SUNDAY
JULY 14
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Nowadays it’s common for an enterprising Hollywood writer-producer to acquire rights to a TV series made in another country, and adapt it with a new version tailored for American audiences. But long before Norman Lear helped pioneer that process for TV with All in the Family, movie studios were doing the same thing. This 1960 Western, for example, is an adaptation of a fabulous “Eastern”: Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 The Seven Samurai. And who are some of the stars of this Americanized entry? Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Eli Wallach, to name just five of the titular tough guys.

 
  
 
 

AMC, 9:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s episode ended with two significant plot twists. One, Pastor Mike was revealed to be living under an assumed name, after fleeing a town where he was involved in a case with an assault on another young woman. And two, at the very end of the show, Linden (Mireille Enos) got into her car to discover a desperate Pastor Mike in her back seat, putting a knife to her throat and ordering her to “Drive.” So either The Killing, for once, has identified the killer early, or else this is another of the show’s increasingly annoying red herrings. And if Linden and her partner have wrongly fingered yet another prime suspect, they’re even worse cops than the guy on Hannibal.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

The more this season’s shows focus on Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), and her continuing breakdown after committing murder to protect her brother, the less satisfying and believable things get. But the more Charlotte Rampling, as a visiting police psychologist, probes the psyche of Michael C. Hall’s Dexter, the better this show becomes. So watching, for now, is a mixed bag – but it’s the final season, so who can stay away?

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Aaron Sorkin’s TV news drama series is back, with two immediate changes. The opening credit sequence is new, and so is the story structure, with this entire season devoted to one ongoing plot about a volatile news story gone wrong. Some people, even fans of Sorkin’s previous efforts, hate this show, and even enjoy hating it – but I’m still in the “enjoying it” camp.  Jeff Daniels stars. For a full review, see or hear my report for NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 10:00 p.m. ET

Jon Voight, as Ray’s out-of-prison dad, manages to hurt, destroy, infect or annoy just about anything he touches – except for his son’s wife and kids, which infuriates Ray (Liev Schreiber) to no end. Sometimes, Voight’s Mickey Donovan is a terror. Other times, as when he uses a public library computer to access porn sites, he’s a riot. What a role for Voight – and what a great job he does with it.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.