“Crazy, Not Insane” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA) is as chilling as any thriller. The film profiles psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a gentle woman with a ready sense of humor who has dedicated her life to the study of violence and murder.
Over the course of her career, she has studied many killers and serial killers and found many to be the victims of horrendous abuse. From infancy and childhood, many were subject to horrific treatment that not only entailed psychological horrors but physical violence resulting in actual brain damage. Scars on the brain itself, she argues, unleashed inner monsters that might not arise from a person with an intact brain.
We see her in video interviews over the decades as she works with patients with multiple personalities and other dissociative disorders. Many of her findings fell outside the mainstream of her profession, subjecting her to criticism and even ridicule from some of her peers.
The film includes video interviews with some of her subjects, including mass-murderers awaiting trial. One appears to have his abusive mother “inside him,” not unlike Norman Bates from “Psycho.” More harrowing are audio interviews animated with fluid pencil drawings. “Crazy” demonstrates how animation can be much more creepy than the “real” thing.
Laura Dern provides a voice-over, reading from Lewis’ correspondence and medical papers.
At the center of the film, Dr. Lewis projects a remarkable objectivity about the actions of her clients. She can even share dark humor about their gruesome crimes. She keeps a rather sanguine attitude about the very thin line separating any of us, including herself, from extreme violence. A lesion in the brain, a cyst or change of chemical balance could turn anybody into a monster, she observes.
Seen on Fox News being interviewed by Bill O’Reilly, she objects when he calls her clients “evil.” To her, “evil” is a term of religious judgment, something outside of her field of expertise.
— “Secrets of the Dead” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) recalls gangster Dutch Schultz (1902-’35) and follows teams of treasure hunters as they scour empty fields, caves and building ruins of New York’s Hudson Valley and Catskills in hopes of a metal box said to have been buried by the gangster that supposedly contained millions in gold, jewels and unredeemed bonds. Interviewees include a 104-year-old man claiming to have been an “enforcer” for Schultz.
The presence of so many metal detector enthusiasts, treasure maps and chats with the world’s oldest hit man add a tabloid touch to this “Dead” installment. It’s hard to watch and not think back to Geraldo Rivera’s absurd syndicated special “The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults.”
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The choice of chief chafes the churlish on “Chicago Med” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— “Nature” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) reflects on efforts to protect primate population.
— A wrongly convicted inmate who studied law behind bars hopes to reconnect with his family on the second season premiere of “For Life” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— “Smoke: Marijuana + Black America” (10 p.m., BET, TV-14) examines growing trends toward pot legalization and possible reasons why black neighborhoods and entrepreneurs have been excluded from a potential economic boom.
CULT CHOICE
A teen (Kristy Swanson) leaves her cheerleader life to fight immortals with the help of an elder mentor (Donald Sutherland) in the 1992 horror spoof “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (10:45 p.m., Starz). Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry and Hilary Swank co-star. Writer Joss Whedon would later create the television series. Like “MASH,” on CBS, “Buffy” was a case where the television adaptation had far more impact than the movie original. Both involved Donald Sutherland.
SERIES NOTES
“The Amazing Race” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The Masked Singer” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Butt-inskys on “The Goldbergs” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A secret dossier on “Devils” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Shocking news on “American Housewife” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
Major risks on “Chicago Fire” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … First impressions on “I Can See Your Voice” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … A frantic first birthday on “The Conners” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Nocturnal strolls on “Coroner” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Pops’ brother arrives unexpectedly on “black-ish” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Mean streets on “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … A former officer’s son faces murder charges on “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Dan Levy, Michael J. Fox and Julia Michaels on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Hugh Grant, Emily Spivey and Valerie Franco visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
