TUESDAY
JULY 15
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Hulu, 12:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: This new comedy series is an extended parody of reality TV’s Real Housewives franchise – an idea for a lampoon that was done by Saturday Night Live years ago, and seems not only ripe for ridicule, but overripe. Yet The Hotwives of Orlando starts out with a pilot that not only skewers the structure and stereotypes of the genre, but does so with a playful comedy cast. Included in the mix: former SNL player Casey Wilson (as trophy wife Tawny, whose charity of choice is High Heels for Dogs and whose motto is “Girls just want to have fun, even when their husbands are dying”); Kristin Schaal as former child commercial star Amanda (“I grew up on TV, and I plan to die there”); and others, including Angela Kinsley from The Office. The premiere, available any time as an exclusive Hulu series, has more bite and laughs than you might expect, and the promos show even more promise. I won’t watch reality TV shows like the ones Hotwives is spoofing, but I have no problem watching this.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Consider this 1942 swashbuckling classic an early precursor of Pirates of the Caribbean. The setting is 17th-century Jamaica, and the most charismatic pirate in this Caribbean movie is played by Tyrone Power – with Maureen O’Hara playing an abducted noblewoman who becomes an initially reluctant piece of his pirate booty. So to speak.

 
  
 
 

El Rey, 9:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Here comes El Rey’s second original series – and this one is a modern take, and spin, on the old I Spy concept of having a globally competing athlete working undercover as a spy. That Sixties classic used the world of tennis as a cover, but Matador uses football. Not American football – world football, what we in the U.S. commonly call soccer. Gabriel Luna stars as Tony Bravo, a gifted athlete who’s drafted by CIA operative Annie Mason (Nicky Whelan, of Scrubs and Franklin & Bash) to investigate both a particular team owner in particular and criminal bad guys in general. And premiering just a few days after the conclusion of the World Cup, you have to give El Rey points for good timing, if for nothing else.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

Just like last night’s POV, tonight’s Frontline finds itself in Louisiana, and looking closely at racially tinged local politics. In the case of Separate and Unequal, it’s the efforts of some residents of the East Baton Rouge Parish to create a new city and school system – a new school district that would segregate from the status quo by being largely affluent, and white, while lower-income, mostly black families would remain in the existing district. How can this happen, 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education? Ask the U.S. Supreme Court – and stay tuned. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

In tonight’s episode, an anniversary is imminent – but it’s neither romantic nor cause for celebration. It’s the 20th anniversary of the date on which Barry’s father, President Khaled Al-Fayeed, ordered a chemical weapon attack, and the date remains so burned in local history that protests and reprisals are feared. And probable.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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3694 Comments
 
 
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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!!!!!!!

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Smart TV writing for smart viewers - that's TVWW in a nutshell. I manage a motor pool and Macon Auto Glass Repair at https://autoglassrepairmacon.com/ is our go-to service provider. David Bianculli's enthusiasm is contagious.
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Arvid Berggren
Long-time TVWW devotee here. I manage a commercial vehicle operation and Colorado Springs Mobile Mechanic (https://coloradospringcosmobilemechanic.com) keeps our fleet going. Bianculli's picks keep us sane during maintenance delays - essential reading!
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Frida Sundberg
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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.