WEDNESDAY
MARCH 13
2019

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

SERIES RETURN: Empire returns for its final two episodes of Season 5, but the character of Jamal Lyon, played by Jussie Smollett, won’t be seen. He’s been edited and written out, pending a resolution of the actor’s real-life controversy. Tomorrow in Chicago, Smollett is scheduled to be arraigned for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself. If found guilty, Smollett’s career may crumble – but Empire , still one of Fox's most popular scripted shows, may not.
 
  
 
 

AMC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Last weekend was the golden anniversary of the publication of the original Godfather novel by Mario Puzo. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 movie version was infinitely better than the novel, and his sequel movie, starring Robert De Niro as a young Vito Corleone in flashback scenes while Al Pacino moved forward as youngest son Michael, was even better than the first film. For a while there, every iteration of The Godfather improved impressively upon its predecessors. And then came The Godfather Part III…

 
  
 
 

IFC, 11:00 p.m. ET

Fred Armisen stars in this week’s new edition, playing an enterprising fan looking for Gary Larson, the cartoonist who created The Far Side, then stopped of his own accord and became reclusive in a J.D. Salinger “don’t mess with me” sense. It’s been close to 25 years since Larson put an end to his own ubiquitous output and career – which seems amazing, since several of his illustrations and captions remain etched indelibly in my laugh-loving brain (cows driving past a field of humans, and rolling down the car window to shout “Yakity yak yak yak!”). I love the concept behind this faux documentary, about a fan getting financial support from the Internet to track down his idol, and co-writer Bill Hader is one of the clever minds behind it. An inspiration here may be Joel Allen Schroeder’s 2013 documentary Dear Mr. Watterson, in which fans extol the work of similarly reclusive cartoonist Bill Watterson, who ended his Calvin & Hobbes comic strip in 1995 – the same year Larson stopped his. But even without context, these Documentary Now! shows are deliciously entertaining.

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
DRYAJ
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 259  | Go to page: 
5161 Comments
 
 
This was among the best posts and episode from your team it let me learn many new things
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I am genuinely thankful to the holder of this web page who has shared this wonderful paragraph at at this place
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is a fantastic website, thanks for sharing. There's no doubt i would fully rate it after i read what the idea about this article is. You did a nice
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
The blog writings were so nice, I wished they neever ended.
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
We amazed using the evaluation a person designed to get this to specific submit amazing. Fantastic exercise!
 
 
We amazed using the evaluation a person designed to get this to specific submit amazing. Fantastic exercise!
 
 
I gotta favorite this website it seems very helpful
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
It is my first visit to your blog, and I am very impressed with the articles that you serve. Give adequate knowledge for me. Thank you for sharing useful material. I will be back for the more great post.
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I think this is one of the most significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things, The web site style is perfect, the articles is really great
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
very nice post, i surely really like this website, go on it
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I’m going to read this. I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing. and also This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives indepth information. thanks for this nice article...
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Wow, What an Outstanding post. I found this too much informatics. It is what I was seeking for. I would like to recommend you that please keep sharing such type of info.If possible, Thanks.
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Very good points you wrote here..Great stuff...I think you've made some truly interesting points.Keep up the good work.
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I like your post. It is good to see you verbalize from the heart and clarity on this important subject can be easily observed...
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is a great article and great read for me. It's my first visit to your blog, and I have found it so useful and informative especially this article
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Thanks for sharing this quality information with us. I really enjoyed reading. Will surely going to share this URL with my friends.
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
It is my first visit to your blog, and I am very impressed with the articles that you serve. Give adequate knowledge for me. Thank you for sharing useful material. I will be back for the more great post.
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is very educational content and written well for a change. It's nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post.!
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Thank you very much for this useful article. I like it.
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Thank you for the update, very nice site..
Oct 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 259  | Go to page: 
 
 

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.