Patricia Neal discusses her charmed career and doomed private live with host Robert Osborne on “Private Screenings” (7 p.m., Turner Classic Movies). Barely out of college, Neal took Broadway by storm, winning a Tony award in 1947, the first year they were presented. Her co-star in her first film, “John Loves Mary,” was a Warner Bros. player named Ronald Reagan. Later, she stole the lead role in “The Fountainhead” (1949) from Barbara Stanwyck and then stole the heart of the movie’s leading man, Gary Cooper. The handsome, very married Cooper would be her lover for five years.

Neal admits that she could hardly keep a straight face while making the 1951 “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” now considered a classic. Between the 1957 gem “A Face in the Crowd” and “Hud” (8 p.m., Turner Classic Movies), she suffered a string of setbacks that Osborne compares to Greek tragedy. Her infant son was hit by a car while in his stroller. Her daughter died of a sudden illness, and soon after completing her Oscar-winning performance in “Hud” she suffered several life-threatening strokes at the age of 39. While few thought she would recover, she returned to the screen in the 1968 drama “The Subject Was Roses” and received an Oscar nomination.

• The provocative documentary “Celibacy” (9 p.m., HBO) examines the practice of sexual abstinence in Eastern and Western faiths. According to this film, while many Buddhist and Hindu sects reward and encourage abstinence, only the Roman Catholic Church puts a premium on bodily denial. And, as the documentary makes clear, the church has only done so since the 12th century, when powers in Rome thought it would be financially and politically convenient for clergy to leave no legal heirs. Before then, priests, nuns and monks, including St. Peter himself, had wives and families.
• “40 Greatest Reality TV Moments” (9 p.m., Vh1, concludes Tuesday) counts down the most cringe-worthy moments of the genre, from Sue Hawk’s “rat and snake” rant on “Survivor” to the time when Evan spilled the beans on “Joe Millionaire.”

Tonight’s other highlights

• Brash New Yorkers invade the island on “North Shore” (7 p.m., Fox).
• School violence erupts on the two-hour season finale of “The Division” (7 p.m., Lifetime).
• Players get a chance to cash out on “For Love or Money” (8 p.m., NBC).
• Too many high-rollers on “The Casino” (8 p.m., Fox).
• The kids cut the list down to seven on “Who Wants to Marry My Dad?” (9:05 p.m., NBC).

Late night

Kirsten Dunst and Chris Robinson appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno hosts Tom Hanks, Jackie Chan and 311 on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC) … Clay Aiken and Dylan Walsh appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:05 p.m., ABC).