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SUNDAY
MAY 13
2018

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 
AMERICAN IDOL

ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET

On Mother’s Day, family TV shows are especially welcome – and one thing you can say about American Idol, in all its incarnations, is that it’s a show that can be watched by the entire family. So here it is, live, a two-hour competition featuring the new ABC program’s first Top 5 – and with Katy Perry invariably grabbing the biggest share of the spotlight, from contestants and judges alike, as she did on "Disney music" night last week, by dressing as Snow White...
 
  
 
 
MASTERPIECE: "LITTLE WOMEN"

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

MINISERIES PREMIERE: This new three-hour version of the Louisa May Alcott classic is presented over two Sundays: the first hour tonight, and the concluding two hours next week. Maya Hawke stars as Jo, but the biggest names, in this new TV adaptation of the tale of close-knit Massachusetts siblings during the Civil War, are not the actresses playing the March sisters, but the elder generation of parents and neighbors. They’re played by Emily Watson, Angela Lansbury, and Singing Detective star Michael Gambon. The adaptation, a faithful and rather reverent one, is by Heidi Thomas, creator of Call the Midwife, and reflects a similar delight in capturing small, intimate moments. Perfectly suitable as a Mother’s Day TV selection. Check local listings. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.

 
  
 
 
KILLING EVE

BBC America, 8:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s episode was an exciting and unpredictable one, with hit woman Villanelle (Jodie Comer) breaking into the home of Eve (Sandra Oh), the British intelligent agent hot on her trail – and asking for some dinner. These characters are written so well, and so quirkily, that you never know quite what they’ll do or so, which is half the fun. Last week, for example, when a man about to be killed by Eve begged for his life by saying he had children, Eve replied by asking what she would want with his children. In all the hundreds of begging-for-mercy spy scenes I’ve seen, I’ve never, ever heard that response before. Wonderful…

 
  
 
 
THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE WILDEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH

Showtime, 8:00 p.m. ET

In some respects, this past week arguably has been President Donald Trump’s most embraced and impressive. In other respects, there’s the loose cannon that is Rudy Giuliani, and the heat-seeking, newsmaking missile that is Michael Avenatti. Presumably, today The Circus covers both ends of the spectrum.

 
  
 
 
WESTWORLD

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

This fourth episode of Season 2 of Westworld returns, in part, to the story of Bernard, where we learn more about the true motives of the corporation behind these high-tech amusement parks. It has something to do with invasion of privacy, and profiting from the use of private information gathered from the park’s customers. So, in a way, the Delos corporation and Facebook may have something else in common, beside the desire to attract as many people as possible…

 
  
 
 
BILLIONS

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s Billions accomplished the seemingly impossible: Both Axe and Chuck walked away without being indicted or prosecuted for their crimes, and Wendy managed to retain her pivotal position as Chuck’s wife and Axe’s “spirit animal.” Tonight, both men are flush with victory, and eager to dive in… but where?

 
  
 
 
BARRY

HBO, 10:45 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: Barry has grown stronger and more impressive each episode – and last week, allowed both Barry and the actor playing him, Bill Hader, to do some intense, involving acting. And tonight, Barry tries to take control of his life, which might well mean taking the life of one or two others. Or maybe more…

 
  
 
 
LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER

HBO, 11:20 p.m. ET

What The Circus does Sunday nights on Showtime, this program does the same night on HBO. Except with this one, the laughs are more intentional than rueful. And no, John Oliver didn’t self-cancel his show last week, celebrating a career-high victory after getting an Australian koala chlamydia ward named after him by Russell Crowe. The rest is true – but not the part about Oliver quitting. He’s still here, I’m very, very pleased to report… with a new installment of Last Week Tonight tonight.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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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