‘Cooper’s Treasure’ is out of this world
“Cooper’s Treasure” (10 p.m., Discovery) is a docuseries about America’s fabled space program. No, “Cooper’s Treasure” is a show about a dreamer hunting for sunken treasure. To paraphrase the old Certs commercials: “Stop! You’re both right!”
A genuinely odd hybrid of NASA lore and showbiz hucksterism, “Cooper’s Treasure” follows Darrell Miklos, a second-generation treasure hunter. When Miklos was just a kid, his father appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” along with Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper. Over the decades, the young man and the astronaut became friends. Cooper confided that during his 1963 orbital flight, he was tasked with operating a secret device to look for hidden missile sites of the kind that sparked the Cuban Missile crisis the year before. Cooper says that while looking for military installations, he actually saw shipwrecks and that his secret device indicated they were filled with metals, presumably silver and gold.
If this all sounds far-fetched, that’s entirely intentional. Miklos describes himself as a man searching for gold armed with a treasure map from outer space.
The bluster and bravado that animate Miklos also tend to undercut his credibility. He makes preposterous and easily disprovable statements, such as Cooper’s 22-orbit flight “set a record that still stands.” He also talks of files and maps pointing to “millions of shipwrecks,” another whopper that doesn’t pass the sniff test. As a result, an hour (with commercials) spent in Miklos’ company proves taxing. This threatens to be an entire series.
CONFRONTING ISOLATION
“Frontline” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG) presents “Last Days of Solitary,” an examination of a prison practice dating back some 200 years. “Last Days” visits Maine State Prison, where dangerous inmates are held in isolation for 23 hours a day.
INSTANT FAME
Ridiculously good-looking kids search for instant fame and seem to find it in the new series “Famous in Love” (9 p.m., Freeform, TV-14). Viewers can watch this predictable fare at the rate of one episode per week, or binge on all 10 episodes at once on digital platforms, including the Freeform app, Freeform.com, On Demand and Hulu.
RECALLING L.A.’S RIOTS
“L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later” (9 p.m., A&E, TV-14) presents archival footage from 1992 and interviews with citizens whose lives and neighborhoods were forever changed. Smithsonian and National Geographic also have specials about the riots on their schedules.
TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS
› Live playoffs continue on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› Bull puts his client to good use on “Bull” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› T-Bag warns Sara on “Prison Break” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› The four-part docuseries “Killing Richard Glossip” (9 p.m. and 10 p.m., ID, TV-14) concludes.
› Pride discovers a weapons heist on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› Off the mountain, the family shatters on “Outsiders” (9 p.m., WGN, TV-MA).
› On the last two helpings of “Trial & Error” (NBC, TV-PG): Larry takes the stand (10 p.m.), the verdict comes down (10:30 p.m.).
› Fitz’s secrets revealed on “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› Paige’s allegiance to her parents’ mission alienates her from Matthew on “The Americans” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
› “Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations” (9 p.m., Travel, TV-G) visits Asheville, N.C.
› Dirt bike tracks on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› Life imitates art on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› Pooling resources on “The Middle” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› Grodd only knows on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-14).
› Cold turkey on “The Mick” (8:30 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› Anna-Kat declares independence on “American Housewife” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› Of tees and Thais on “Fresh Off the Boat” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› A Buddhist’s brains seem too detached on “iZombie” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
› Prom-night mishaps on “Imaginary Mary” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.