FRIDAY
MARCH 14
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Here’s an edition of Shark Tank that sounds delightful: It’s a specially themed show, including only the creative and business ideas presented by kids and tweens. Expect these youngsters to come up with some great ideas – but don’t expect the adult “sharks” to treat them with kid gloves. Saaaay… kid gloves. By kids. Now there’s an idea…

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

Check out this lineup – and it’s only a partial list. Salman Rushdie is here. And Andrew Sullivan. And one of the people behind the reboot of Cosmos, none other than Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.

 
  
 
 

Smithsonian, 10:00 p.m. ET

When Amy Winehouse released her Back to Black album in October 2006, she ended up winning five Grammys, including Record of the Year. But before that, just after the album was released, Winehouse went to Dingle, a small village in southwest Ireland, and performed with just a guitar and bass player for accompaniment, as a TV crew recorded the event. Performed in an old church, in front of a small audience, it’s an intimate concert interspersed with a vintage interview of her discussing her musical influences – who, as a bonus, are shown in short retrospective performance clips of their own. She died in 2011, of alcohol poisoning, at age 27, but this concert is an account of her on the rise, in her prime, and seemingly very happy.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 10:00 p.m. ET

This 1983 movie is a Christmas holiday staple, now that TBS runs it for 24 hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But here’s a chance to see it out of season, and in a more friendly setting – one without commercial interruptions. Darren McGavin stars.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 11:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Bill Maher continues his Friday night run of topical TV, as one of the executive producers of this gritty news series, now back for Season 2. Shane Smith is host and reporter, and begins this second season with a personal visit to Afghanistan, in which he gets up close and personal, inspecting the number and condition of Russian aircraft bought by the U.S. for the Afghans to use once the Americans pull out. Except that, according to this report, the Afghans can’t repair most of these aircraft, can’t fly them at night, and other key issues that make the purchase of these helicopters a very iffy question.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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3701 Comments
 
 
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Mar 29, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
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Gerda Lundgren
Long-time TVWW devotee here. I manage a commercial vehicle operation and Hialeah Auto Glass Repair (https://autoglassrepairhialeah.com/) keeps our fleet going. Bianculli's picks keep us sane during maintenance delays - essential reading!
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Golly Gerda, you make me blush with your kind words, but maybe instead of giving me praise, how about giving me a discount on your service bills!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

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Mar 22, 2026
 
 
 
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Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Inga Henriksen
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Mar 21, 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.