When did “makeover” shows become so content-free? Time was you could turn on a show like “This Old House” or “Ground Force” and learn a thing or two about laying tile or planting a shrub. There was some practical information involved. The new generation of makeover series, including “Moving Up” (7 p.m. today, TLC) and “Town Haul” (9 p.m. today, TLC), seem to pride themselves on emptiness. They’re 100-percent free of any useful tips.

Every episode of “Moving Up” follows three households in the process of moving and renovation. Couple A buys the house belonging to couple B, who in turn buys a house previously owned by homeowner C. In Act One, the buyers evaluate their new homes and make snap judgments about the previous owner’s taste or lack of it. In Act Two, they go about changing the decor. Before the show concludes, the old owners get to see what the new residents have done with their former domicile.

Along with host Doug Wilson, viewers are asked to spend an hour — a very long hour — watching people brag, complain, argue and shop. While we’re often informed about the price tag for a specific stove or cabinet, we never learn about the nitty-gritty of grouting or even painting. In fact, one of the couples in the pilot episode makes a big fuss about the “tacky DIY” (do-it-yourself) look of their new abode. Shows that used to promote creative self-reliance now denigrate such initiative. So that’s why Martha Stewart went to prison.

But if “Moving Up” is merely empty, “Town Haul” offers a toxic stew of disinformation. In last week’s episode, “Haul” contractor Ray Romano (no relation to the star of “Everybody Loves Raymond”) discovered that construction plans for their renovation of a local business, an ice-cream parlor called Kelly’s Kones, actually infringed on a neighbor’s property. In the spirit of “the show must go on,” Romano offered the neighbor a wad of bills to make the problem go away.

Not to be a persnickety nerd, but how will this “arrangement” be explained if and when Kelly, or her neighbor, decides to sell their property? Don’t they deal with zoning laws in the world of “Town Haul”? How about building inspectors and planning boards? And one look inside Kelly’s Kones made me wonder if “Town Haul” had also dispensed with the local health inspectors.

Devoid of how-to know-how, “Moving” and “Town” emphasize household drama and contrived comedy.

Today’s highlights

• A gun-smuggling sting backfires on “Law & Order” (7 p.m., NBC).
• After an apparent suicide, police suspect the dead woman’s husband on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m., NBC).
• A predator with tenure on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m., NBC).

Sunday’s highlights

• Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): a profile of Hilary Swank; an interview with Ukranian president Victor Yuschenko.
• Lynette faces up to her dependency on “Desperate Housewives” (9 p.m., ABC).