EPSTEIN SCANDALS CONTINUE; NETFLIX’S ADDICTIVE ‘BONFIRE’

ABC devotes two hours to "Truth and Lies: The Jeffrey Epstein Story" (9 p.m.). The latest in a "true" series that has covered and rehashed the stories of Tonya Harding, Laci Peterson, Jonestown and Waco, this special is accompanied by an eight-part podcast hosted by ABC News’ Mark Remillard.

A scandal wrapped in a mystery inside a welter of conspiracy theories, the Epstein story offers a host of troubling questions. Where did this guy, with a taste for underaged girls, get his money? How did he make so many powerful connections? How did he evade scrutiny for so long, and, of course, the big enchilada of all conspiracy questions: just how did he die?

Conspiracy theories that stand the test of time feed on widespread suspicion of convoluted coverups and a wealth of peculiar, damning and often irrelevant details.

Coincidentally, some of the weird tidbits attached to the Epstein story are in turn linked to other, seemingly unrelated scandals. It’s mind-boggling to note that in the mid-1970s, Epstein, without apparent qualifications, became a teacher at the posh Manhattan prep school the Dalton School. It’s the same place where Woody Allen filmed his 1979 comedy "Manhattan," about his character’s sexual relationship with an underage prep-school student (Mariel Hemingway).

Weirder still, the headmaster of Dalton during part of Epstein’s tenure was Donald Barr, the father of Attorney General William Barr, a man at the center of another all-consuming scandal of our time.

This all goes to prove that truth (or something) is stranger than fiction, and why shows like "Truth and Lies" have a long future ahead of them.

— If you can imagine "Titanic" and its aftermath as a soapy series, you’re getting close to the gist of the highly addictive French offering "The Bonfire of Destiny," now streaming on Netflix.

Based on true events, "Bonfire" begins with an 1897 tragedy, a fire that consumed a charity event in the heart of Paris and killed more than 100 people, many of them society women and their servants. Running eight episodes, the subtitled "Bonfire" kicks off with a horrific depiction of the conflagration and follows up with three powerful, overlapping (and slightly preposterous) stories.

A society wife fakes her own death to escape her abusive husband. A bereaved wealthy mother substitutes a fearfully scarred servant girl for her incinerated daughter to keep the family fortune from falling into the gold-digging hands of her depraved son-in-law. And at the center, a beauty falls for the working man who saved her from the flames, but not before seeing her rich suitor run like a coward from the fire, pushing innocent women out of his way and into the flames.

Sex, melodrama, beautiful, suffering characters, great locations and costumes: What more do you want?

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

— Questions and answers on "Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time" (8 p.m., ABC).

— A gender reveal party on "Last Man Standing" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).

— Director Ron Howard profiles the beloved tenor in the 2019 documentary "Pavarotti" (8 p.m., Showtime).

— Bill finds it difficult to delegate on "Deputy" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

— David puts up a fight on "Evil" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

— A victim’s father turns vigilante on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

CULT CHOICE

— The 1970 documentary "I Am Somebody" (10 p.m., TCM) follows a strike by 400 black female hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina.

SERIES NOTES

Wedding planners on "Young Sheldon" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A new parent company on "Superstore" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Brothers in need on "Supernatural" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) … Wade worries about the girls’ feelings on "The Unicorn" (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Celestial bargaining on "The Good Place" (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

The prodigal aunt returns on "Mom" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Fussy dad issues on "Will & Grace" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … A Christmas monster strikes on "Legacies" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) … Carol bends the truth on "Carol’s Second Act" (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Rumors abound on "Perfect Harmony" (9:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

LATE NIGHT

Willem Dafoe and Emily Catalano are booked on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Will Smith and Patti Smith on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Michael B. Jordan, January Jones and Cigarettes After Sex appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (11:35 p.m., ABC).

Larry David and Caitlin Kalafus visit "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Adam Devine, Kieran Culkin and Ismo appear on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).