Memorial Day weekend TV programming

When it comes to holiday weekends, the TV question is: Which channels aren't having massive marathons? We can't include them all anymore - there are just too many. At least we can tell you about the longest, the coolest, the most essential and, of course, the ones that most aptly salute the meaning behind Memorial Day.

Military salutes

Movie marathons; AMC, Friday 9 a.m.-Sunday 6 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday 3 a.m.-6 a.m., 9 a.m.-10 p.m. War-filled lineup includes "Patton" (Friday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 2 a.m.), John Wayne in his Vietnam saga "The Green Berets" (Friday at 5 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., Monday at 1 p.m.), Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" (Saturday at 8 and 11 p.m.), "Apocalypse Now Redux" (Sunday at 12:30 p.m., all on AMC).

Movie marathons

Turner Classic Movies, Sunday 6 a.m.- Tuesday 6 a.m. Samuel Fuller's Korean War classic "The Steel Helmet" (Sunday at 4:45 p.m.) is among the highlights, also including Gary Cooper as World War I's "Sergeant York" (Sunday at 8 p.m.), the John F. Kennedy docudrama "PT 109" (Monday at 4:30 a.m.), best-picture epic "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (Monday at 8 p.m., all on TCM).

"The Longest Day"; Fox Movie Channel, Sunday at 7:30 a.m.; Encore Drama, Monday at 10:10 a.m. and 8 p.m. John Wayne epic of World War II's D-Day invasion.

"The Unit"; Cloo, Sunday 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; Universal HD, Monday 6 a.m.-Tuesday 6 a.m. Contemporary Army special ops do their thing in Dennis Haysbert series.

"World War I in Color"; Sunday 8-11 p.m., Military Channel) and "World War II in Color" (Monday noon-1 p.m., Military Channel); "WWII in HD" (H2, Monday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and "Vietnam in HD" (H2, Monday 6 p.m.-4 a.m.) - Archival footage gains startling new clarity in immersive docuseries.

"Band of Brothers"; Spike, Monday 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Acclaimed 2001 miniseries of World War II in Europe, with Ron Livingston, Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg.

World War II programs; Smithsonian, Monday noon-Tuesday 6 a.m. Documentaries include "Apocalypse: The Second World War" (2-8 p.m.).

Series marathons

"The Tudors"; BBC America, Saturday 6 a.m.-Sunday 8 p.m. Entire Showtime series, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as much-married King Henry VIII.

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show"; Hallmark, Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.) and The Bob Newhart Show (Hallmark, Sunday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Together again: comedy hits from CBS' legendary '70s Saturday night lineup.

Unscripted marathons

"Pawn Stars"; History, Sunday 4 p.m.-4 a.m., Monday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; Marathon concludes with two new episodes.

"Face Off"; Chiller, Monday 6 a.m.-Tuesday 6 a.m.; Syfy's prosthetic movie makeup competition.

"Top Gear"; BBC America, Monday 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Hot/cool vehicles tested in Australia, South Africa, Italy and China.