THURSDAY: An American Family. Debut of a 12-episode documentary that Margaret Mead has hailed as "a new way in which people can learn to look at life, by seeing the real life of others." Producer Craig Gilbert filmed more than 300 hours of the real daily life of the William C. Loud family over a seven-month period to prepare this gripping look at one American family, CH. 2. 9 p.m. Color. 60 min.

China. Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni toured China with a documentary film crew to produce this two-hour special on the People's Republic for Italian television. CH. 5, 9 p.m. Color. 2 hrs.

SATURDAY: Film Odyssey. PBS's acclaimed film series returns with 12 repeats from last year, starting with Francois Truffaut's "Jules et Jim. CH. 2. 8 p.m. B-W. 2 hrs.

Marlene Dietrich--I Wish You Love. The grand vamp of legend debuts on American television in an hour-long special taped in London last year. Dietrich sings "Falling in Love Again." "Lili Marlene," and "Lola" among a host of other tunes that she made great. CH. 7. 10 p.m. Color. 60 min.

SUPER SUNDAY: Super Bowl Seventy-five million Americans will watch the Redskins and Dolphins battle for the NFL crown today. Can 75 million Americans be wrong? CH. 4. 3:30 p.m. Color. Live.

MONDAY: Full Circle. Repeat of a dual rock session with Cat Stevens and Leon Russell. CH. 2. 8 p.m. Color. 90 min.

A Gunfight. Johnny Cash's first feature film. Cash stars with Kirk Douglas as a gunfighter-gladiator in a showdown for profit. Strictly for Cash fans. CH. 5. 9 p.m. Color. 2 hrs.

TUESDAY: NBC Reports. Producer Lucy Jarvis ("The Kremlin", "The Louvre") spent three months in mainland China as the guest of Chou En-Lai to produce this special on "The Forbidden City," the national art treasure-trove of the People's Republic. CH. 4. 10 p.m. Color. 60 min.

WEDNESDAY: How to Win the Nobel Prize. A how to do it Kit for aspiring aspiting biochem works featuring interviews with Linus Pauling. Glenn Seaborg and William "Clean Genes" Shockely CH 2. It p.m. Color. 60 min.

Cole Porter in Parts Twenty seven immortal hits from the Scott Fitzgerald of American music performed by Louis Jourdan. Diahann Caroll. Perry Como, Charles Aznbavour, and Twiggy, CH. 4 10 p.m. Color. 60 min.

Horse Feashers 1932 Marx Brothers classic with Groucho as dean of a college. A funnier foot ball sequence that "M.A.S.H" CH. 4. 1:05 a.m. B.W. 1 hr 25 min.