prettiness,” Schama says. “It is a series about the force, the need, the passion of art.”

On Monday at 10 p.m. (check local listings), this cinematic journey begins with Vincent van Gogh. In “Wheatfield with Crows” (painted in July 1890, the last month of his troubled life) he sought to convey a lush landscape in a non-literal way that captures its essence beyond the simply visual.

“It’s the painting that begins modern art,” Schama says.

Then, at 11 p.m., the focus turns to Pablo Picasso and “Guernica”, the giant mural memorialising Nazi Germany’s 1937 aerial obliteration of a small Basque village. Considered one of modern art’s most powerful anti-war statements, “it can instruct us on the obligations of being human”, Schama says.

Future episodes range from investigations of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) and his “David With the Head of Goliath”, to Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and his Seagram murals.

Other shows this week to look out for:<$>

l WaI>Titanic a doomed ship, plagued with design flaws even before it set off on its single, fatal voyage? Would structural problems have caused it to break apart in the churning Atlantic waters even if it hadn’t struck an iceberg? Was a cover-up arranged in the aftermath of the disaster to hide the ship’s flaws from investigators and the public? A History Channel film, “Titanic’s Achilles Heel”, explores these questions, picking up from last year’s “Titanic: Missing Pieces” to examine why the ship may have broken apart earlier than previously thought as it sank. The new film also probes further into whether the ship’s builders were aware of its problems even as its thousands of passengers were boarding. The documentary airs tomorrow at 9 p.m.

[bul] An upscale subdivision, Meadowlands is full of unusual residents who are full of secrets. Now the neighbourhood is about to increase by four when the Brogan family moves into their lovely new home. Here’s patriarch Danny (David Morrissey), a dreamer with too many failures in his past. He’s married to Evelyn (Lucy Cohu), who’s wearying of Danny’s mad scramble for success. The kids are Zoe (Felicity Jones), a precocious 17-year-old, and her twin brother Mark (Harry Treadaway), who never speaks. What are they doing there? You find out soon enough when “Meadowlands,” an unusual drama series, premieres tomorrow at 11 p.m. on Showtime. But there are lots more questions after that, as you follow the offbeat Brogans settling into their equally offbeat community — and trying to preserve the secrets that sent them there.

[bul] Nearly a decade ago, Jemaine Clement joined his fellow New Zealander Bret McKenzie in an act initially meant as a way for these burgeoning entertainers to develop their guitar skills. One thing led to another, and the partners made a name for themselves in Australia and England as a comedy act called Flight of the Conchords. Now they’ve come to HBO, and brought their characters — callow, nerdy but hoping for the big time — to New York to become singing stars. The new half-hour comedy series, “Flight of the Conchords,” tracks their adventures, with a special bonus: The lads have a way of bursting into song in mid-scene, comically embroidering the action with music and lyrics. The series premieres tomorrow at 11.30 p.m.

[bul] At Pittsburgh’s St. Jude Regional Transplant Center, Dr. Nathaniel Grant is driven, domineering, ready to take risks, kind of cranky. He’s just the kind of guy you want when you need an organ transplant done good and fast. But the human element can be as complicated as the surgery on this new TNT drama, “Heartland”. Treat Williams (“Everwood,” “Brothers & Sisters”) plays Grant, who on the premiere implants a teenage girl with the heart of a woman fatally injured in a car accident. Then the donor’s husband demands to see the girl who received his wife’s heart, despite strict protocols against the donor’s family getting any information about an organ recipient. The cast includes Kari Matchett (“24,” “Invasion”), Rockmond Dunbar, Chris William Martin and Dabney Coleman. “Heartland” airs on Monday at 11 p.m.