FRIDAY

FEBRUARY 1

2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Netflix, Check local listings

SERIES PREMIERE: This new series, starring Kevin Spacey as a career politician with his own self-serving agenda, is available starting today, at any time, on Netflix – and not just the first episode, either, but all 13 hours in this drama series’ first season. It’s a bold way to present a new show that is this good, and I suspect it is, indeed, the wave of the future. For a full review, and a link to my review on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, please refer to Bianculli’s Blog. And if you can’t find House of Cards on your opening screen when opening your Netflix streaming service, just type in the show’s entire name in the Search box. You’ll find it there – as well as the 1990 British miniseries on which it’s based. Let the binge viewing begin! Kate Mara (pictured with Spacey) and Robin Wright co-star.

MOYERS & COMPANY

Public Television, Check local listings

On some talk shows, guests argue endlessly and at high volume, or have a tendency to drone on. On Moyers & Company, host Bill Moyers always keeps the conversation fluid and cordial. And no one is allowed to drone on – even this weekend, when this new edition presents a discussion about the moral and legal obligations regarding the U.S. use of unmanned drones. Moyers & Company airs from Friday to Sunday on local public TV stations; to find it in your local area, click the BillMoyers.com website.

SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

The first two installments of this series were hosted by Ethan Hawke and Joely Richardson, and were okay. Tonight’s lead-off entry, though, takes things to a higher level: Its host, for an in-depth look at Richard II, is Derek Jacobi, who first played the role three decades ago. Also tonight, an hour later: Henry IV & Henry V with Jeremy Irons. Check local listings.

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

Maher’s scheduled guests tonight include actress Eva Longoria and Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker, both of whom have been on the show before, and are comfortably outspoken. Two of the other guests, though, are sure to tackle the third-rail issue of religion. Alex Gibney is the documentary filmmaker behind Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, which premieres next week on HBO. And Sam Harris (pictured) is the neuroscientist and author whose best sellers include the provocative The End of Faith.

PORTLANDIA

IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET

Things keep getting strange, and mellowing to the point of rotting, in Portlandia, which presents another multi-plot episode this week. There’s a wedding, and a coffee shop manifesto – and at attempt by the interim mayor of Portland to make the job less temporary. Among the guest stars: Chloe Sevigny. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen star.

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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

Netflix, Check local listings

Public Television, Check local listings

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET

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