When there’s a disaster, there’s never a telethon far away. Tonight’s is a hastily-planned affair to aid those affected by the hurricane that just occurred Monday.“Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together” (NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, E!, Bravo, Style, Syfy, USA and G4, 8 p.m.) is heavy on entertainers from the affected area including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera and Mary J. Blige but also Sting. Jimmy Fallon and Brian Williams, who both went to work this week in New York despite the storm, will also make appearances. Money raised will go to the Red Cross, which you can donate to right now at redcross.org.
It took two episodes for Gordon Ramsay to fix an Italian place in Boston’s North End on “Kitchen Nightmares” (Fox, 8 p.m.).
James Balog, Rob Reiner, Margaret Hoover, Rick Lazio and Matthew Segal are guests on a new “Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO, 10 p.m.).
“A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman” (Epix, 10 p.m.) features the late Python member reading his memoir, animated by a number of artists.
The everyman character actor Tom Ewell is featured tonight on Turner Classic Movies, in “The Lieutenant Wore Skirts” (8 p.m.), “Adam’s Rib” (10 p.m.) and his most famous role, opposite Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch” (midnight). Oh, that guy!
Later, it’s one of the strangest movies you’ll see on TV, the ultraviolent 1991 Hong Kong-Japan prison film “Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky” (TCM, 2 a.m.), a cult film deserving in the network’s Underground slot, starring Fan Siu-Wong and directed by Lam Ngai-Choi. It’s showing with the 1966 “Dai-bosatu toge” (TCM, 3:45 a.m.).
Your first NBA Friday has Heat at Knicks (ESPN, 8 p.m.) and Mavericks at Lakers (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Judi Dench, Sarah Silverman. Katie Couric: Sharon Osbourne, Jennie Garth. The View: Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, Terry O’Quinn, Billy Ray Cyrus. The Talk: Amanda Peet, Dennis Haysbert, Wolfgang Puck. Ellen DeGeneres: Denzel Washington, Jenna Fischer, Luke Bryan.
Late Talk
David Letterman: Jason Sudeikis, Michael Che, Ultraista. Jay Leno: Marion Cotillard, Olate Dogs, Third Day. Jimmy Kimmel: Kelly Ripa, Alicia Keys, Chris Rock. Jimmy Fallon: Christina Aguilera, Colin Quinn, Joshua Topolsky, Joey Bada$$. Craig Ferguson: Michael Sheen, Ophira Eisenberg. Carson Daly: Chris Hayes, Rob Delaney, Regina Spektor (rerun). Tavis Smiley: Eric Topol, Jon Friedman. Chelsea Handler: Chuck Lorre, James Davis, Ali Wong, Ross Mathews (rerun).