The three part series “The Meaning of Food” (9 p.m., PBS) travels around the globe to explore the profound, if self-evident notion that what we eat and how we eat speaks volumes about our lives. Hosted by chef Marcus Samuelsson of New York’s Aquavit restaurant, “Food” visits an Italian-American wedding, a burger joint and a Bengali fertility feast to offer theories about the social, economic and cultural messages found in every menu.

To be totally frank, if I came across a book entitled “The Meaning of Food” I would never pick it up. Would you? I find that documentaries that approach such a broad, over-arching topics tend to be belabored and scatter-shot. The filmmaker spends hours panning for facts to support a generalized theory. In contrast, a tightly, almost absurdly focused film like “Super Size Me” can take a very specific situation (the director’s decision to eat nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days) to construct a sweeping indictment of a whole nation’s eating habits.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Darwinian struggle on “Survivor” (7 p.m., CBS).
• An eventful charity auction on “The O.C.” (7 p.m., Fox).
• Prison brutality on “CSI” (8 p.m., CBS).
• Adventures in the garment business on “The Apprentice” (8 p.m., NBC)
• A surprise party can be murder on “Tru Calling” (8 p.m., Fox).
• A homeless woman vanishes from her shelter on “Without a Trace” (9 p.m., CBS).

Late night

Bruce Willis and Greg Giraldo appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno hosts Brittany Murphy, Dave Attell and Velvet Revolver on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC).

Steve Zahn, Fran Drescher and Jack Gallagher chat on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Craig Ferguson hosts Michael Chiklis and Tony Hawk on “The Late, Late Show” (11:37 p.m., CBS).