The “Independent Lens” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) documentary “Greener Pastures” may sound like a trip to a pastoral paradise, but words can deceive. The independently owned family farm was long a symbol of healthy lifestyles, hard work, proud independence and resilience. “Pastures” follows the lives of people running four small farms over four years and shows how farmers found themselves on the front lines of a transforming economy, extreme weather, an addiction crisis and personal stress.
Their stories represent a mental health crisis threatening a way of life and the nation’s food supply. One man, a Wisconsin soybean farmer, tried to end his own life in the most dramatic fashion, setting fire to a barn while he was still inside it. He’s gone on to become a public speaker addressing other farmers about their mental health issues.
Another farmer, from Iowa, grew up in the shadow of his own mother’s suicide, having found her lifeless body when he was only 5. One woman operates a small farm with her husband and ran for office, winning against all odds, and becoming an advocate for farm owners like herself. A couple, whose families’ roots in farming go back six generations to the 1700s, discusses the enormous pressure on dairy farmers, an area of agriculture where the ratio of hours worked to money earned has all but lost meaning. And a single woman and dairy farmer struggles with alcoholism and addiction through the four years “Greener Pastures” was made.
— Another struggle against long odds propels the Netflix biopic “Shirley,” starring Regina King as Rep. Shirley Chisholm, who was not only the first Black woman to become independently elected to the House of Representatives, she made headlines and raised expectations by running for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972.
A game cast includes Terrence Howard and Lance Reddick (1962-2023) in one of his final films. This highly stylized effort uses a dynamic soundtrack of period music to underscore the audacity of Chisholm’s run. Like any Hollywood effort, it tends to glamorize its subject. Chisholm’s bold candidacy may have seemed outrageous to some, but she carried herself with a schoolteacher’s sense of formality and rectitude.
“Shirley” reminds us that Chisholm was subject to assassination attempts. The outcome of every presidential election between 1964 and 1972 was directly affected by gunfire. The same year that Chisholm ran for president, former Alabama Gov. George Wallace saw his quest for the Democratic nomination cut short by would-be assassin Arthur Bremer, whose deranged diaries would become the basis for the 1976 movie “Taxi Driver.” Candidates and media pundits who speak casually of “bloodbaths” and political violence should glance back a half century to see how that worked out.
— Also on Netflix, the voyeuristic “other people’s money” docuseries “Buying Beverly Hills” enters its second season.
Dick Wolf’s (“Law & Order”) ever-expanding universe extends to Netflix’s “Homicide: New York,” investigating Gotham murders from the points of view of the cops and prosecutors who tackled the legendary cases.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Another search for true love concludes on a three-hour season finale of “The Bachelor” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— A publicist is hired to revive the reputation of a Major League pitcher who choked during the World Series —and who jilted her in high school — in the 2023 romcom “Hearts in the Game” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Forensics links an agent’s weapon to a recent crime on “NCIS” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— “Antiques Roadshow” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) visits Louisiana (8 p.m.).
— A Russian oligarch’s daughter needs protection on “NCIS: Hawai’i” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Fred Astaire and Red Skelton portray Tin Pan Alley songwriters Kalmar and Ruby in the 1950 musical “Three Little Words” (10 p.m., TCM, TV-G), following “Singin’ in the Rain” (8 p.m., TV-G), another musical set in the entertainment world of the 1920s.
SERIES NOTES
While recuperating at home, Calvin has a “Rear Window” experience on “The Neighborhood” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Nursing a grudge on “Bob Hearts Abishola” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “So You Think You Can Dance” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … “Deal or No Deal Island” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Justice Stephen Breyer and Justin Thomas are booked on “Late Night With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Shakira, Dakota Fanning and Mo Gilligan on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Jake Gyllenhaal and Andrea Riseborough visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts Chloe Radcliffe, Matt Braunger and Chris Fleming on “After Midnight” (12:37 a.m., CBS).
