SUNDAY
AUGUST 12
2012

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

NBC, 7:00 p.m. ET

For the final day of Olympic competition, NBC may not have saved the best for last, but it’s certainly saved most of the last for itself.  Live coverage of the men’s marathon begins at 6 a.m. ET on NBC, and live coverage of the men’s basketball gold-medal game begins at 10 a.m. ET, with the U.S. squad taking the court against Spain, the same team it beat four years ago in Beijing. And all this comes to an end, starting at 7 p.m. ET, with the Closing Ceremonies, also televised – though not live – by NBC. (Don't want to wait? Watch a live internet stream of the ceremonies at  p.m. ET on NBCOlympics.com and on the network's Live Extra app.) Expect the Queen to arrive via jet pack this time. Well, not really, but why not?
 
  
 
 

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), once again, is on his knees and threatened with the “true death.” But this time, the person doing the threatening is someone he didn’t formerly consider an enemy.
 
  
 
 

AMC, 10:00 p.m. ET

In last week’s episode, Walt (Bryan Cranston) showed his wife so much of his controlling side that she protested by meekly trying to drown herself in their pool as her sister and brother-in-law visited. This week, Walt shows the same formerly dormant dominance with his son, Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte), who doesn’t know quite how to react to it either. But the elder Walt, these days, is taking control of all aspects of his life. At least for now.
 
  
 
 

Comedy Central, 10:00 p.m. ET

The Roastmaster of this recently taped “salute” to Roseanne Barr is Jane Lynch, who saves some of her most biting barbs for Chick-fil-A. Some words will be bleeped, just as some of Jeff Ross’ widely reported jokes already have been excised. As for what remains, expect some one-liners from guests Carrie Fisher. Katey Sagal, Seth Green, Ellen Barkin, Wayne Brady, ex-husband Tom Arnold, and others.
 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

In this week’s episode, Jane Fonda returns as Leona Lansing, the corporate owner of the cable network for which news anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) and news executive Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) work. And this week, Leona informs Charlie that Will may not be working there much longer, despite his multi-year contract.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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4483 Comments
 
 
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Aug 19, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Robin_B
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan situs web ini, mereka menipu orang.
Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 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.