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SERIES PREMIERE: Originally made for CBS, then picked up by Amazon, this series has a mouth-watering pedigree.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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3808 Comments
 
 
Para penipu kelas rendah melakukan apa yang paling mereka kuasai—berbohong, menipu, dan menghilang dengan uang orang lain.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu yang memalukan memangsa orang-orang dengan klaim palsu dan kebohongan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This article is packed with insights! I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into making it so engaging. Well done!
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Such an amazing read! Your ability to explain things in a simple yet detailed way is truly impressive.
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey sweetie,

It's not that complicated! It's TV!!! Do what I do!!!!! Grab a six pack of Miller Lite, crack the first one open and drink it. Rinse and repeat!!!!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!!!

Just let the TV flow over you.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

Dave
Apr 21, 2026
 
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This was well explained since it stayed concise and clear. Thanks for sharing this insight.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia tangkap situs web sialan itu
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Practical stream
A thoughtful reflection on TV criticism’s evolution and legacy—blending nostalgia, personal memories, and appreciation for creators who shaped meaningful viewing experiences.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Situs web ini benar-benar penipuan, jangan percayai mereka.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya sekelompok penipu lain yang melakukan bisnis kotor secara online.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 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.