— Remember the "social experiment"? At the dawn of the reality television era, shows like "The Real World" and "Survivor" touted themselves as documentary experiments, chances to observe human behavior under peculiar circumstances. Round about the arrival of "Jersey Shore," and the "Real Housewives" franchise, the genre gave up any pretense of being anything but cheaply made voyeurism featuring exhibitionists.
A real social experiment unfolds on the two-part series "College Behind Bars" (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) airing tonight and tomorrow. Created by Lynn Novick, a collaborator on such Ken Burns films as "The Vietnam War," this four-hour event follows dozens of men held in maximum-security New York prisons who have enrolled in a program run by nearby Bard College. None of the men claim to be innocent. Many are serving long terms for serious and even violent crimes. But all of them have come from neighborhoods where poorly run schools offered them few challenges. They were products, if not victims, of a culture of low expectations.
The Bard program is based on a very simple question. What if the products of the worst schools in America were suddenly afforded an elite education? The kind often only offered the children of the wealthy, well-bred and connected?
The result is rather amazing. We see men sporting long, unruly hair and wearing prison uniforms, but who are engaging in serious seminars on biological ethics or discussing the works of Walt Whitman and the meaning of "Moby-Dick." Their cells have come to resemble the study carrels of ambitious scholars. One convict completely immersed himself in the German language and literature.
Some may find it "controversial," that prisoners are afforded the "luxury" of education. Even more startling to some, none of the courses discussed here appear to have a practical "career" application. Instead, the emphasis seems to be on the expansive qualities of what used to be called a liberal arts education.
This "College" course is both inspiring and deeply troubling. It’s heartening to see these tossed-away characters blossoming. And tragic to see what might have been (or what might have been avoided) had they been educated in the first place.
"College Behind Bars" concludes tomorrow.
— Acorn begins streaming the popular French procedural "Balthazar," about a forensic detective with a knack for getting evidence out of the living and the dead.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The top 11 perform on "The Voice" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— It came out of the sky on "9-1-1" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— "Dancing With the Stars" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) presents its live finale.
— Singing partners are united just in time for a holiday competition in the 2019 romance "A Christmas Duet" (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— A devoted teacher has to ponder her dedication to the profession when she discovers that her boyfriend is about to inherit the throne of a faraway kingdom in the 2017 holiday romance "My Christmas Prince" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).
— A killer prosecuted by Lola has his conviction overturned on "All Rise" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Solitary confinement on "Prodigal Son" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— Lyra makes allies of witches on "His Dark Materials" (9 p.m., HBO, TV-14).
— Masters of scissors, paper and tape duke it out for a $50,000 prize as "Wrap Battle" (9 p.m., Freeform, TV-PG) begins.
— Called on the flying carpet on "Bull" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— An endangered journalist needs asylum on "Bluff City Law" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Shaun’s relationship with Carly takes him out of his comfort zone on "The Good Doctor" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
— A charming private eye (Mickey Rourke) is bedeviled by a missing person case in the 1987 occult psychological thriller "Angel Heart" (10 p.m., TMC), co-starring Lisa Bonet, Robert De Niro and Charlotte Rampling. Critically savaged upon release, this film has developed a cult following.
SERIES NOTES
A blind date proves illuminating on "The Neighborhood" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A search party on "All American" (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … A second look at an old beau on "Bob Hearts Abishola" (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Jennifer warms to Brandon on "Black Lightning" (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
"Conan" (11 p.m., TBS, r) visits Italy … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Daisy Ridley, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Eric Dyson and Noah Cyrus featuring Leon Bridges on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Sterling K. Brown, Gilbert Gottfried and Derren Brown visit "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Jamie Lee Curtis, Thomas Middleditch and Pardison Fontaine featuring Offset appear on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS).
