Fox Business Network, 9:00 p.m. ET
After the candidates objected to the tone and content of many of the questions posed to them at the CNBC debate last month, tonight’s prime-time debate from Milwaukee, moderated by Neal Cavuto and Gerard Baker, and presented on and by Fox Business Network (in association with The Wall Street Journal, another Rupert Murdoch-owned property), should prove interesting. For one thing, it will be a bit less crowded: both Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie, because of low polling numbers of late, have been bumped to the undercard one-hour debate, which begins on FBN at 7 p.m. ET. The “adult’s table” debate begins at 9 ET, and is scheduled to last for two hours. And, for the first time, will have fewer than 10 participants (see this photo of the setup, with temporary stand-ins for tonight’s contenders.)
ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s human guest star is someone I really can’t wait to see interacting with the Muppets, because he’s one of the best deadpan actors of his generation: Jason Bateman. After suffering through the rest of the family Bluth on Arrested Development, dealing with Miss Piggy should be more like a vacation.
PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
What a difference 70 years can make. In this new documentary, produced and directed by Carol L. Fleisher and hosted by Ryan Phillippe, the battle of Iwo Jima is recounted – from both sides, as in Ken Burns’ War documentary miniseries, which makes it a more complete and thoughtful kind of history lesson altogether. The footage in this program, including its reunion of veteran soldiers from both sides of the conflict, is provided by both U.S. and Japanese documentary crews – who are working together as an indicator of how much allegiances, as well as times, can change. The tastefulness and emotional heft of this program, tied to Veterans Day, is welcome, but not unexpected – given that this is the final TV production from executive producer Arnold Shapiro, a long-time TV veteran himself, whose career credits include that groundbreaking 1970s documentary about an inspirational prison program, Scared Straight! Check local listings.
Fox, 8:30 p.m. ET
The plot of tonight’s episode hits especially close to home, because I was a tech-crew guy in my theater arts group in high school. Tonight, Stewart (Fred Savage) counsels his son Ethan to stick with the tech crew, as he did when he was Ethan’s age – but Stewart’s TV-star brother Dean (Rob Lowe), of course, is supporting Ethan’s dream of starring in the school play instead.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
This is another PBS special tied to tomorrow’s Veterans Day – and another welcome one, focusing on how we care for our returning war veterans. And how sometimes, disgracefully, we don’t. Check local listings.