THURSDAY
JUNE 11
2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

ABC Family, 8:30 p.m. ET

Oh, those summer nights: Here’s another of those perfect summer movies to which I keep referring – the kind that seem perfect TV diversions on slow weekday nights. This one, from 1978, somehow has managed to catch on with more than one generation, so road-test it with any young ones around. Chances are, they’ll like it, even with the lyrics slightly sanitized from the original Broadway musical production. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta star.

 
  
 
 

ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET

Game 4. I’m rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James in this year’s finals, but not without admiration for the Golden State Warriors, who are heavily favored, and putting up quite a fight. Game 1, the Warriors won in overtime. Game 2, the Cavaliers won, also in overtime. Game 3, on home court for the first time, Cleveland built a lead as high as 20 points, but the Warriors cut the deficit to a single point before Cleveland toughed out the win in the final minutes. This probably will be the game where the Warriors enter the arena determined to rebound and even the series – but James and company know that in advance, so expect yet another high-intensity display of NBA finals artistry, rivalry, and true grit.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 9:00 p.m. ET

Fox isn’t playing coy here. In its own on-air promos, it promises that tonight’s episode reveals the secrets behind the mysteries of Wayward Pines. And it does. The problem is, those secrets aren’t so much tantalizing or revelatory as unbelievable and disappointing. So yes, if you tune in, your questions will be answered. But be careful what you wish for…

 
  
 
 

CNN, 9:00 p.m. ET

MINISERIES PREMIERE: Last year, CNN presented The Sixties, a thoughtfully and imaginatively assembled reflection of that turbulent decade. That series began with a look at how TV impacted the decade – and The Seventies, a welcome sequel miniseries, begins tonight with a similar TV-focused installment, including the impact of Roots and All in the Family.  Full disclosure: I was interviewed on-camera for both TV-focused installments of The Sixties and The Seventies, and advised on tonight’s opener. Fuller discloser: I had nothing to do with any of the other episodes, and The Sixties ended up being so good, despite any input from me, that I was able to recommend it highly. With the same production team behind The Seventies, expect more of the same high quality. I do. For my opinion piece on CNN.com, read The '70s: When TV Finally Woke up to Reality. And for a full review of this premiere episode, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

This season, Gillian Anderson becomes a more central player on Hannibal, as a co-conspirator to devious and (in more than one sense) delicious murders, and as someone who may eventually find herself on Hannibal’s menu. Meanwhile, enjoy – and not only her performance, but the European scenery.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.