Animated genius

“American Masters: Tyrus” pays tribute to Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong, whose work stretched from laying the groundwork for Disney’s “Bambi” to designing elaborate kites. Wong, who died in 2016 at age 106, comes across as spry, humble and inspiring, exactly the kind of talent that deserves membership in the “Masters” club.

8 p.m. Friday, TPT, Ch. 2

Nothing holdin’ him back

“MTV Unplugged,” a staple of the network from 1989 to ’99, hasn’t had much of a presence in recent years despite the popularity of acoustic music. The series will attempt a reboot, starting with Shawn Mendes, who recently told Variety magazine that Pearl Jam’s 1992 appearance on the show was an inspiration.

7 p.m. Friday, MTV

Mendes

The write stuff

David Simon is credited as one of the greatest writers in modern TV — and rightly so — but such series as “The Wire,” “Treme” and “The Corner” wouldn’t have crackled with so much authenticity without partners he could count on. Such is the case with “The Deuce,” a terrific new series about the porn industry in the early ’70s with crime novelist George Pelecanos again serving as Simon’s right-hand man. The first episode simply introduces us to the characters, played by an all-star team that includes Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco, but what keeps you engaged is the dialogue, notably a hilarious yet insightful conversation about the Vietnam War between two pimps in a bus station.

8 p.m. Sunday, HBO; first episode now streaming on HBO Now and HBO Go.

School daze

The brisk but educational documentary “The Naked Truth: Debt Trap” gets a B-plus for putting human faces behind the issue of surmounting student loans. A little more time focused on solutions would have promoted this special onto the dean’s list.

8 p.m. Sunday, Fusion

Neal Justin