75 Seasons: The Story of the National Football League (TNT, 8-10 p.m.): Maybe it's to steal a march on ``Baseball'' - the ballyhooed Ken Burns series airing Sunday on PBS - or maybe it's because the football season is here again. In any case, this documentary takes a long look at the chronology of professional football, the emotional link this gladiatorial sport has with the American psyche, and the way football weaves through the nation's history.

The program offers some 60 interviews with people connected with the sport - past and present - including players, coaches, and sportscasters. It examines the evolution of football from the early days of stars like Jim Thorpe and Red Grange, through the years when college football overshadowed the pro version, to the modern game with its complex diagrams - and big money. Business, television, and social habits all figure in this story of a sport that became a part of America.

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Wayne's World (NBC, 8-10 p.m.): It started as a loony feature on NBC's ``Saturday Night Live'' about two rock-music lovers - Wayne and his sidekick, Garth - who do their own local cable-access show from a suburban basement.

The idea became the basis of this 1992 box-office hit, a story about a TV executive with dollars in his eyes. He thinks the boys might have potential but ends up bringing them trouble. Now the format has come full circle: The boys are back on NBC as the film version gets its first network airing.

Mike Myers plays Wayne; Dana Carvey is Garth.


Sports Illustrated's 40th Anniversary Special (NBC, 10-11 p.m.): Ask a sports fan what individuals have had the greatest impact on sports in the past 40 years, and you'd doubtless end up with a list of hundreds. This special, subtitled ``40 for the Ages,'' boils it down to 40 people picked by the editors of Sports Illustrated. Based on the magazine's 40th anniversary issue (dated Sept. 19, 1994), the production counts down those named from No. 40 to No. 1 and offers interviews with many of them.

Please check local listings for these programs.

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