Show of the week: American Masters: Salinger

The novelist J.D. Salinger ensured himself a messy afterlife when he turned recluse at the height of his fame. This documentary isn’t subtle, but it unpacks a decade of research into the life of the author who went famously silent after publishing The Catcher in the Rye. Filmmaker Shane Salerno put every scrap on the table, especially in this previously unseen director’s cut. Accept the rough patches and you’ll glimpse the story of an artist who never overcame the psychic wounds of World War II and an early unrequited love. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings