Best known for directing three epic “Lord of the Rings” movies, Peter Jackson turned his eye toward history with the moving 2018 documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” (9 p.m., HBO).
Released to commemorate the centennial of the end of World War I, Jackson took grainy black-and-white footage that had been in storage at the Imperial War Museum for nearly 100 years. He used digital techniques to add color and to steady the imagery from ancient hand-cranked cameras. The audio comes from both archival interviews of soldiers and veterans and sound effects and dialogue derived from lip-reading experts.
The end result is not so much a formal history of the Great War, but an evocation of the daily life of the men, many of them incredibly young, who served and died on the Western Front between 1914-18.
The response to the film from both critics and audiences was near universal in its praise. It has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A writer for the Guardian newspaper called it “electrifying.”
— The fall equinox may be some days off, but television’s summer is more than ready to end. Look for a winner to emerge on “Bring the Funny” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14). The funny has been brought. The remaining artists perform on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG), where the winner will be crowned tomorrow.
Things also come to a conclusion on the sixth season of “Bachelor in Paradise” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14). Does that make it “Paradise Lost”?
Summer may be winding down on network TV, but the summer mining season is only heating up on the 11th season of “Bering Sea Gold” (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-14), the show that entertains armchair prospectors with tales of riches found deep in the icy waters near Nome.
— Netflix begins streaming the cartoon series “The Last Kids on Earth,” based on a popular series of books by Max Brallier. It features a band of wisecracking kids fighting off a horde of zombies and gigantic monsters. As one observes, apparently a monster apocalypse has turned their lives into a video game.
Look, or rather listen, for the voices of Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Catherine O’Hara, Keith David and Bruce Campbell in the cast.
— “Country Music” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) moves into the post-WWII years with a particular focus on singer/songwriter Hank Williams, who brought a spare poetry to his honky-tonk ballads and whose meteoric career ending in self-destruction (at 29) would set the template for too many music stars to come.
I once had the pleasure of interviewing Tony Bennett. A champion of the “American Songbook” associated with names like George Gershwin and Cole Porter, he had special praise for Hank Williams, whose song “Cold, Cold Heart,” was a hit for Bennett in 1951.
TV-themed DVDs available today include “Supergirl, Season 4.”
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Sung by Lulu, who also stars, the theme song to “To Sir, With Love” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG) was a No. 1 single for a solid month in 1967.
— A woman who may know about Maggie’s husband’s fate is kidnapped on “FBI” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).
— Russell Crowe stars in the 2003 adventure “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” (9 p.m., StarzEncore), based on the novels by Patrick O’Brien.
— Galindo’s deal does not go as expected on “Mayans M.C.” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
— Lady Mae does damage control on “Greenleaf” (10 p.m., OWN, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
— Set in a totalitarian dictatorship in the years between 2017-19, the 1987 thriller “The Running Man” (7:15 p.m., StarzEncore) stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a convict who battles to survive a deadly TV game show hosted by Richard Dawson. Based a Stephen King novel, “Man” features two future governors, Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura.
SERIES NOTES
Opioids strike on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Bell entertains a buyout on “The Resident” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … Ralen faces justice on “Pandora” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
Cameras capture “First Responders Live” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Examining the Bermuda Triangle from all angles on “Mysteries Decoded” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … A chip off the Eastern Bloc on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Seann William Scott and Jena Friedman appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) … John Goodman, Michael C. Hall, Midland and Yesod Williams visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Angela Bassett and Jim Gaffigan appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
