“Frontline” (8 p.m., PBS) recalls the horrific terrorist assaults on Mumbai, India, on Nov. 26, 2008. The report, “A Perfect Terrorist,” traces the curious career path of David Coleman Headley, who evolved from a heroin dealer into a U.S. government informant and then plotted the attacks that left 164 people dead.

”Secrets of the Dead” (9 p.m., PBS) follows with the 2009 documentary “Mumbai Massacre.” This film recalls the terrorists’ use of modern communications and the Indian authorities’ ability to eavesdrop on their cellphone chatter. “Massacre” puts a special emphasis on the victims’ use of Twitter and other social-media networks to describe their plight and to communicate with and warn loved ones.

• Just when you thought the connection between the sports pages and the crime blotter could not be grimmer, “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” (9 p.m., HBO) looks into charges against a tennis Hall of Famer now accused of molesting girls he coached during the 1970s and ’80s.

• At a time when stand-up comedians seem compelled to exude rage, blowtorch profanity and overall “edge,” Jeff Dunham has become a popular throwback. He’s so old- fashioned that he hopes to bring ventriloquism back in style. “Jeff Dunham: Birth of a Dummy” (7 p.m., BIO) offers a 90-minute profile of the comedian whose specials for Comedy Central have set ratings records.

Not everybody is a Jeff Dunham fan. Some have found his puppets to be offensive ethnic stereotypes, and some critics and fellow comedians have suggested that his dummies are merely a crutch to support subpar material. Such quibbles don’t seem to have crimped his style.

• A winner emerges on “Dancing With the Stars” (8 p.m., ABC). Gee whiz, another season seems to have passed me by.

• TV-themed DVDs available today include “McMillan & Wife: The Complete Series.”

Tonight’s other highlights

• Another two-hour episode of “The X Factor” (7 p.m., Fox) means another chance to bump “New Girl,” a show Fox once seemed so keen on promoting.

• First aired in 2003, “The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy” (7 p.m., History) takes another look at the evidence.

• An ambitious press agent (Tony Curtis) grovels for a powerful columnist (Burt Lancaster) in the bleak and ever-so-quotable 1957 drama “Sweet Smell of Success” (7 p.m., TCM).

• A crime scene may contain too many details to recall on “Unforgettable” (9 p.m., CBS).

• A workplace transgression may ruin things for Adam and Kristina on “Parenthood” (9 p.m., NBC).

• The 2010 special “The Real Story of Thanksgiving” (9 p.m., History) examines how the story has changed and how traditions have evolved since the 1620s.

• Negotiations with the Irish may determine the survival of the club on “Sons of Anarchy” (9 p.m., FX).