‘GREED’ RECALLS A PONZI SCHEME LACED WITH BLACK MAGIC

Just when you thought “McMillion$” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-14) was the weirdest financial scam story on television, “American Greed” (10 p.m., CNBC, TV-PG) conjures a case of cursed beef tongues.

For those who’ve missed it, “McMillion$,” now in its second week, is a six-part docuseries about the investigation into a ring that fixed a McDonald’s Monopoly contest.

Tonight’s “Greed” recalls the audacious illegal schemes of financial adviser Dawn Bennett. On the surface, she was a successful tycoon with corporate box seats at football stadiums and tales of an internet apparel startup on the cusp of becoming the Next Big Thing.

In addition, she extolled investment advice via talk radio from her base in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Her radio audience had no idea she was bilking one set of investors to pay the next, the classic strategy of a Ponzi scheme operator.

What makes her story worth a watch is her use of magic spells, conjuring and a freezer full of cursed beef tongues to put hexes on the agents of the Securities and Exchange Commission as they were closing in on her fraud.

Her role as a talk radio host underscores that fading medium’s habit of providing a platform for con artists targeting an audience of aging and desperate listeners with messages of racially tinged fear-mongering, quick-buck schemes and “investments” in the hereafter. The next time you tune into Rush, Sean, some Rapture-peddler or a prosperity gospel mountebank, remember this black magic woman.

— With only four days to go, the Valentine’s Day episodes have begun. On “Bob Hearts Abishola” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG), the farfetched, star-crossed couple learn to express affection laced with restraint. On “All Rise” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG), Luke’s romantic gesture is seen as inappropriate to the court setting.

An episode of “9-1-1: Lone Star” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) strays far from the pink hearts and flowers theme with visits to a male strip club, a bull semen factory and a protest against male “toxicity.”

An extreme variation on the Valentine’s Day theme, the “Independent Lens” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) documentary “Leftover Women” travels to China to profile three successful professional women in their 30s. Their unmarried status has long been socially stigmatized. Recently, the government and the ruling Communist Party have created an official campaign to cast unwed women in a negative light, dubbing them “Leftover Women.”

Proof that some look for love in the most unlikely places, “Met While Incarcerated” (8 p.m. and 11 p.m., Reelz) profiles three women embarking on relationships with men behind bars for violent offenses.

— Acorn begins streaming the third season of “Agatha Raisin.” Ashley Jensen stars as a big-city publicist and stylish hot mess who reinvents herself as a detective in a picturesque village. The series is based on the humorous detective novels by Scottish author Marion Chesney, who died on Dec. 30.

— Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston star in the 2017 Marvel fantasy “Thor: Ragnarok” (7:30 p.m., TNT, TV-14). Netflix is now streaming “Ragnarok,” a six-part Danish-Norse miniseries set in the present day about a teenage boy (David Stakston) who discovers that he has the powers of a Norse god and decides to use them to fight the special interests behind climate change and global environmental disasters.

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

— The top 10 perform on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

— A new killer has some personal axes to grind on “Prodigal Son” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

— “No Passport Required” (9 p.m., PBS, check local listings) scours the Chinese food scene in Las Vegas.

— A college admission scandal on “Bull” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

— A flight survivor requires special care on “Manifest” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

— An influencer under the influence on “The Good Doctor” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).

CULT CHOICE

— TCM broadcasts two John Wayne movies, “Stagecoach” (8 p.m., TV-G) and “True Grit” (9:45 p.m., TV-G) from 1939 and 1969, respectively. The first picture made “The Duke” famous, the second earned him his only Oscar.

SERIES NOTES

Calvin can’t find good help on “The Neighborhood” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The Bachelor” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … Spencer can’t pace his recovery on “All American” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Lynn finds herself in a jam on “Black Lightning” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).

LATE NIGHT

Jimmy Fallon welcomes Janet Jackson, Jane Levy and Jo Firestone on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Claire Danes, Zach Woods, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Elijah Wood visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).