REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER
HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET
Two weeks ago, Bill Maher did his show without an audience, to respect social distancing guidelines. Last week, he didn’t put on a show at all. But this week, he’s mounting a show that includes several guests, but still has no audience – which, for Maher (who has gotten increasingly frustrated with his own liberally “woke” studio audience members over the years), may be the only silver lining to this bleak pandemic. Certainly, his show bookers have no problem reaching out to guests stuck in their own homes: Tonight’s scheduled lineup of participants, each taking part from a safe distance and remote location, includes Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bernie Sanders, Willie Nelson, Seth MacFarlane – and Max Brooks, who enlisted his father, Mel Brooks, to make one of the most effective public service videos about the importance of social distancing, especially from elderly loved ones. And from me, an elderly person who likes to think he still has some loved ones out there dealing with their own social distancing issues, I’d like to shout out a sincere thanks, and round of applause, to both Max and Mel. If you haven’t yet seen their video, seek it out. And pay heed.