TUESDAY
APRIL 15
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Last week, this series presented its midseason game-changer, a tie-in with the new Marvel movie in the Avengers cycle, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. If you didn’t see it, don’t worry: ABC repeats it tonight at 8 p.m. ET, followed at 9 by a new episode that has our heroes on the run, with the fear that not all of them are heroes.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Up to now, this PBS series has been somewhat of a disappointment, with both too broad a focus and with too poorly chosen a selection of clips. This season opener, however, may reverse the tide, because its subject is precise enough to allow for an intelligent and in-depth examination. The subject? The transition from standup comic to sitcom premise, a topic that includes Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Roseanne Barr, Robin Williams and others. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Ken Burns wrote, produced and directed this 90-minute documentary – a mere blip of a TV study in Burns time, but a captivating and instructive program nonetheless. It’s about the Greenwood School in Putney, VT, an all-boys school tending to students with a variety of what might be characterized as learning disabilities. In a tradition that stretches back decades, the task of the boys, ages 11 to 17, is to memorize Abraham Lincoln’s two-minute Gettysburg address, then recite it in front of their peers, teachers and family members. Burns spent several months filming their attempts, their difficulties and their progress. The climax includes the recital and a school field trip to Gettysburg. The Address is a salute not only to Lincoln, slain soldiers and history, but also to the determination of focused students and the dedication of gifted teachers. Teachers, it should be said, like Ken Burns. Maybe I cried at the end because I’m a teacher, too. But maybe not. Maybe The Address will get you, no matter what. It should. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

El Rey, 9:00 p.m. ET

At more than the halfway point of this 10-episode TV version of the From Dusk Till Dawn movie, we finally arrive at the south of the border biker bar in which our bank robbers, and their family of hostages, ultimately uncover a den of vampires. In this week’s episode six, I’m also guessing they encounter Eiza Gonzalez, doing her snakelike dance number as Santanico Pandemonium. If you saw the movie, you know that performance, by Salma Hayek, was an absolute highlight. How will it compare here? And will the same music, “After Dark,” be used?

 
  
 
 

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: When HBO’s True Detective ended, you may well have asked yourself, “Well, when is the next great TV series going to show up?” It didn’t take long – because here it is. It’s not a retelling of the 1996 Coen Brothers film, or a sequel, but it’s a spiritual sibling, and it’s equally enjoyable. For a full review, listen to my report today on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, or visit the Fresh Air website. Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton star. And, also, read Ed Bark's glowing review on Uncle Barky's Bytes.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.