SUNDAY

APRIL 12

2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

2015 MASTERS GOLF TOURNAMENT

CBS, 2:00 p.m. ET

Young Jordan Spieth continues to lead the pack going into the final day, having added a 2-under-par third round to his sizzling first two rounds of 8-under and 6-under. But other golfers had an even better Saturday, with Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson shooting 5-under-par for the day, and Rory McIlroy and the getting-his-groove-back Tiger Woods shooting a four-under. After three days, today’s championship round begins with Spieth at 16-under-par for the tournament – four shots ahead of Rose, five ahead of Mickelson, six ahead of Charley Hoffman (who shot only a 1-under-par Saturday), and a full 10 strokes behind the next gaggle of players, a five-way-tied group that includes Woods and McIlroy. But that still means CBS can – and no doubt will – start the day with Tiger’s name at the bottom of the first-page leader board.

THE GOOD WIFE

CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s episode ended with an accusation of voter fraud against Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and her camp – one that, if it sticks, could jeopardize not only Alicia’s newly acquired status as State’s Attorney, but drag down her husband, the Governor. And there are other accusations of misconduct in this week’s episode as well – ones that don’t bode well for the future of Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), whose doctored email evidence was found and submitted in court by Diane (Christine Baranski), who now is defending herself, and her case, before a judge.

GAME OF THRONES

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Is this series starting its new season with strength, purpose, direction and confidence? You betcha. And while there’s no “Red Wedding” in this season opener, there’s certainly a reduction in the population figures before the episode is over. And when Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) makes his first appearance, safely absconded from the palace after last season’s climactic act, both he and Game are very welcome returnees. And Lena Headey as Cersei, and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys, are wonderful too. It’s the point in this chess game where only the most powerful pieces are left, and they’re all circling one another warily. (And I’ve previewed the next few episodes, and they just keep getting better, so strap in and hold on.)

NURSE JACKIE

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Season 7, this show’s final season, begins tonight with Jackie (Edie Falco) having to climb out from her deepest hole yet: she’s arrested, out of a job, and seemingly without friends. But she’s more than proven her resourcefulness over the years, so you know she’ll be back, working at the hospital again somehow. (And I know it, too, because I’ve previewed the episode.)

MASTERPIECE: "WOLF HALL"

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

Part 2 of 6. In last week’s premiere of this meticulously filmed and slyly adapted miniseries version of Hilary Mantel’s novels about intrigue in and around the court of King Henry VIII, we barely saw the king at all. The central figure in this drama, and the reason it seems so fresh a take on the subject, is the usually maligned Thomas Cromwell, the royal advisor played by British stage actor Mark Rylance. Tonight, though, King Henry VIII, played by Homeland star Damian Lewis, gets much more screen time, including a wonderful scene on the royal archery range. Bullseye! Check local listings.

MAD MEN

AMC, 10:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s midseason return, a beginning of the end for this final cluster of Mad Men episodes, began by dropping hints and defying expectations – with the faces that were seen, the faces that weren’t (at least for now), and, on most men but Don Draper, the faces with silly-looking moustaches, such as John Slattery’s Roger Sterling. Still, most of the midseason premiere episode set the scene for things to come – and tonight, we get to see some of those very things.

VEEP

HBO, 10:30 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: The news broke recently that Veep series creator Armando Iannucci has left the series after four seasons – replaced by David Mandel, who worked with series star Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Seinfeld, and also was an executive producer, writer and director on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Here’s hoping the transition will be a smooth one, because the first Season 4 episodes, beginning with tonight’s premiere showing Louis-Dreyfus’ Selina Meyer settling in as President of the United States, may be this series’ very best yet. Tonight’s Veep crackles with wit in every scene, with the series regulars – Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Gary Cole and company – scoring with one perfectly delivered line of dialogue after another. “This thing is getting way too big,” one character says of a suddenly escalating crisis. “It’s like my mom’s cat.”

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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.

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