TV picks for Nov. 12: Simon Helberg, "A Crime to Remember," "20/20"

If Howard Wolowitz of "The Big Bang Theory" was asked to curate a film festival, he'd probably stick with a "Star Wars" marathon. But Simon Helberg, the actor who plays him, has a much broader palette. For his stint as TCM's guest programmer, he's selected "The Party" (7 p.m. TCM), "Dr. Strangelove" (8:45 p.m.), "Brief Encounter" (10:30 p.m.) and "Modern Romance" (12:15 a.m.).

The characters on "Mad Men" may be less than honorable, but at least they haven't killed anyone — yet. "A Crime to Remember" (9 p.m., Investigation Discovery) explores the same era, but this time the focus is on horrifying murders, starting with the grisly deaths of two children in 1965.

"Scandal" is doing so well for ABC that the network is turning its newsmagazine loose on the topic. Instead of investigating Kerry Washington's pregnancy, "20/20" (9 p.m., KSTP, Ch. 5) will count down the 10 biggest political scandals in U.S. history.