FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 13
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Let’s all get up and dance to a song that was a hit before your mother was born: Tonight PBS repeats last year’s intimate, charming little special in which Paul McCartney (with some help from Diana Krall) works through a repertoire of pop standards, including “Bye Bye Blackbird” – for him, a different kind of “Blackbird” song, but just as pleasant a listening experience. Oh, and if you’re wondering about the full title of his resultant album of standards, Kisses on the Bottom, it’s a quote from a line in “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Right Myself a Letter,” and the kisses on the bottom, in this case, refer to the “XOXO” signoff at the end of the page. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

AMC, 9:15 p.m. ET

This may be my very favorite Coen Brothers movie of all, which is really saying something – and which is why I highlight this 2000 music-filled, laugh-filled, ludicrously loose adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey (!!) almost every time it’s televised. Each time, I hope to persuade a few more readers to see it for the first time. George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro play three chain-gang convicts (and backwoods recording group) on the run. And this time, I think I’ll use, as enticement, a picture of the three Sirens who tempt our heroes along the way. Previously, I’ve consistently misidentified one of them as Melinda Clarke – but even though Clarke played a Siren in an episode of Charmed, the actress who looks like Clarke (a huge compliment, by the way) actually is Musetta Vander, who vamps in the water along with Christy Taylor and Mia Tate.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 9:45 p.m. ET

On Fridays this month, TCM is giving its prime time and late-night schedule over to science fiction films in general, and visions of the future in particular. Among them tonight is one of the newest movies TCM has shown: Steven Spielberg’s 2002 thriller, starring Tom Cruise and based on a story by Philip K. Dick, who also gave us the story that was turned into Blade Runner.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: It’s about time. Bill Maher is back for a new season, just as President Obama is jockeying for approval of his plan to punish Syria for using chemical weapons, Colorado is awash with what headlines are calling “biblical rainfall,” and Miley Cyrus has managed to spark media outrage on two different occasions within a single week. Welcome back, Bill. Have a great time. And viewers should, too, since tonight’s scheduled guests include the always quotable journalist and author Matt Taibbi (once a Real Time correspondent) and – as perhaps the perfect guy to talk about climate change – Bill Nye, known to a generation of TV viewers as Bill Nye the Science Guy.

 
  
 
 

Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Season 4 of this Stephen King-inspired series jumps forward six months in time, enough time to have cleaned up after the mysterious meteor shower than rained down upon the small town of Haven in last season’s finale – and somehow made off with Audrey (Emily Rose). Apparently, she’s been missing ever since, but a mercurial new character, played by Colin Ferguson from Eureka, tracks her down in another town. Or, at least, someone who looks just like her, but who claims to be not an officer of the law absent from Haven, but a waitress with a different name, and a completely different past and life.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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.