A terrific show with lots of potential is "Apocalypse Man" from the History Channel. So far there is only one episode that aired this month. I hope for more but even if it only comes to the pilot it has risen my awareness several notches.
Rudy Reyes is a former Recon Marine who in the past decade has spent 3 tour of duties over seas. On this show he demonstrates several ways to survive and make the most out of resources in the event of a world apocalyptic disaster.
Reyes makes a fire with steel wool, shows how to syphon gas with a bike pump, and how to make on the fly field brewed bio-diesel. He also gives ideas on how to obtain information in a powerless world and how to open communication with others. For me I find it important how he indicates that if martial law happens, you need to know how to deal with people on your terms.
Try it out, check your listings. I have the DVR set to record any episodes, I can only hope for a few more, it really is the most interesting show I have seen in a while.