The deftly told new documentary series “The Lady and the Dale” (HBO, 9 p.m.) begins by telling the near-forgotten story of the three-wheel, gas saving, plastic-bodied car The Dale, which got a lot of hype — and a spot on “The Price is Right” — while trying desperately to attract investors and struggling to actually make a working prototype.
Behind it all was a tough 6-foot-2 Liz Carpenter, who turns out to be a former conman on the lam. Being outed as trans in the 1970s was seen as part of the deception. But the makers carefully separate the two things, in part from memories from her kids. Because there’s little original footage, there’s an awful lot of colorful animated collage. Two episodes play consecutively tonight with the remaining two (and a head-smacking twist) come in subsequent weeks.
The powerful new three-part series from “Masterpiece,” “The Long Song” (PBS, 10 p.m., check local listings) stars Tamara Lawrence and Hayley Attwell in an adaptation of Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel about the last days of slavery in Jamaica.
Fareed Zakaria hosts the news special “The Divided States of America: What is Tearing Us Apart?” (CNN, 9 p.m.).
“Desus & Mero” (Showtime, 11 p.m.) return for a new season, as does the news program “Axios” (HBO, 6 p.m.).