The rain, the park and other things

It's likely that you've never heard of the Cowsills, a promising band from the '60s that self-destructed under the heavy thumb of their father. Get to know the group that inspired "The Partridge Family" through this excellent, and heartbreaking, 2011 documentary, "Family Band: The Cowsills Story" (6 p.m., Showtime).

Cummings and goings

I've been impressed with Whitney Cummings ever since I saw her open for Denis Leary a few years ago, but her self-titled sitcom, "Whitney" (7 p.m., KARE, Ch. 11), just isn't working. The network is saying these two episodes are the season's last, but you can probably just substitute "season" for "series."

Keep it classy, Portland

I used to complain that "The Real World" (9 p.m., MTV) has never visited Minneapolis, but after seeing that the 28th season premiere, set in Portland, Ore., is subtitled: "Bondage, Butts and Burlesque," I'm thinking we're better off without them.

Neal Justin