FRIDAY
DECEMBER 12
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Netflix, 12:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: All 10 episodes of the first season of Netflix’s newest drama series, Marco Polo, are available today beginning in the very early morning – but this one may have a tougher time gaining traction, even if it gets a sizable initial sampling. It sets out to be an epic period drama, colorful and fascinatingly unusual in the manner of the classic NBC miniseries Shogun – but that 1980 drama, starring Richard Chamberlain as a seafaring stranger in a very strange land, was much more credible and compelling, and sophisticated. This new drama has its international cast all speaking English, as best they can, with more emphasis on set design than character development. Lorenzo Richelmy plays the title role, with Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan. But it’s the women, played by Olivia Cheng, Shu An Oon and others (including Joan Chen from Twin Peaks), who make the best argument for tuning in. That, and the Mongolian throat singing used on the soundtrack to open the series.
 
  
 
 

IFC, 6:30 p.m. ET

This is an unintentional changing of the guard movie. Made in 1980, it stars Chevy Chase, the first member of Saturday Night Live to quit the show early to pursue a movie career, and features Bill Murray, his SNL replacement, who basically steals the movie out from under him. Chase indeed became a movie star for a few years, embodying the sardonic, self-satisfied smug humor of a new generation – but Murray, in time, proved the more durable movie star and much better actor. But here they are together, in a raucous golf comedy directed by Harold Ramis, and also starring Ted Knight and a vibrant Rodney Dangerfield. In a few weeks, Caddyshack will be 35 years old.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

Twenty years ago, the hip-hop artist Nas released his Illmatic album, which had a major impact on the industry and on many of the rap artists to follow. This documentary tries to explain why, especially, but not exclusively, to the uninitiated.

 
  
 
 

Starz!, 9:00 p.m. ET

What a dream team of talented character actors: Clark Gregg, star of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., plays a down-on-his-luck talent agent who sees a young actress as his ticket to the big time, and the rest of the cast of this Hollywood comedy-drama includes Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy, Allison Janney and Sam Rockwell. Saxon Sharbino plays the talented teenager.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 12:35 a.m. ET

Rashida Jones, a regular on both NBC’s The Office and Parks and Recreation, shows up to say goodbye to Craig Ferguson, in another entry in what’s been a very enjoyable, truly freewheeling couple of final weeks. Jones is another of the plays-well-with-others celebrities whom Ferguson took on one of his overseas travel-week shows, so expect a very warm, and funny, farewell.

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
IPQBJ
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 201  | Go to page: 
4010 Comments
 
 
I definitely enjoying every little bit of this blog. It is a great website and nice share. I want to thank you. Good job! You guys do a great blog, and have some great contents. Keep up the good work
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ???,? ???? ??? ?? ??????. ? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ?? ???? ?????!
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ???,? ???? ??? ?? ??????. ? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ?? ???? ?????!
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ??????. t ? ?? ind personilly wtll certitnly dtgtt? ?????. t'm conftdent ??? thts webstte?? gitned ? ????
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I will right away clutch your rss feed as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please let me recognize so that I may subscribe.
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?????? ????? ? ???? ???? ???? ??? ????. ??? ???? ??? ?? ? ??? ?? ???? ?? ? ? ????.
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This Post is providing valuable and unique information, I know that you take a time and effort to make a awesome article
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is a fantastic website, thanks for sharing. There's no doubt i would fully rate it after i read what the idea about this article is. You did a nice
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is a fantastic website, thanks for sharing. There's no doubt i would fully rate it after i read what the idea about this article is. You did a nice
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
It’s really a fantastic website, thanks for sharing. There's no doubt i would fully rate it after i read what the idea about this article is. You did a nice
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Thank you for taking the time to share with us
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Cool stuff you have and you keep overhaul every one of us
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the leisure here! Keep up the good work. I have been meaning to write something like this on my website and you have given me an idea.
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
i was just browsing along and came upon your blog. just wanted to say good blog and this article really helped me
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I was surfing net and fortunately came across this site and found very interesting stuff here. Its really fun to read. I enjoyed a lot. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Thank you so much as you have been willing to share information with us. We will forever admire all you have done here because you have made my work as easy as ABC.
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I discovered your this post while hunting down some related data on website search...Its a decent post..keep posting and upgrade the data
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Uncommon tips and clear. This will be to a great degree supportive for me when I get a chance to start my blog
Jun 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??
I really enjoyed reading this since it focused on useful points. Well done on putting this together.
Jun 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read which are really not tht good. I also found your posts very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show it to my friend and he ejoyed it as well
Jun 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 201  | Go to page: 
 
 

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.