Other Tuesday TV: The Other Effect of 9/11

The ongoing themes for ten-year 9/11 salutes on TV all this week are sorrow and somber remembrances.

Which is what makes tonight’s “Frontline” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) stand out even more. The update of a Washington Post series by Dana Priest (which is being updated and released in book form today), the episode “Top Secret America” looks at the huge shadowy, and largely unchecked agencies that have popped up since 9/11 to spy on people and hunt terrorists.

At a time when the CIA is becoming its own army, with its own drone attacks and secret budget, a whole layer of even more secretive agencies, employing almost a million people in 10,000 different locations, spending untold billions, according to the report.

As frightening as this may be to people in a free society, others may think it’s perfectly fine: It is, after all, how Osama bin Laden was found and killed.

It’s followed by a “P.O.V.” (PBS, 10 p.m., check local listings) that illustrates the effect of this crackdown – at least on two men accused of a firebombing plot at the Republican National Convention in 2008. “Better This World,” by Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega, looks at the effect of the FBI relying on informants toward suspected terrorists – a term used more and more loosely especially in the news media.

The Top 8 finally perform live in Hollywood on “America’s Got Talent” (NBC, 9 p.m.) for viewer votes; the end is finally in sight.

As one annoying Bravo star leaves in his season finale, another returns for the start of hers, as “Flipping Out” (Bravo, 9 p.m.) makes way for “The Rachel Zoe Project” (Bravo, 10 p.m.), a show that annoys me in part because her husband spells his name Rodger.

“Carson Nation” (OWN, 9 p.m.) also ends its season in Roswell, N.M. after an 8 p.m. visit to Beaver, Utah.

Another four take up the challenge in “Chopped Champions” (Food, 10 p.m.).A final caper in Chicago ends the season for the intriguing summer reality series “Take the Money and Run” (ABC, 9 p.m.).

Rats and an armadillo are in the sites of “Billy the Exterminator” (A&E, 10 p.m.).

They’re using some of the most primitive weapons ever this week on “Top Shot” (History, 10 p.m.).

A pretty good two part romantic miniseries, “Marry Me” (Lifetime Movie Network, 8 p.m.) returns with both parts playing back to back.

The “Picker Sisters” (Lifetime, 10 p.m.) go South.

When “The View” (ABC, 11 p.m.) returns for its 15^th season, they’ll be no guests; they have to spend the hour sharing what they’ve been up to all summer.

Also back from vacation, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC, 12:05 a.m.) will have an opportunity to salute longtime cast member “Uncle Frank” Potenza, who died Aug. 23 at 77.

Of course, most all the late night shows are back from hiatus, which means a lot of things to catch up on for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central, 11 p.m.) and “The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m.).

A month-long Tuesday night salute to Kirk Douglas begins on Turner Classic Movies, with early films in which he did not play lead roles —  “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (8 p.m.), “Out of the Past” (10 p.m.) (later remade as “Against All Odds”), “I Walk Alone” (11:45 p.m.), “A Letter to Three Wives” (1:30 a.m.) and “Mourning Becomes Eclectra” (3:30 a.m.).

But earlier today there’s a riot of B-movie monster films including “I Married a Witch” (TCM, 7:15 a.m.), “The Thing from Another World” (TCM, 8:45 a.m.), “Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” (TCM, 10:15 a.m.), “Them!” (TCM, 11:45 a.m.), “Forbidden Planet” (TCM, 1:30 p.m.), “The Black Scorpion” (TCM, 3:15 p.m.) and “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” (TCM, 4:45 p.m.). And did you know “The Walking Dead” (TCM, 6 a.m.) was the name of a Boris Karloff film directed by Michael Curtiz?

And Carol Burnett returns to “All My Children” (ABC, 1 p.m.) for a weeklong stint, before the show’s all over.

The U.S. women’s quarterfinals and the men’s round of 16 action are played in the U.S. Open (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

Daytime Talk

Regis and Kelly: Stephen Moyer, Rachel Zoe. The View: Season premiere. The Talk: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Giada De Laurentiis. Ellen DeGeneres: Sofia Vergara, Justin Bieber, Ethan Fisher (rerun). Wendy Williams: Teri Hatcher, Raven-Symone (rerun).

Late Talk

David Letterman: Kim, Kourtney & Khloe Kardashian, Michael Emerson, the Jim Jones Revue. Jay Leno: Wanda Sykes, Nick Swardson, Roger Daltrey. Jimmy Kimmel: Uncle Frank salute, Don Rickles. Jimmy Fallon: Denis Leary, Olivia Munn, the Antlers. Craig Ferguson: Lisa Kudrow, Richard Engel. Tavis Smiley: Douglas Jones. Carson Daly: Evan Glodell, Black Milk, the Black Angels, Nicle Atkins and the Black Sea (rerun). Jon Stewart: Buddy Roemer. Stephen Colbert: Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Conan O’Brien: Aubrey Plaza, Lindsey Buckingham. Chelsea Handler: Gloria Estefan, chris Franjola, Iliza Shlesinger, Matt Braunger.