BEST ON TV || AMERICA IN PRIMETIME

“AMERICA IN PRIMETIME” (8 p.m., PBS): Television lovers won’t want to miss this exceptional four-part documentary series that explores some of the medium’s most compelling shows — past and present — by focusing on key character archetypes. The opening episode, “Independent Woman,” examines how females on television have evolved from demure and model housewives to complex, sometimes controversial, characters. Top producers and writers are interviewed, along with TV stars, including Roseanne Barr (“Roseanne”), Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”), Mary Tyler Moore (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”), Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife”), Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria (“Desperate Housewives”). Other installments will focus on “The Man of the House,” “The Crusader,” and “The Misfit.”

“Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox): If you’re a “Simpsons” fan who has watched 20-plus episodes of the “Treehouse of Horror,” you know that anything can and will happen. But whoever thought Ned Flanders would become a murderous vigilante?

“Allen Gregory” (8:30 P.M., FOX): “Allen Gregory” is the latest comedy to join Fox’s “Animation Domination” lineup. It has Jonah Hill providing the voice for a 7-year-old prodigy who has trouble fitting in at public school.

TV listings, B8

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