Personalities in the public eye for decades on end tend to generate a lot of news, controversy and footage. It’s true of movie stars and politicians. “Teddy: In His Own Words” (8 p.m., HBO) takes a documentary look at Sen. Edward Kennedy’s life and career with a narration by its subject.

One of the longest-serving senators around, Kennedy has been re-elected repeatedly by Massachusetts voters who have been voting in Kennedys and Fitzgeralds for more than a century. Kennedy has been around long enough to have received and earned the scorn of Republicans, conservatives and some Democrats.

It’s interesting to note that while Kennedy has been on the receiving end of blistering attacks from the right wing, his most bitter and fruitless battle was fought with a president from his own party, Jimmy Carter. The film and its narrator are also frank enough to admit, although not in as much detail as some might like, that his greatest scandals and setbacks have been self-inflicted.

Neither substantive enough to be history, nor insightful enough to satisfy his many critics, “Teddy” is best watched for a wealth of footage, particularly from the early years. “Teddy” includes many vintage campaign commercials for John, Robert and Edward Kennedy, throwbacks to the “Mad Men” era of advertising.

We see matriarch Rose Kennedy awkwardly adjusting herself in front of a documentary camera for a 1962 commercial. She’s completely aware of her role in a performance, but she makes a personal connection nonetheless. “Teddy” is very similar, a film made with the cooperation of a man who has been on camera for more than seven decades.

Tonight’s other highlights

• House recoils at a patient who abandoned stress for happiness on “House” (7 p.m., Fox).

• A shallow model is reincarnated, in a fashion, as a heavy-set lawyer in the pilot episode of the new series “Drop Dead Diva” (7 p.m., Lifetime).

• A high school outcast (Sissy Spacek) strikes back at her tormentors in the 1976 shocker “Carrie” (7 p.m., Encore), directed by Brian De Palma.

• A hotel robbery becomes a missing persons case on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m., NBC).

• Suicides become Lightman’s obsession on “Lie to Me” (8 p.m., Fox).

• A woman suspects that her own mother may have been part of an exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair on “History Detectives” (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings).

• A murder investigation becomes a male chauvinist pig roast on “The Closer” (8 p.m., TNT).

• A rough morning after on “Make it or Break it” (8 p.m., Family).

• Delko becomes a target on “CSI: Miami” (9 p.m., CBS).

Cult choice

A psychotic gangster (James Cagney) with mother issues makes an amazing exit in the 1949 drama “White Heat” (8:30 p.m., TCM).

Late night

• Rep. Barney Frank is scheduled on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” (10 p.m., Comedy Central) … Paul Rieckhoff and Paul Krugman on “The Colbert Report” (10:30 p.m., Comedy Central).

• Jonah Hill and Metric are booked on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Conan O’Brien hosts Bill Engvall and the cast of “Hair” on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC) … Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and 3OH!3 appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:05 p.m., ABC).