Is popular culture trying to tell us something? The popularity of spelling bees, “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” and even the movie “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” (8 p.m. today, FX) tells us that Americans want to return to the comforting smells of grammar school, Elmer’s glue, Crayola crayons and construction paper.

The History Channel obliges with the 10-part series “The States” (9 p.m. today, History). Covering 50 states in 10 hours is a tall order, so “The States” puts its emphasis on facts and trivia.

Would you believe New Mexico has the highest per capita percentage of Ph.D.s? Did you know that Texas is big enough to fit 250 Rhode Islands? Or that North Carolina leads the nation in sweet potato cultivation? Wyoming granted women the right to vote a full 50 years before the federal government. And despite its reputation for rainy weather, Seattle leads the nation in per capita consumption of sunglasses.

Rest assured, if there’s a quiz at the end, it’s not going to count.

¢ An old-fashioned show with a few nods to contemporary family dysfunction, “Wild At Heart” (9 p.m. today, BBC America) is the kind of show networks used to make. Or try to make.

After the death of his wife, Danny, a city veterinarian (Stephen Tompkinson) remarries and finds that his teenage daughter resents his new wife, Rosie (Lucy Jo-Hudson), and that Rosie’s adolescent son has exhibited odd behavior and has become a magnet for school bullies.

In rather deftly handled, if contrived, transition, Danny finds a wounded monkey. Rather than consign it to a zoo, he decides to return it to its native habitat. That means uprooting a not-so smoothly blended family to a South African game preserve. There, Danny’s brood tries to bond while sharing the dangers and wonders of the wild with viewers. Does the monkey survive the big move? I’ll never tell.

¢ The special “Sherman’s March” (8 p.m. Sunday, History) shows how the American Civil War resonates to this day. Using re-enactments and calling upon letters and diaries of the era, “March” recalls Gen. William Sherman’s 1864 march from Atlanta to Savannah. His troops devoured all of the provisions in their path. His intention was to shock and humiliate the Confederacy and to wage war on its economy. Sherman’s forces also liberated the slaves they encountered, but “March” reveals how the treatment of these refugees was secondary to a harsh military strategy.

Sherman’s impact was as much psychological as military. Many who claim to have been victimized by his army’s brutality were nowhere near the path of his destruction. The general who coined the phrase “War is Hell” hastened the end of the Civil War, but he may be the father of Total War, a strategy that would lead to the murder of millions of civilians in 20th century conflicts.

Today’s highlights

¢ NASCAR (7 p.m., Fox) racing action from Avondale, Ariz.

¢ Scarlett Johansson hosts “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m., NBC), featuring musical guest Bjork.

Sunday’s highlights

¢ Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): everyday life in Baghdad; hip-hop lyrics and attitudes toward police; a profile of Lou Dobbs.

¢ Tony and Paulie take a trip on “The Sopranos” (8 p.m., HBO).