FRIDAY
JANUARY 13
2017

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Forget about the Jim Carrey movie from a dozen years ago. This new Netflix version, overseen by Lemony Snicket author Daniel Handler and Barry Sonnenfeld (one of the show’s gifted directors), is delightful from start to finish. Well, start to the end of episode eight, which is all Netflix is providing during this first go-round. Each book in the original Series of Unfortunate Events series, telling of the continuing misadventures of a trio of orphaned siblings whose family fortune is targeted by the evil Count Olaf, is dramatized in two TV episodes. So the first four books are covered in this eight-episode first season, and they’re covered beautifully. Guest stars such as Alfre Woodard and Joan Cusack have a fabulous time here, and Patrick Warburton, playing Lemony Snicket the reluctant “author,” is perfect. But so is Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, who slinks through A Series of Unfortunate Events with a series of hilarious characterizations. The most TV fun I’ve had in quite a while. For my full review on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, listen to the show today, or, later on, visit the Fresh Air website. But gobble these up, regardless of your age. For an interview with executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld, see Bianculli’s Blog.

 
  
 
 

Amazon Prime Video, 3:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Originally made for CBS, then picked up by Amazon, this series has a mouth-watering pedigree. It’s a drama series created by Bryan Cranston, star of Breaking Bad, and David Shore, co-creator of House – who worked with the creator of Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan, on Battle Creek for CBS. This one also has, as another executive producer, Graham Yost of Justified and The Americans. Giovanni Ribisi stars as a ex-con con man who adopts the identity of a former cellmate, and gets involved in a dysfunctional family and their bail-bonds business. Co-stars include Margo Martindale from Justified and The Americans, Marin Ireland of Masters of Sex, Peter Gerety of Homicide: Life on the Street, and guest stars include Alison Wright (from both The Americans and FX’s upcoming Feud: Bette and Joan) and, as a very ruthless gangster, Cranston himself, who makes his first appearance at the end of the pilot. Sneaky Pete starts well, then stalls a little – but it’s worth sticking with, to see how it develops, and, with luck, deepens. For an interview with Margo Martindale, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower

 
  
 
 

CW, 9:00 p.m. ET

Tonight’s episode has Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) attending a family bar mitzvah. And expect some music, because Patti LuPone guest stars as the rabbi.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

How’d you like to spend a night with Cleopatra? (Sorry to frame the question that way, but I had to asp.) Tonight, TCM shows a small bouquet of movies featuring the queen of the Nile, starting at 8 p.m. ET with Cecil B. DeMille’s 1934 Cleopatra, starring Claudette Colbert (pictured). Then, at 10 p.m. ET, is the most famous Cleopatra film of all: the 1963 epic, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Those are followed by 1964’s British comedy Carry On Cleo at 2:30 a.m. ET, starring Amanda Barrie, and finishing at 4:15 a.m. ET with 1945’s Caesar and Cleopatra, starring Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 9:00 p.m. ET

In this episode, keep your eye on the character of Tip (Jordan Loughran), whose gender-bending persona, harking all the way back to author L. Frank Baum’s original Ozma of Oz, is almost shockingly topical. I’d say more, but I don’t want to Tip my hand…

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
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2801 Comments
 
 
That was more than karaoke. it felt like a live concert! You totally owned the mic and won everyone’s hearts.
Oct 27, 2025   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Holy Lolapalooza! It's been a semi-secret in my life that I like to GLAM UP and belt out a few tunes at my local watering hole. I didn't ever think that one of my FANS would stumble in to one of my performances!!! ROTFLMBFAO!!!!

Which song did you like best: Girls Just Want to Have Fun, or Highway to Hell?

Next time, please introduce yourself!! I promise, I don't bite!!!! (unless we both mutually agree that we would like that!!!!!)

Fondly yours in TV,

Dave
Oct 28, 2025
 
 
 
Thanks for sharing this. Home buying can feel stressful, but posts like this make the process easier to understand and plan for.
Oct 24, 2025   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
What the fuc% are you talking about?

Warmly,

Dave
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Oct 21, 2025   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Oh wow, you just made my day! I almost wet my pants!!

Sincerely,

Dave
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Oct 21, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Buying a home can feel overwhelming at first, but once you understand the process and get pre-approved, things start falling into place. I really appreciate how this post breaks down the steps clearly, super helpful for buyers!
Oct 17, 2025   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey homie,

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Seriously, please remove your post. And if you decide to post again, please make it about the greatest Art that Man has ever Created: TELEBISION!!!!!

Warmly,

Dave
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Oct 15, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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Oct 14, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Awesome blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Many thanks!
Oct 11, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
You made karaoke night the highlight of the evening, fantastic job!
Oct 11, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Thank you because you have been willing to share information with us. We will always appreciate all you have done here because I know you are very concerned with quality content.
Oct 9, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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Oct 8, 2025   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey Godfrey - what-the-ever-loving-fuc%-are-you-even-fuc%ing-talking about??!
I think you took a wrong turn after hitting that meth pipe to end up here!!!

ROTFLMBFFAO!!!

Dave
Oct 8, 2025
 
 
 
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Oct 7, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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You sing with so much heart, it makes karaoke extra special.
Oct 1, 2025   |  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.