No Hollywood star burns brighter than the teenage sensation. No fans are more intense or more fickle than the legions of screaming teens, tweens and children who adore and outgrow their crushes and idols on their way to adulthood. “True Hollywood Story” (8 p.m., E!) spends two solid hours on “Young Hollywood: From A to Zac,” a gushing group profile of Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas brothers.

Superstars before they could drive or shave or attempt advanced algebra, these prodigies all displayed early talent for stage parents armed with video cameras.

We see Swift singing, and even composing new lyrics, while still very, very pre-K. Miley Cyrus had music and acting in her household, if not in her genes. The Jonas brothers were also raised by performers. Their father was an itinerant preacher who worked music and song into his services. Efron displayed confidence and talent at an early age, and “THS” has the videos of his middle-school performance in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” to prove it.

Grade-school teachers, coaches and administrators attest to their good-kid status, and the editors and authors of teen-centric magazines and Web sites affirm their celebrity and earning power.

Missing here is much insight or perspective. One breathless sage compares the Jonas brothers to the Beatles, something that has been said of every new band since the Dave Clark Five.

It’s impossible to watch this 120-minute crib sheet on contemporary teen culture and not be struck by how deeply derivative, safe and culturally reactionary it has become. “High School Musical” seems stuck in a “let’s put on a show” template well established by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in 1938. The average “Hannah Montana” is as loud and obvious as the most dated sitcom.

Kids’ entertainment, particularly of the Disney variety, has always emphasized the tried and true. But that’s what makes these superstars so vulnerable and utterly replaceable.

It will be interesting to see how the recent convulsions in the economy and the political arena are reflected in teen idoldom in the coming months and years. As the Eisenhower era gave way to the 1960s, teen idols Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue were not merely forgotten but scorned. Seemingly overnight, they became ridiculous. Neither Dee nor Donahue had particularly happy lives as post-teens.

Is Efron the next big thing? Or just the latest Tab Hunter or David Cassidy? Only time will tell.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Art Carney stars in the 1984 special “The Night They Saved Christmas” (7 p.m., ION).

• Even the lingering dead have marriage problems on “Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m., CBS). What ever happened to “’til death do us part”?

• On two episodes of “Numb3rs” (CBS), a kidnapped heiress evades rescue (8 p.m.), vigilante violence inspires innovation (9 p.m.).

• Cast members work for a charity on the documentary “Degrassi in Ecuador” (8 p.m., The N).

• “Whale Wars” (8 p.m., Animal Planet) concludes its season.

• “The Top 40 of 2008” (8 p.m., VH1) counts down and looks back.

• “Brink” (9 p.m., Science) looks at the biochemistry of generosity, the centers in the brain that respond well to the most wonderful time of the year.