Reality television has thrived because people refuse to see it as fake. And that’s an art in itself. Entertainment has always required viewers to suspend disbelief and forget that the “stars,” be they paid actors or paid amateurs, are merely performing before the camera — even if they are performing as themselves. Last week’s series finale of “The Hills” seemed to wink at this notion when it revealed that its “real life” dramas were taking place on a studio set.

But some things can’t be faked, and some characters cannot be replaced. “Deadliest Catch” (8 p.m., Discovery) takes the performance art of reality television to new and unexplored territory when it documents the death of Capt. Phil Harris and the reaction of the crew when his son Josh breaks the news. A special “Deadliest Catch” (9 p.m., Discovery) offers a salute to the captain and his character.

Ratings for “Catch” have increased as Discovery has continually documented events leading up to Captain Phil’s death, which occurred on Feb. 9, 2010.

• “El General” on “P.O.V.” (9 p.m., PBS, check local listings) offers a glimpse at Mexican culture and fractured politics through the prism of a profile of Plutarco Elias Calles, a veteran and hero of Mexico’s revolution who served as Mexico’s president from 1924 to 1928, and who became a behind-the-scenes power broker until he was exiled by a protege.

Filmmaker Natalia Almada has a special relationship to her subject. Calles is her great-grandfather. She uses recordings made by her late grandmother to offer an intimate glimpse at family life and “normalcy” amid a climate of revolution, assassination and religious civil war.

A fervent anti-cleric, Calles would engage in the persecution and execution of Catholic priests and nuns. Yet the same man sent his daughter to a Catholic girls’ school in the United States.

This is just one of the strange contradictions at the center of Calles’ story and in Almada’s contemplative portrait of her country.

• DVD alert! Fans of SyFy’s over-the-top Saturday-night chillers should not miss Roger Corman’s “Forbidden World” and “Galaxy of Terror.” Other sets on sale today include the first season of “Gimme a Break!” and “Jersey Shore, Season 1.”

Tonight’s other highlights

• First impressions count on a two-hour “Hell’s Kitchen” (7 p.m., Fox).

• The homecoming scandal continues to reverberate on “Pretty Little Liars” (7 p.m., ABC Family).

• Julianna Margulies and Ron Eldard star in the soggy 2002 shocker “Ghost Ship” (7 p.m., AMC).

• “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” (8 p.m., A&E) airs its 100th episode documenting the “real life” shenanigans of a celebrity best known for his contrived stage antics.

• “Downfall” (8 p.m., ABC) wraps up its short first season.

• Strange symptoms offer clues of an artifact on the loose on “Warehouse 13” (8 p.m., Syfy).

• Peter’s possible release brings mixed feelings on “The Good Wife” (9 p.m., CBS).

• Family secrets on “Primetime” (9 p.m., ABC).

• The gang plan to spring Lou in time for the cookout on “Rescue Me” (9 p.m., FX).

• The struggles of four teenage mothers unfold on “Teen Mom” (9 p.m., MTV).

Series notes

A polygraph leads to murder on “NCIS” (7 p.m., CBS) … An episode unfolds in the style of director John Hughes on “One Tree Hill” (7 p.m., CW).