FRIDAY
JANUARY 10
2020

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: This new NBC series is developed by executive producers Mark Bianculli and VJ Boyd, who also wrote the teleplay for tonight’s premiere episode. If you’re wondering if there’s a family connection, there isn’t – VJ and I are entirely unrelated. But yes, Mark is my son, and while I’m not analyzing or deeply criticizing the show here or elsewhere for obvious reasons, I do think it’s a very strong pilot, and there’s no denying my admiration for the achievement, especially from a former TV Worth Watching correspondent. For full details, and yesterday’s proud papa edition of “Best TV Tomorrow,” see Bianculli’s BlogAnd in the video, watch behind my shoulder for a tie-in toy. Well done, Mark. You too, VJ.
 
  
 
 

TCM, 2:00 a.m. ET

Tonight, in the wee hours of Saturday morning, TCM digs deeply underground to present a pair of John Waters movies from the 1970s. Waters, by now, has long established himself as an eccentric, often-embraced elder statesman of cult cinema, with films that get mass distribution and widespread general acclaim. But my, when he was starting out, he was out there – as this pair of movies certainly attests. Multiple Maniacs, from 1970, is shown first, starring Divine as Lady Divine, proprietress of a traveling freak show of sorts, aimed at titillating and/or horrifying conservative suburbanites. Waters’ films of this period clearly had the same general mission. Next comes 1975’s Female Trouble at 3:45 a.m. ET (pictured), promoted in the original trailer as “a new high in low taste.” Divine and Mink Stole feature prominently in both films, providing a bridge over troubled Waters.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.