Thievery on both a large and a more personal scale appears to be tonight’s theme. The remarkable documentary “Street Thief” (9 p.m., A&E) presents itself as an intimate look at a professional burglar as he goes about his felonious business. Shot in a grainy, handheld style that brings viewers the immediacy of home movies and surveillance film, “Street” follows Kaspar Carr, a character both charming and repulsive.

He confides that his grandmother introduced him to robbery, on Halloween, in fact. Like Carr himself, this tale is both shocking and funny. Chatty, explosively verbose and a manic chainsmoker, Carr takes his occupation seriously and spends hours, days and months casing prospective locations and victims, and getting all of the details just right.

The central mystery of “Street Thief” is its authenticity. Is it a real documentary or a remarkably realistic drama? If it’s fake, then the filmmakers have created a memorable character and have done a masterful job of evoking the down-and-dirty illusion of real criminal life. But then again, if it’s not fiction, then the makers of “Street Thief” have engaged in real criminal life, acting as accessories to robbery. And why would a real thief invite people along to document his doings? If that were the case, then this wouldn’t only be a documentary – it would be evidence.

For all of its shaky veracity, you can’t take your eyes off “Street Thief.” And that poses ethical questions for artists and viewers. How far do we want to go in our voyeurism? If we follow a “real” thief for our entertainment, what other kind of criminal activity would we watch?

While screening “Street Thief” at home, my wife kept screaming at the television: “They shouldn’t be filming this guy! They should be calling the police!” She’s a better person than I am.

¢ Stacy Keach narrates “American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals” (9 p.m., CNBC), a new six-part weekly series about folks who will stop at nothing to make a big score. The debut profiles Barry Hunt, a New England fisherman who lured more than 50 investors into a scam modeled on the classic Ponzi scheme – shifting money from one investor to the next to reel them in with hopes of a big payoff. Many of Hunt’s victims were unaware of his fraudulent activities, or of his arrest, until the time “Greed” camera crews came calling.

¢ Airing every Thursday night through Sept. 6, the series “Live from Abbey Road” (9 p.m., Sundance) follows musicians as they rehearse, discuss and perform their works. Every show features three artists. Tonight: John Mayer, Norah Jones and Richard Ashcroft.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Giveaway goodies spark a greedy feeding frenzy on “Ugly Betty” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ On three episodes of “The Office” (NBC), casino night (7 p.m.), rumors of layoffs (7:43 p.m.), merger and reunion (8:27 p.m.).

¢ Ned Beatty guest stars on “CSI” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ Two more competitors depart on “So You Think You Can Dance” (8 p.m., Fox).

¢ Sebastian held hostage on “Shark” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ More flashbacks and insights into Matt and Danny’s demise on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (9 p.m., NBC).