On TV: Oscar Wilde: Wit’s End (A&E Biography, premiering May 23) and American Justice: The Matthew Shepard Story (A&E, premiering May 23) : Eight days before the beginning of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, A&E cable network premieres two programs of special interest to the LGBT communities. Oscar Wilde: Wit’s End, narrated by Harry Smith, features interviews with Wilde biographers Joan Schenken, Barbara Belford and Douglas Murray; Wilde scholar Owen Dudley Edwards; journalist Christopher Hitchens; Wilde’s grandson, author Merlin Holland, and more. The biographical documentary tells the story of the “copious fornicator” whose eccentric mother helped shape the man who would be Oscar Wilde. From his early days in Ireland to his move to London in 1879 to his legendary trip to America in 1882 (where he became what he set out to be—a celebrity) to his marriage and subsequent relationships with men, this piece is both informative and entertaining. Wilde’s trials and his final days are also a compelling part of this production.
Immediately following is The Matthew Shepard Story. Part of A&E’s American Justice series, hosted and narrated by Bill Kurtis, The Matthew Shepard story examines the factors that motivate someone to kill. At the same time, this well-done piece of TV introduces us to Lt. Rob De Bree and Cmdr. Dave O’Malley of the Albany County sheriff’s department in Laramie, Wy., “two investigators who saw their lives and opinions transformed by the case,” as well as a family that “desired justice for their son, not vengeance.” Interviews with Matthew’s mother Judy Shepard are especially moving.