TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
The between-the-wars German cinema salute continues tonight, with TCM presenting another Wednesday roster of rarely televised movies – beginning at 8 p.m. ET with this 1929 sexy silent classic from director G.W. Pabst. Louise Brooks stars as Lulu, the ultimately amoral temptress (pictured here, gorgeously) who leaves a string of disasters, and destroyed men, in her wake.
Fox, 9:00 p.m. ET
Lucious makes his next move in trying to regain his seat at the top of Empire music – and it’s a bold one.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
Part 3. The National Parks Service is created officially in this installment, back in 1916 – which is why this documentary miniseries is being repeated this year, on the Service’s centenary celebration. Check local listings.
FX, 10:00 p.m. ET
The FBI and the KGB are looking for the same missing agent – but they’re not working together, by any means, and whichever side gets there first may be bad news for this particular fugitive. And if the FBI and KGB find each other in the process, even worse…
TCM, 2:00 a.m. ET
Directed in 1931 by G.W. Pabst, this was a movie version of the Kurt Weill musical, the original German production of which, when translated, gave us “Mack the Knife,” as sung by Bobby Darin. (It also gave us, from the original German-language version, the blackout theme used by Ernie Kovacs in his still-amazing 1950s TV specials.) And when Darin was singing of “Mack the Knife,” he was referring to the killer character of Mackie Messer, played in this film by Rudolph Forster. And when Darin was singing of “Lotte Lenya,” he was name-checking the actress who, in this film, plays Jenny (pictured here).