Documentaries often show us that true stories are more amazing than scripted drama. If you read a novel where the daughter of a Jewish Auschwitz survivor married a handsome German prince and became a royal fixture of a European jet-set society, you probably wouldn’t believe it. Or remember that you’d sworn off Harold Robbins and Judith Krantz paperbacks decades ago.
But the Hulu documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge” begins with that very (true) story and only becomes more fantastic as it continues. Exposed to European artists by her royal husband Prince Egon’s circle, von Furstenberg began spending time with clothes designers and textile manufacturers. She invented the “wrap dress,” a signature style of the early and mid-1970s, a time of rising feminist consciousness.
Her dress made her very wealthy and her company’s name Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) represented a revolution, a young woman in a place of enormous power and influence in a very male-dominated business. She was still in her 20s when DVF was founded.
Von Furstenberg is first seen in her bathroom, wearing no makeup and musing aloud why anyone would hide their wrinkles or other signs of aging. She likens such attributes to chapters in one’s book, and she wants to offer the unabridged version.
But while saying this, she climbs up and puts her feet into the bathroom sink and squats down before her mirror. It’s a grand gesture that wordlessly expresses defiance and pride, not to mention a certain flexibility. I’m 76, she’s saying. And still lithe and limber enough to pull this off. (Don’t try this at home, kids!)
Over the decades, von Furstenberg has made and lost fortunes and, in 2001, she married media gazillionaire Barry Diller. Powerful women named Oprah and Hillary sing her praises. For all of the fabulous details, von Furstenberg seeks to impart a simple lesson: Be yourself. Own your story. It’s the only one you’ve got.
— It’s hard to be yourself and own your story when you “live” in a hall of mirrors. Streaming on Peacock, “TikTok Star Murders” offers a tale of sudden fame, delusion and homicide.
Way back in 2019, Ali and Ana Abulaban were celebrities, in certain horrible Kardashian fashion. Ali had gained a TikTok following with his JinnKid identity, known for celebrity impressions and other “humor.” JinnKid’s performances often included his wife and their domestic scene. He loved showing her off as part of the unending advertisement for their surging “brand.”
But fame and apparent drug use took their toll. When Ana announced that she wanted off Ali’s merry-go-round, his paranoia grew. And, in the logic of a drug-addled narcissist who seemed defined by social media, he documented their marital discord, including scenes of domestic violence and his own manic moments when he announces “I am God” to nobody in particular.
This tale of jealous rage would culminate in at least two murders and a trail of suspect-created evidence that boggles the mind.
— The streaming platform MHz Choice offers TV and cinema from all over the world. It now streams the fourth season of the epic period series “Babylon Berlin,” set in Weimar-era Germany. Viewers may recall that the first three seasons of “Babylon” streamed on Netflix until earlier this year.
— CMA Fest (8 p.m., ABC) captures performances from a four-day concert in Nashville, featuring artists including Kelsea Ballerini, Big & Rich, Clint Black, Brothers Osborne and Luke Bryan. Hosts include Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A restaurant bombing claims a congressman on “FBI” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Budapest-bound on “FBI: International” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Clerical errors put a couple’s marriage annulment on hold in the 2015 romance “Autumn Dreams” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Chefs wheel miles of aisles competing on “Supermarket Stakeout” (9 p.m., Food, TV-PG).
— Four officers are shot outside of a New Jersey diner on “FBI: Most Wanted” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A meddler (Thelma Ritter) decides to play Cupid between a beauty (Jeanne Crain) and a lab technician (Scott Brady) in the 1951 romantic comedy “The Model and the Marriage Broker” (10 p.m., TCM). Directed by George Cukor, it features Zero Mostel just before the blacklist banished him from movies until 1966.
SERIES NOTES
“America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … “Beat Shazam” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … “The Quiz With Balls” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … “Password” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Drew Barrymore and Peso Pluma on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts “After Midnight” (12:37 a.m., CBS).
