What makes them beautiful

"The X Factor UK" closes out Season 12 with performances by Coldplay and One Direction, the band that owes its existence to the British series. Judge Simon Cowell put the group together after hearing the members as individual contestants. Cowell most likely also takes credit for selecting Harry Styles' tattoos. 7 p.m. AXS TV

All-star panel

One-panel cartoons, an art form on mainstream media's extinction list, are celebrated in "Very Semi-Serious: A Partially Thorough Portrait of New Yorker Cartoonists," a documentary honoring the magazine's unsung heroes. Director Leah Wolchok does a nice job of humanizing the oft-kilter contributors, but the failure to properly address the group's shortage of minority artists is glaring. 8 p.m. HBO

Lost in space

You don't have to put up with crowds at theaters to experience star wars. "The Expanse," based on James Corey's international bestselling novels, tracks a futuristic detective (Thomas Jane) who speeds across the universe to save the galaxy. Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo also stars in what Syfy is calling its most ambitious series to date. 9 p.m. Syfy

Neal Justin