TUESDAY
SEPTEMBER 10
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

This well-timed biography of Billie Jean King, who made history both on and off the tennis court, arrives just one day after a two-day series of brilliant tennis finals at the U.S. Open. Watching this profile explains, in part, why tennis has become such a popular TV sport – and especially why, when Serena Williams won the other day, she was given as much prize money as the men’s winner, Rafael Nadal. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Another great night of classic early films is presented tonight on TCM, including Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the 1924 silent swashbuckler, The Thief of Baghdad. And the evening starts, at 8 p.m. ET, with this influential, classic 1922 documentary – originally a silent film, but with narration recorded and added a generation later, for a new audience. It’s the images, though, that matters, as director Robert Flaherty captures the simple yet proud life of an Eskimo. I remember watching this in high school, and pitying poor Nanook because he was smart and agile enough to spear salmon swimming upstream, yet so dumb he would eat his catch raw, rather than cook it on the fire that kept him warm nearby. It was many years later before I realized Nanook was dumb like an arctic fox, and was enjoying what must have been the world’s freshest, most fabulous sashimi.

 
  
 
 

NFL Network, 9:00 p.m. ET

Blame my enthusiasm for this new NFL Network biography on growing up in southern Florida in the Sixties and early Seventies. When I was a teenager, the Miami Dolphins handed me a perfect season, which is why I’ve been loyal to them ever since. And spent way too much time and money, in recent years, watching the Dolphins play every week on satellite TV. Sigh. But here’s a profile of the coach who got them through an entire season, and a Super Bowl, without a loss.

 
  
 
 

THIRTEEN, 9:30 p.m. ET

These overviews of WNET-Ch. 13 in New York aren’t televised nationwide, but should be – because these well-produced local TV history lessons are a true treat to watch. It would be enough, in this compendium of local and national programming produced by WNET, to start and stop with Bill Moyers’ Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, one of the best talking-heads TV series ever made. But the other stuff sampled and saluted here includes David Attenborough’s Life on Earth, the movie Koyaanisqatsi, and the late, great American Playhouse.

 
  
 
 

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: As this new season begins, Clay (Ron Perlman) has been framed for murder and is behind bars, but Tara (Maggie Siff) may be heading there also, charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Jax (Charlie Hunnam), who’s now running the club with a free hand, has to handle all that, and more. His mission, should he decide to accept is, is to keep Tara out of jail, and keep Clay in. Clay in prison, after all, is the next best thing to a sequel to Oz.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 11:00 p.m. ET

There’s a special, delightful chemistry on view tonight, as two former Friends continue to play well together in Lisa Kudrow’s Showtime comedy series. She plays a goofy online therapist named Fiona – and last week, she met a new client, an online gambling addict played by Matt Matt Le Blanc. He, of course, played Joey to her Phoebe on NBC’s Friends, which began nearly 20 years ago. And here they are again, just as much fun to watch. In tonight’s show, his character discovers that Fiona has been spying on him by playing online poker at the same virtual table.

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
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3808 Comments
 
 
Para penipu kelas rendah melakukan apa yang paling mereka kuasai—berbohong, menipu, dan menghilang dengan uang orang lain.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu yang memalukan memangsa orang-orang dengan klaim palsu dan kebohongan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This article is packed with insights! I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into making it so engaging. Well done!
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Such an amazing read! Your ability to explain things in a simple yet detailed way is truly impressive.
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey sweetie,

It's not that complicated! It's TV!!! Do what I do!!!!! Grab a six pack of Miller Lite, crack the first one open and drink it. Rinse and repeat!!!!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!!!

Just let the TV flow over you.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

Dave
Apr 21, 2026
 
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This was well explained since it stayed concise and clear. Thanks for sharing this insight.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia tangkap situs web sialan itu
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Practical stream
A thoughtful reflection on TV criticism’s evolution and legacy—blending nostalgia, personal memories, and appreciation for creators who shaped meaningful viewing experiences.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Situs web ini benar-benar penipuan, jangan percayai mereka.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya sekelompok penipu lain yang melakukan bisnis kotor secara online.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
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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.