FRIDAY

SEPTEMBER 12

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

Do not miss this. Bill Maher is opening his new season with a high-wire-act two-parter of a bold live TV stunt. He always does Real Time live – hence the title – but tonight he’s rushing straight from that show, done for this week only from Washington, D.C., to a standup comedy concert act, also televised live by HBO. And the guest list for Real Time ought to help him relax a little, because he’s filled it with guests who need no help talking, or arguing, or expressing opnions: The guests include Nancy Pelosi, Andrea Mitchell and Jerry Seinfeld.

ADULT WORLD

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

This 2013 comedy didn’t make much of a dent at the box office, or even with critics, but it certainly sounds intriguing enough to check out on a Friday night of home TV viewing. John Cusack and Emma Roberts star in a story that casts Cusack as a reclusive writer, and Roberts as an aspiring writer and poet who makes ends meet by getting a job – at a sex shop.

THE KNICK

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

This is the first episode I haven’t previewed, because Cinemax only sent the first four episodes. But I’m really looking forward to seeing more, which is my very simple measure of a TV success story. Clive Owen stars.

BILL MAHER: LIVE FROM D.C.

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

Rushing right from a live telecast of Real Time, Bill Maher does his latest standup comedy special, also live, in an unprecedented one-two punch that ought to bring increased vitality and urgency to both programs. I’ll be watching. So should you.

Z NATION

Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Despite the presence of such likable actors as Harold Perrineau from Oz and Lost, this new Syfy zombie series is a very acquired taste – and will taste palatable only to those who really, really enjoy the tongue-in-cheek, intentionally cheesy theatrics of Sharknado. This new series comes from that same team, a team that brings its usual just-for-fun approach to the zombie post-apocalyptic world. Personally, I watch so much accidentally bad television, I get no thrill from even intentionally tacky TV.

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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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BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET

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