FRIDAY

NOVEMBER 1

2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

This is a warning, not a recommendation. I’ve been a TV critic so long that I remember when it was natural, and easy, to fan the flames of outrage whenever a local newscast would spend part of its time doing a feature story obviously tied to one of its prime-time offerings. That practice has become so accepted, nobody even blinks any more, not even TV critics. But tonight’s prime-time network special, presented under the auspices and corporate flag of NBC News, is called Why We (Heart) Vampires, and is a direct, blatant tie-in to its newest drama series, Dracula – which conveniently follows two hours later, at 10 p.m. ET. This sort of shameless, manipulative cross-promotion is Why I (Hate) Network TV, at least when it pulls garbage like this. Even under the flimsy excuse of putting the appeal of vampires in a context of both historical fact (as pictured, Vlad the Impaler!) and popular culture (the Twilight movies!), this kind of tacky tie-in special is a Vlad idea. Oh, and by the way: NBC’s Dracula, the series, is awful.

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Frank Capra directed this fast-moving delight of a screwball comedy, which swept all the major Oscar awards in 1934 – becoming the first movie to do so. Clark Cable stars, and the one scene Claudette Colbert doesn’t steal with her charm and wit, she steals with her legs.

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

What a lineup! Neil DeGrasse Tyson (pictured) shows up to argue science in a way that makes sense, two Hollywood Robs – Reiner and Lowe – show up to argue their political views, and Ann Coulter shows up to represent the conservative side.

HAVEN

Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET

Duke (Eric Balfour) and Nathan (Lucas Bryant) come out swinging in tonight’s new episode, which is called “Crush” – and, for the record, is about scrunching things, not falling in love with them. Although, given the behavior of Duke and Nathan regarding Emily Rose’s Audrey a.k.a. Lexie, maybe it’s both.

HIS GIRL FRIDAY

TCM, 10:00 p.m. ET

Here’s another classic screwball comedy from TCM tonight. This one, from 1940, is directed by Howard Hawks, and stars Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in an especially saucy version of the Ben Hecht play The Front Page. Anyone who’s ever stepped foot in a newspaper newsroom loves this movie. But how many people are stepping into newspaper newsrooms these days? Sigh.

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

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BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 10:00 p.m. ET

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