Fundraiser spreads

The traditional three major broadcast networks all devote themselves to the fundraiser "Stand up to Cancer" at 7 p.m. Friday. It will air simultaneously on CBS' WBBM Channel 2, NBC's WMAQ Channel 5 and ABC 7.

More Maher

Bill Maher is back for the election season, and he's more caustic than ever. He figures to take on the Republican National Convention with his panel of more-or-less experts at 10 p.m. Friday on HBO. Pro or con, liberal or conservative, you should make it a point not to miss the most unfettered political discussion on TV.

More talk

Bonnie Hunt debuts her new daytime talk show at 2 p.m. Monday on Channel 5. Rachel Maddow joins the MSNBC prime-time lineup with her new show at 8 p.m. Monday. She's replacing Dan Abrams in what many perceive as a shift to the left for the cable news channel.

'Hunter' abides

"The Night of the Hunter" doesn't make for easy viewing. Charles Laughton's one and only directorial film shifts moods and deploys expressionist techniques. Yet it's an undeniable masterpiece, with Robert Mitchum as a psychotic con-man preacher and Lillian Gish as the voice of reason at the end. It's at 7 p.m. Saturday on Turner Classic Movies.