The latest coming of age cartoon, following FX’s “Unsupervised” and MTV’s periodically revived “Beavis and Butt-head,” is “Out There” (IFC, 10:30 p.m.).
Based on the rural Nebraska adolescence of creator Ryan Quincy about a couple of outsiders in school, the characters are nondescript fuzzballs, with Chad’s family a group of variations on the big red hairy monster from “Looney Tunes” (who had a name, Gossamer) and cat faces. His pal and many of his schoolmates are more humanoid, though they all have sausage limbs with little lines for fingers.
They confront the bullies and dream of the pretty girls or escape from their confining town, like so man other cartoons where those who succeed make cartoons about it. The show has some quirky details and side characters but does occasionally seem as confining as the town.
If there’s a downside to the humor it comes in depicting precisely the kind of outsiders and losers who plot revenge against the popular crowd on whom they want to seek revenge. Not a funny scenario at all. Mostly it doesn’t match up with the accompanying “Portlandia” (IFC, 10 p.m.).
“Rock Center with Brian Williams” (NBC, 10 p.m.) visits a panda fertility clinic in China and reports on a breast cancer outbreak from contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“20/20” (ABC, 10 p.m.), meanwhile further exploits, er, reports on the return of “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, apparently the first time someone in television ever had a brush with cancer.
“CSI:NY” (CBS, 9 p.m.), which was the survivor when “CSI: Miami” was canceled, ends its ninth season early. Depending on whether they decide to keep it around for another year, it may well be the final episode ever of the spin-off.
“Yukon Men” (Discovery, 10 p.m.) returns for a new season, covering the manly men not far from the Arctic Circle.
A week of focus on the Newtown shootings — something the commercial networks could have tried, but didn’t — winds up on public television, with a special focus on “Washington Week with Gwen Ifill” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) and a “Need to Know” (PBS, 8:30 p.m., check local listings) that examines an earlier school shooting in Western Massachusetts.
Speaking of which, a drugstore robbery becomes a high school hostage crisis on “Banshee” (Cinemax, 10 p.m.).
“Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO, 10 p.m.) is a rerun from a couple of weeks ago when guests included Julian Assange, Tina Brown and Martin Bashir. New episodes return next week.
Wood framed glasses is among the ideas pitched on “Shark Tank” (ABC, 9 p.m.), but I would think splinters would be an issue.
Too soon? “Mindy McCready: A Country Music Tragedy” (E!, 8 p.m.). Not when exploiting celebrity misery is your stock in trade.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show is celebrated on “Last Man Standing” (ABC, 8 p.m.).
Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb stop in to see “Fashion Police” (E1, 10 p.m.) and probably have a glass of wine.
The first of four nights spotlighting the Oscar bait of Columbia Pictures starts in the 1940s with “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (8 p.m.), “You Were Never Lovelier” (10 p.m.) and “All the King’s Men” (midnight); and from the 50s, “From Here to Eternity” (2 a.m.) and “Born Yesterday” (4:15 a.m.).
NBA action tonight includes Minnesota at Oklahoma City (ESPN, 8 p.m.) and San Antonio at Golden State (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.).
Men’s college hoops includes North Dakota State at Akron (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), Saint Louis at Butler (ESPNU, 7 p.m.) and Stephen F. Austin at Long Beach State (ESPNU, 9 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Carley Roney. The View: Lori Renier, Daymond John, Mark Cuban. The Talk: Dermot Mulroney, Drew Carey, Wolfgang Puck, Donny Osmond. Ellen DeGeneres: Kate Walsh, Steve Harvey.
Late Talk
David Letterman: Luke Wilson, Dan Mintz, Imagine Dragons. Jay Leno: Meredith Vieira, Richard Roeper, the newno2. Jimmy Kimmel: Highlights from the week. Jimmy Fallon: Michelle Obama, Scarlett Johansson, the Avett Brothers. Craig Ferguson: William Shatner, Alona Tal. Carson Daly: Guillermo del Toro, Shiny Toy Guns (rerun). Tavis Smiley: Gina Messina-Sysert. Chelsea Handler: Julianne Hough, Jeff Wild, Heather McDonald, Nico Santos (rerun).