Wednesday 11 p.m. The History of Sex, The History Channel. "Ancient Civilizations." In this hour, we study sex in the ancient world -- from Mesopotamians, who viewed adultery as a crime of theft, to Romans, who believed that squatting and sneezing after sex was reliable birth control. Also featured is a look revealing Egyptian and Greek practices, from the origins of dildos (goodness) to the use of crocodile dung as a contraceptive (eewww!).

Thursday 10 p.m. Sex Lives of the Ancients, TLC. Well, it is sweeps, and usually the cable networks just show reruns while the broadcasters duke it out. And yet they pull out these programs. In this particular program, the mysterious burial of three individuals in a single grave in what is now the Czech Republic might provide insight into Stone Age human sexuality. The bodies in the 26,000-year-old grave offer clues to a sudden, violent demise and mutilation after death. Doesn't sound very sexy.

Friday 6 p.m. Secrets of Hershey, Pa., Travel Channel. Over 1 million people a year visit Hershey where everything in town pays homage to chocolate. Even the streetlights are shaped like Hershey Kisses. Visit the Hershey Resort, Hersheypark, Chocolate World and Zoo America. Don't forget to brush.

Saturday 8 p.m. Biography, A&E. "Post-Impressionists: Van Gogh & Gauguin." Bit of a break from the usual celebrity bios. This is the story of the tense friendship between Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin and their "Studio of the South." Though it lasted only nine weeks in 1888 and revealed their radically different approaches to painting, their short collaboration proved critical to the development of each artist's work, identity and destiny and produced works that helped set the stage for much of modern art. Why the fallout? Gauguin was ticked that Don McClean never wrote a song about him. True Van Gogh fans will want to watch this with subtitles.

Monday 9 p.m. Skin, FOX (19 & 45). On paper it looked iffy, but this has become quite the compelling drama. The L.A. County District Attorney is on a crusade against a porn mogul. To complicate things, their kids have become boyfriend and girlfriend. That part is a bit flat, but the former struggle is most interesting. Somewhat reminiscent of the great Crime Story, only in this case you're not sure who, if anyone, to root for.

News & Notes: Friends: The Complete Fifth Season is out on DVD. Among the extras are commentary on three episodes, including the hilarious "The One Where Everybody Finds Out." You also get a Discovery Channel documentary about the making of the series, which was also included in the Best of Friends collection a while back. This season ends with the Vegas episodes. At this point, if this were People magazine, the Friends Season 5 DVD set would be described as a "sure bet."