The Code, ABC, 8.30pm

The last episode of this deftly written, not-entirely-implausible six-part political thriller brings the series to a gratifying close. Ned (Dan Spielman) and Jesse's (Ashley Zukerman) original plan of handing over secret files in exchange for the kidnapped Hani (Adele Perovic) has failed – she remains a hostage – and they need to act now to save her and break open the government cover-up. The Code's dialogue can occasionally veer into overwrought territory; “I'm supposed to be bigger than that. I guess I'm not that big any more,” sighs Ned, guiltily exasperated with his brother, Jesse, who is on the autism spectrum. This is a minor gripe, though – for the most part this is rewarding viewing.

Project Nim, SBSOne, 10.10pm

Nim Chimpsky didn't choose to be separated from his mother at birth. When he was plucked from her arms in 1973, it was to be part of a Columbia University experiment named in his honour. Project Nim saw the chimpanzee raised by humans and taught sign language in an attempt to better understand his mind's inner workings. But when Nim failed to completely adapt to the human way of life (ie, biting a carer), he was sent back to live with other chimpanzees in captivity, and when funding for that program ran out, he was bought by LEMSIP – not the cold and flu medicine but the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates. Nim's cruelly unpredictable life was a source of anguish for his carers, many of whom are interviewed in this quietly riveting documentary directed by James Marsh (who in 2008 won an Academy Award for Man on Wire, about Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the World Trade Centre's Twin Towers).

The Birthday Boys, SBS2, 9pm

A bunch of LA comedians whose pooled television credits include Parks and Recreation and Portlandia serve up nothing that comes close to those shows' needling wit in this pilot for an American sketch comedy. “Christian Mischief Volume 1” – a play on the Jackass school of comedy where flaming faeces left on doorsteps are replaced with lit birthday cakes – is the best of a bad bunch. But even the presence of Bob Better Call Saul Odenkirk – who stars, executive produces and co-directs – fails to lift the tepid material into LOL territory.

Annabel Ross

PAY TV

Resurrection Science, Discovery, 7.30pm

This French documentary is quite the hodgepodge of earnest sobriety, interesting info, the odd frustrating omission and some rather lame production design. It's about the possibility of bringing long-extinct species back from the dead – and scientists explain where we're at with dinosaurs, woolly mammoths and even our neanderthal cousins. The search for dino DNA has been a bust, but it might be possible to make a "chickenosaurus" by turning on and off certain genes in a chicken embryo – producing a chicken with hands, teeth and a long, bony tail. Bringing back the woolly mammoth might be possible, and one scientist envisions great herds of them playing their old ecological role across the north of the planet. Odd that there are no mentions of potential problems with this. Not least who is going to teach baby mammoths to be adults – the aberrant behaviour of elephants that grow up without role models is no secret. Last comes the possibility of bringing back neanderthal humans – something that could help medical research but seems unlikely for reasons well beyond the technological.

Cuttlefish: Kings of Camouflage, Nat Geo Wild, 7.30pm

A gorgeous Australian documentary showcasing the intelligence and abilities of various kinds of cuttlefish.

Brad Newsome

MOVIES

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), 7mate, 5pm

Cinema is rich with stories of romance between men and women, and men and men, and occasionally women and women, but only rarely between humans and cartoon characters. Film fans will be quick to cite the Jimmy Stewart gem, Harvey (1950), but its central relationship exists only in the mind, the titular rabbit never appearing on screen except for a shadow here and there. What else? Well, there is Robert Zemeckis'Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a blend of live action and animation that proved a rare delight and changed forever how we make and watch movies. Detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is hired by a movie mogul (Alan Tilvern) to investigate rumours that the curvaceous Jessica (Kathleen Turner) is slipping between the sheets with Marven Acme (Stubby Kaye), owner of Toontown. Her apparent infidelity is putting the mental health of husband and mega movie star Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer) at risk – let alone our definitions of what constitutes romance on the silver screen.

Emmanuelle (1974) and Emmanuelle II (1975), World Movies (pay TV), 9.30pm and 11.05pm

In the days when many Australian homes unashamedly displayed posters and books by photographer David Hamilton, Emmanuelle Arsan's Emmanuelle was atop the best-selling list and begetting the most successful soft-porn series in movie history. Admiration for Hamilton declined because of changing moral standards, butEmmanuelle went from feminist derision to near-iconic status as a pioneering work of female sexual liberation, told by a woman and free of male stricture. However, burdened by endless proselytising about sexual freedom, it would have remained an easily forgettable film, had it not – like Who Framed Roger Rabbit – changed the world forever. Emmanuelle II, in contrast, is arguably the finest sex film ever made, a glamorous jeu d'esprit from an acclaimed fashion photographer (Francis Giacobetti), with striking visuals and enough nous to let the images do the talking.

Scott Murray