SUNDAY
JANUARY 15
2017

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

NBC, 8:20 p.m. ET

Today, in the first of two Sunday divisional playoff games, it’s the AFC contest, with the Pittsburgh Steelers visiting the Kansas City Chiefs. When Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger faced the Chiefs earlier this season, the Steelers won by a brutal 43-14 spread.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 4:30 p.m. ET

The weekend’s final divisional game pits the NFL’s Green Bay Packers against the Dallas Cowboys, who have home-field advantage. But the Packers have QB Aaron Rodgers, who basically is the league’s hottest player right now, peaking at the exact right time.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 7:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: If it seems as though this new season of Sherlock just started, that’s because it did. Two weeks ago, Season 4 premiered. Tonight, with the episode The Final Problem, the series Sherlock on Masterpiece presents its season finale, with an episode focusing, fittingly, on the long and potentially deadly rivalry between Holmes and Moriarty. Benedict Cumberbatch stars. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 7:00 p.m. ET

60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft has interviewed Barack Obama one-on-one more than any other TV journalist. Tonight, the two of them engage in a recently recorded final, 11th-hour debriefing.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

The Simpsons has been presenting TV episodes since 1989, and even mounted a full-length movie a decade ago – but tonight’s installment, “The Great Phatsby,” is the first one-hour episode in its amazingly long and impressive history. It’s about a long-time rival of Mr. Burns, a successful rapper named “Jay-G.” And the Great Gatsby references go on from there – as do the references to Empire, a fellow Fox TV hit. Taraji P. Henson, who plays the outrageously flamboyant Cookie on Empire, steals the show here, too, as the hip-hop mogul’s ex-wife, here called Praline. Other stars lending their vocal talents to this episode include Keegan-Michael Key, Snoop Dogg, Common, and RZA.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Jenna Coleman, who impressed me very much when she played the companion on Doctor Who from 2012 to 2015, gets a role here that befits the talent she displayed on that long-running cult series. Here, she plays Queen Victoria, starting from the day the teenager became queen of England in 1837. This first season follows her first three years as Queen – and even if you don’t think of this as an unofficial companion series to Netflix’s The Crown, about Queen Elizabeth II, it’s something you should seek out and watch. Check local listings. For a full review and additional insight into Victoria, the monarch, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: For this new season, Carrie (Claire Danes) comes to New York, as does the series – for a prescient new season in which there’s an incoming U.S. president with a strong distrust of the intelligence community. The only thing the writers of this show got wrong: The new POTUS is a woman. New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town. The Bronx is up, and Carrie is down… For a full review, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes and information on what to expect from the new season at David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.