The more television “evolves,” the more it resorts to tricks and gimmicks from the medium’s past. Netflix begins streaming “Game On: A Comedy Crossover Event,” featuring stars from four Netflix series engaged in competitive games over four episodes. Familiar faces from “Mr. Iglesias,” “Family Reunion,” “The Big Show Show” and “Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love” include Tia Mowry, Anthony Alabi, Paulina Chavez, Jencarlos Canela and Gabriel Iglesias. Look for Eva Longoria (a guest-star on “Genius”) to appear as well.

The notion of stars in competition dates back at least to the 1970s confection “Battle of the Network Stars,” which featured talent including a young Mark Harmon, Gabe Kaplan, Joyce DeWitt and Valerie Bertinelli wearing outfits right out of high school gym class. “Monday Night Football” fixture Howard Cosell presided with mock gravitas. “Battle” was so popular that it was parodied on “SCTV” with a skit called “Battle of the PBS Stars,” including a boxing match between Julia Child (John Candy) and Mr. Rogers (Martin Short).

While the old network stars competed as themselves, those appearing on this “Battle of the Netflix Stars” remain in character from their respective series.

So this “event” more resembles crossover episodes of yore, when characters and storylines from “TGIF” comedies like “Boy Meets World” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” rubbed shoulders during sweeps.

— For the second week in a row, “American Greed” (10 p.m., CNBC) profiles a financial operator whose villainy crossed over into scapegoat territory.

The Ponzi schemes of last week’s subject, Bernie Madoff, came to light during the financial collapse of 2008. In many people’s minds, he took the blame for widespread corruption that was “perfectly legal.”

Tonight’s “Greed” star is Martin Shkreli, known as the “pharma bro,” who bought the rights and patents to a lifesaving drug and then raised its price by 5,000%. His audacity (and smug demeanor) made him infamous. But it was a much more complicated investor fraud that sent him to prison.

Shows like “Greed” and their networks find it easier to demonize these figures than discuss a system that values speculative profits more than human lives.

Shkreli has requested to be released from captivity so he can work on finding a “cure” for COVID-19. That alone is a dead giveaway that a whole army of pharma bros might be at work, looking to exploit our current tragedy.

It’s worth noting that when Dr. Jonas Salk helped develop a vaccine that ended the scourge of polio, he never sought a patent and didn’t seek to profit from his public service. “American Greed” profiles money-grubbing monsters, but not the culture of greed that produces them.

— After Dad dies, two women — both perfect strangers — discover they are actually half-sisters in the half-hour BBC comedy “The Other One,” streaming today on Acorn. And they’re not the only women coming to terms — think of their mothers. Very well-reviewed in the U.K.

— A young woman documents three generations of her Mumbai family in the “POV” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) documentary “About Love.” Along the way, she begins to see bonds of love and affection as “power structures” designed to control.

TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

— Dwayne Johnson presides over the season finale of “The Titan Games” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

— Eddie’s past upends a rescue mission on “9-1-1” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).

— Jason Mesnick waxes nostalgic on “The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever!” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

— An ICE intervention complicates a case on “All Rise” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).

— Continental teams collide on “American Ninja Warrior” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG).

— A tractor accident creates a race against time on “9-1-1: Lone Star” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).

— An old college chum needs a good lawyer on “Bull” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

CULT CHOICE

Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford lead an all-star cast in the deliciously gossipy and always-quotable 1939 comedy “The Women” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG). No men appear in a cast that also includes Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine, Hedda Hopper and Butterfly McQueen. Jungle red!

SERIES NOTES

Calvin reluctantly agrees to a web page on “The Neighborhood” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Improvisations on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14, and 8:30 p.m., r, TV-PG) … Home care on “Bob Hearts Abishola” (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Illusionists audition on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG).

LATE NIGHT

Rob Lowe appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Bryan Cranston, Julia Garner and Surfaces on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Tracee Ellis Ross and Luke Bryan visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).