THURSDAY
MARCH 16
2017

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Various Networks, 12:00 p.m. ET

This tournament’s official opening day is an orgy of binge-watching for college basketball fans: sixteen games, played on various networks from noon ET until around midnight. The first game of the day, and of the tourney, features West’s No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Princeton, and is broadcast live by CBS. The final game of the day, Midwest’s No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Nevada, starts at 9:57 p.m. ET on truTV. TBS and TNT are the other networks offering coverage today. The No. 1 seeds playing today are the West’s Gonzaga (pictured), vs. No. 16 South Dakota State (2 p.m. ET on TBS), and the East’s Villanova, vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s (7:10 p.m. ET on CBS). Your alma mater may be playing there, or elsewhere: Mine is the University of Florida, ranked No. 4 in the East, playing No. 13 East Tennessee State at 3:10 p.m. ET on truTV. In all, 16 games will be played, and I’d be astounded if the day didn’t end with at least one major upset.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

This isn’t an advancement of the current competition – it’s a highlights special thrown onto the schedule as counter-programming against opening night of the NCAA college men’s basketball tournament. But if you’re not into basketball, and you haven’t watched The Voice this cycle, this is a fine way to spend some TV time tonight. The audition rounds ended last night, and this instant recap gives you a good sense of the high talent level of this year’s singers, as well as the high charm level of this year’s judges.

 
  
 
 

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

Perhaps, after a full day of NCAA games, the last thing you want to watch on TV is even more Baskets. But this is different. And tonight’s new Baskets is built around a family yard sale. Sounds like a great place to pick up some cheap used French clown costumes…
 
  
 
 

TCM, 12:00 a.m. ET

This 1963 movie, part of tonight’s TCM dive into the Walt Disney studio archives, came out when I had just turned 10 years old. I remember not only watching and loving it at the time, marveling at the story of a cat and two dogs traveling across the country to reunite with their owners, but being astounded once I found out it was based on a true story. I haven’t seen the film in more than 50 years, but I’ll be watching tonight. The grown-up critic in me may notice how manipulative it is, and how faked some of its filmed scenes seem – but I’m hoping the inner kid in me gets spellbound all over again.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.