Cinemax, 7:00 p.m. ET
Joe Pesci is explosively out of control in this 1995 Martin Scorsese film, while Robert De Niro is in control throughout, and James Woods, in a smaller role, is all tics and nerves. The supporting roles are worth a close look — both Don Rickles and Dick Smothers are used very, very well here — but it’s hard to avert your eyes from Sharon Stone, who embodies the film’s femme fatale with maximum effectiveness.
HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET
Writer-director Wes Anderson is kind of like a kooky Stanley Kubrick: His films are composed with an obsessive and impressive attention to detail, and his characters are as original as they are unpredictable. In this Anderson 2012 film, two preteens in love (played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) scheme to set off together, leaving their families and other concerned people behind to search and wonder. These significant others are played by a diverse, beautifully employed ensemble of actors, including Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Bill Murray. A total delight.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
This new film biography is directed by Marina Zenovich, who previously directed a pair of documentaries on another controversial character, Roman Polanski. And in telling the story of Pryor, one of his generation’s most talented and influential comics, Zenovich calls upon some very impressive and persuasive witnesses, including Mel Brooks, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Bob Newhart, and Lily Tomlin.
HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET
On this new edition, Maher’s guests include NBC News investigative reporter Michael Isikoff and writer Paul Rudnick, whose If You Ask Me column on show biz, written under the pen name Libby Gelman-Waxner, is one of the funniest columns around, if you ask me.
IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET
This week’s show has Marc Maron deciding, after some rough dates with younger women, to try dating someone nearer his own age. And when the woman in question is played by Gina Gershon, it’s hard to feel anything but envy for his new direction.