Much has been made of TV news’ role in creating a climate of fear and popular paranoia. Way back in 1982, the hardcore punk band Black Flag’s song “TV Party” seemed to sum things up: “TV news shows what it’s really like out there! (It’s a scare!) You can go out if you want. (We wouldn’t dare!)”
The manufacturing of near-constant fear of change, foreigners, crime, “socialists,” wars on Christmas and “woke” curriculums rewriting history books is the main theme of many reactionary TV networks purporting to deliver “the news.”
But while it’s easy to blame these propaganda outlets for terrifying their largely geriatric audience, how much does this nonstop terrorizing infiltrate popular entertainment?
Procedurals about police and federal agents are real offenders, upping the terror ante to an almost ludicrous degree. On tonight’s “FBI” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14), the brazen murder of a federal judge in broad daylight sends the squad to investigate radicals at an Islamic center.
Gee whiz. The assassination of a federal judge! That’s a real act of terror, an assault on the rule of law. Just how often does that happen?
While this is just another night on “FBI,” I did a minimal amount of digging to look into the historical frequency of such dastardly occurrences. By minimal, I mean Wikipedia. There’s a whole page dedicated to the “List of United States federal judges killed in office”
So it must be a regular occurrence. Right?
Well, it’s not a terribly long list. In fact, since 1867 (that’s 157 years), it’s happened all of six times. By any measure, that’s a historical rarity.
But the writers of “FBI” treat it like it’s a common occurrence, one that we need to be scared of and prepared for. All. The. Time.
Why let mere facts get in the way?
Again, perhaps Black Flag’s “TV Party” said it best, “Don’t talk about anything else! (We don’t wanna know!).
— Fear of strong, accomplished and assertive women is a subtheme of many news outlets. How dare that singer upstage the Super Bowl! That motif runs throughout the three-part CNN documentary profile “The Many Lives of Martha Stewart,” now streaming on Max.
As if born to contradict F. Scott Fitzgerald’s maxim “There are no second acts in American lives,” Stewart has had many reinventions in her eight-plus decades.
— Also streaming on Max, the HBO sports documentary “The Lionheart” profiles Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon and follows his family in the tragic aftermath of his death behind the wheel.
— Remember back in the day when Olive Garden claimed to have a “Culinary Institute” located in Tuscany? Even as shelter magazines and social media posts remind us that “Tuscan” kitchens might be a “tired” vestige of ’90s design, two renovators travel to that very Italian province on the new series “Fixer to Fabulous: Italiano” (8 p.m., HGTV, TV-G). Dave and Jenny seem intent on turning their friends’ centuries-old pile into an ideal vacation rental.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A car bomb shakes things up on “Will Trent” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
— Bulgarian bad guys exploit American minors on “FBI: International” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Blind auditions reach their sixth night on “The Voice” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— On the eve of his wedding day, Nolan arrives late to work on “The Rookie” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
— Indigenous women go missing on “FBI: Most Wanted” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Jimmy Fallon hosts “Password” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— Shaun and Lea ponder parenting on “The Good Doctor” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
— The docuseries “7 Little Johnstons” (10 p.m., TLC, TV-PG) enters its 14th season.
— Blackthorne and Mariko become uneasy allies on “Shogun” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
In the nearly 40 years since the 1986 thriller “Top Gun” (8 p.m., MTV2, TV-14), Tom Cruise’s co-stars Val Kilmer, Anthony Anderson and Kelly McGillis appear to have aged.
SERIES NOTES
Abby consults a psychic on “Night Court” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Thony writes checks she can’t cover on “The Cleaning Lady” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Every downward-facing dog has his day on “Extended Family” (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Much ado about the Benjamins on “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Diane Lane and Patton Oswalt are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, Mike Tirico, Carrie Coon and Katherine Blanford on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Ewan McGregor, Sara Bareilles and James Acaster visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts “After Midnight” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
