TV season’s over! Almost. Oddly enough, this can be the most interesting time of the year on network TV. Freed from the ratings game for a moment, networks can actually air something risky, challenging, interesting and even smart.
On ABC, the window cracks open wide enough to air “Mike Tyson: The Knockout” (8 p.m.), a two-part documentary reevaluation of an overexposed celebrity.
“The Knockout” not only recalls Tyson’s sudden and galvanizing rise as a young heavyweight champion, it attempts to understand his enduring appeal. Clearly inspired by miniseries and documentaries about O.J. Simpson, this effort attempts to present Tyson as the Juice in reverse. While Simpson was revered and even beloved in his youth and condemned after his trial(s), Tyson was greatly feared in his youth, endured a trial and conviction for rape, bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear and yet has emerged as an object of affection in his middle age.
In its attempts to plumb Tyson’s character, “Knockout” recalls and reexamines many of the myths surrounding “Iron Mike.” We revisit his gruesome upbringing. Raised by an alcoholic single mother, he falls in with a “street” element and is sent to youth detention, where he is discovered by an ex-boxer who introduces him to legendary trainer Cus D’Amato. Many of the urban tropes and legends of his story seem to date back to the days of John L. Sullivan. As a shy and troubled kid, ridiculed for his dirty clothes and bad hygiene, Tyson took refuge in his rooftop coop where he raised racing pigeons — just like Marlon Brando’s washed-up palooka character in “On the Waterfront.”
Rich in vintage footage of Tyson, D’Amato and his entourage and celebrity hangers-on from Don King to Donald Trump, “Knockout” includes early interviews with Tyson as well. Despite his downcast eyes and emotional reticence, the young fighter exhibits a tenacity and curiosity, not to mention discipline and passion. Where did these traits come from? For all of its documentation, “Knockout” proves that the origins of character can be elusive.
— Sundance Now begins streaming the four-part docuseries “Between Black and Blue,” the remarkable story of how two New York City police officers were convicted of the contract killing of a Colorado businessman in 1975.
TONIGHT’S SEASON FINALES
— A possible leak on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— A winner emerges on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— A team walks off with the big prize on “Game of Talents” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— A posh restaurant becomes a crime scene on “FBI” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— A DEA agent seems to have changed sides on “FBI: Most Wanted” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— The family gathers for Kevin and Madison’s big day on “This Is Us” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The 2021 AKC Premier Cup (7 p.m., ESPN) puts a premium on canine agility.
— Fans who have already binged on the glitter, gossip and tragedy of Netflix’s “Halston” might enjoy “54” (8 p.m., Cinemax), the 1998 bridge-and-tunnel melodrama set at Studio 54 starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek and Neve Campbell.
— Campbell’s “Party of Five” colleague Lacey Chabert stars in the 2014 romance “The Color of Rain” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-PG).
— Rob Lowe hosts “Mental Samurai” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— “After Floyd: The Year that Shook the World” (10 p.m., ABC) and “Race Matters: America After George Floyd” (10 p.m., PBS, check local listings) examine events of the past 12 months.
— “Mr Inbetween” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA) enters its third season.
CULT CHOICE
— After his wife (Hope Lange) is mugged, an architect (Charles Bronson) becomes a vigilante in the 1974 drama “Death Wish” (8:20 p.m., ShowX). Look for Jeff Goldblum as a street “freak” in a Jughead hat. His very first movie role.
SERIES NOTES
Central City faces certain doom (again) on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Jordan’s emerging powers prove awkward on “Superman & Lois” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Baratunde Thurston appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Kevin Hart, Chrissy Metz and St. Vincent on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Jake Tapper and Paul W. Downs visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
