Fans of Hunter S. Thompson will know a bit about Oscar Zeta Acosta, the manic sidekick sometimes known as Dr. Gonzo in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” But a brazen new documentary on his life, “The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) looks further into the life of the radical Chicano lawyer.
Director Philip Rodriguez takes a lot of flights of fancy in his telling of the tale, including extensive use of re-enactments and even some illustrations and animation. But surprisingly, none of the iconic Ralph Steadman illustrations that defined the character. At the TV Critics Association winter press tour, I asked him why.
“Steadman’s style, for me, is the Gonzo style,” Rodriguez said. “And the Gonzo style, in a certain way misrepresented Oscar in his fullness. It created a cartoon out of him. And this film is, in many ways, a reaction to that particular characterization. So I’m not as enamored of the Steadman esthetic of the “Fear and Loathing” film as some people might be. I was simply, in some ways, trying to correct the record, that this man was an extraordinary fellow, a man of action, a man of intelligence and insight and courage in his own right and deserved his own kind of esthetic.”
“High Maintenance” (HBO, 11 p.m.) ends its strong second season with the arrival of a solar eclipse. Plus the Guy has to prepare for some life changes.
Mitch Landrieu, Gina McCarthy, Mona Charen, Chris Hayes and Malcolm Nance are guests on a new “Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO, 10 p.m.).
Turner Classic Movies winds up its week of films with great endings with ones that had a twist: “The Third Man” (8 p.m.), ‘Diabolique” (10 p.m.) and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (12:15 a.m.). Then it’s a double feature of hot rats of the 70s, “Willard” (2:45 a.m.) and “Ben” (4:30 a.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest: Taraji P. Henson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Daphne Oz, Sisanie. The View: Jenna Fischer, Oliver Hudson. The Talk: Marcia Clark, Lynda Carter, Jessica Altman. Harry Connick: Matt Wright, Jmie Lee, Chef Stuart O’Keeffe (rerun). Steve Harvey: Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker. Ellen DeGeneres: John Cena, Sigourney Weaver, Jhene Aiko, Rae Sremmurd. Wendy Williams: Matthew Knowles. The Real: Neil Brown Jr.
Late Talk
Stephen Colbert: Tom Brady, Emmy Blotnick, (rerun). Jimmy Fallon: Leslie Mann, Jim Jeffries, Joe List. Seth Meyers: Ricky Gervais, Lena Waithe, Luke Mitchell, Brendan Canty (rerun). James Corden: Elton John, Sharon Stone, Vance Joy (rerun). Carson Daly: Daniel Bruhl, Angus & Julia Stone, Orla Doherty (rerun).