Tubegazing: 'Carrier'

Carrier (PBS, April 27, 9 p.m.): On one hand, a US aircraft carrier is a tool of international diplomacy. On the other, as shown in this 10-hour documentary about life onboard the USS Nimitz, this community of 5,300 Navy personnel is also a "floating high school," in the words of one youthful swabbie. It is that and much more as this remarkable, high-definition series, filmed during the ship's six-month Persian Gulf deployment in 2005, makes clear. The onboard tour shines a light on many faces of the modern military, the intense hardships of long deployments, and frictions within the armed forces. Compelling. – Gloria Goodale