FRIDAY
JANUARY 11
2019

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Amazon Prime Video, 3:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: One of the collaborators on this series is Sam Mendes, which may explain this show’s commanding visual flair. It also has a very tricky structure: Each episode begins with a flashback to a mass shooting at a London coffeehouse, then a scene from a court case related to that shooting, and then – and only then – a narrative about how England’s counter-terrorism unit (the British equivalent of Jack Bauer’s CTU) came to recruit a new informant as it targeted a suspected terrorist mastermind reportedly hiding in England. Nabhaan Rizwan stars as Raza Shar, a young British citizen of Pakistani descent, and Paddy Considine and Bel Powley play the agents who coerce him into cooperating with them. The acting is excellent throughout, and the characters are depicted in a modern way that’s very frank, and fairly unusual, for a BBC import.

 
  
 
 

Hulu, 3:00 a.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Season 2 of this Hulu science-fiction comedy is even more warped than last season – because the future, as affected by this show’s time-traveling heroes, has become even more warped as well. Josh Hutcherson stars as Josh Futturman, a janitor and gamester who is tasked to save the future, but ends up continually altering it instead. Eliza Coupe returns as Tiger – and this season, Seth Rogen makes a brief appearance as well, portraying a character named… Susan.

 
  
 
 

Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: In this imported Brtitish sex comedy, Asa Butterfield plays Otis, a high-school student whose life at home and at school seems hellish: He’s picked on or ignored at school, and when he gets home, he has to deal with the uncomfortable conversations and advice generated by his mom, Jean, who’s a professional sex therapist and couples counselor. Most of the students here look about a decade too old, and the premise – in which Otis begins counseling his fellow high schoolers on delicate sexual matters, boosting his ego and reputation as well as theirs – takes forever to kick in. The two leading female roles and players, however, make it Sex Education both enjoyable and worth watching. Emma Mackey as Maeve, Otis’ eventual friend and co-conspirator, breezes through every scene she’s in – and Jean, the free-spirited, grey-haired sex therapist, is played by Gillian Anderson, who has such fun misbehaving in this role that her delight is infectious. Anderson, whose appearances last season on American Gods had her embodying everyone from Marilyn Monroe to David Bowie, keeps finding new ways to reinvent herself – and hitting home runs with every one. For a full review, see David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower

 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

As part of the celebration of the founding of this excellent orchestra a century ago, tonight’s Great Performances features a gala concert conducted by music director Franz Welzer-Most, who has occupied that post for 17 years. Pianist Lang Lang is the featured artist for a program that includes, among many other pieces, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 11:00 p.m. ET

Among tonight’s guests are Mary Poppins Returns co-stars Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. And among the highlights: the moment when Miranda, prodded by host Graham Norton’s question about whether the creator of Hamilton still has the mastery of its dense lyrics, jumps from the couch to launch into an impromptu, letter-perfect, a cappella rendition of a healthy chunk of his “My Shot” number.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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4027 Comments
 
 
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Dave Bianculli
Howdy pardner,

Did you pass out on your keyboard after getting drunk, and then just kept bouncing your head over and over and over???

ROTFFLMBFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously dude, watch more TV, drink less alcohol!!!!

Warmly,

Dave
Jun 20, 2026
 
 
 
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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.