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PBS

Poet Walt Whitman sang the body electric in his self-published book "Leaves of Grass," which moved Ralph Waldo Emerson to send an encouraging letter to the aspiring writer: "I rubbed my eyes a little, to see if this sunbeam were no illusion; but the solid sense of the book is a sober certainty. It has the best merits, namely, of fortifying and encouraging." Even with such high praise, Whitman was forced to take a wide variety of day jobs to support himself, from working as an editor at Brooklyn's Daily Times to clerking at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Whitman's colorful life is the subject of tonight's "American Experience," which chronicles the "Good Gray Poet's" work through verses read by Oscar-winning actor Chris Cooper. (9 p.m. EDT on PBS, check listings).

-- H.H.

Also…

"Antiques Roadshow" concludes its visit to Spokane, Wash. (8 p.m. EDT on PBS, check listings), while "Greek" features frat-boy practical jokes (8 p.m. on ABC Family). A former guest returns to "Paradise Hotel 2" (9 p.m. on Fox Reality) while the first season of "New Amsterdam" concludes (9 p.m. on Fox). And shipyard workers are the focus of reality series "America's Port" (10 p.m. on National Geographic).

Friday night

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On the talk shows

Contributors: Molly Eichel, Heather Havrilesky, Amy Reiter, Charly Wilder

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