'Race' is a hit; 'Branson' isn't

Which is nothing against Nelson. I hope he wins. Unlike most Fox reality shows, this one isn't offensive or twisted or mean-spirited. Unfortunately, it just isn't very good.

And it's unfortunate that the "news" people at Ch. 13 undermine their own credibility by telling viewers that "Billionaire" is a hit. It's not. Not even close.

We've become accustomed to local newcasts hyping the shows on their own networks. But this crosses the line between hype and deliberate misinformation.

SHADOW OF HOPE (8 p.m., Ch. 7) is the latest documentary from KUED's Ken Verdoia — a fact that, by itself, pretty much guarantees this is something worth watching.

And this two-hour documentary about illegal immigration is just that. It's an issue we read and hear a lot about; "Shadow" puts a personal face on it.

Verdoia and his camera crew follow illegal immigrants from their homes in poverty-stricken Mexican villages, through a dangerous border crossing all the way to their new homes and jobs here in Utah. That's supplemented by facts and figures about illegal immigration as well as interviews with dozens of border patrol agents, police, government officials and those who advocate getting tough on illegals as well as those who advocate allowing more legal immigration.

It's a balanced look at the issue — one that raises more questions than it answers.

That's not a bad thing. That's a good documentary.

INDEPENDENT LENS (11 p.m., Ch. 7) features another documentary by Utah filmmakers — director/producer Andrew Levine lives in Park City, as does producer Geralyn White Dreyfous.

Levine has created a harrowing look at the worldwide trade in sex slaves, both women and children. He took cameras inside a brothel in India and interviews girls whose lives were destroyed — one utterly calling the day she was kidnapped "The Day My God Died," the film's title.

It's both extremely hard to watch and extremely hard to look away from.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com