SUNDAY

SEPTEMBER 16

2018

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE WILDEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH

Showtime, 8:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: It’s back. And for this new season of covering politics on the fly in a first-draft insiders’ view of history, the lineup is tweaked a bit yet again. The Circus began as a troika, with John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Mark Halperin. When Halperin was dismissed from both The Circus and MSNBC because of charges of sexual harassment dating back to his days at ABC News, The Circus replaced him with another roving reporter, Alex Wagner. And for this season, The Circus adds another contributor – and, like Heilemann, a very familiar face from MSNBC. Beginning tonight, former Republican campaign advisor, and former Republican, Steve Schmidt joins the roster of contributors.

MASTERPIECE: "THE MINIATURIST"

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Part 2 of 3. This three-part dramatic import from the U.K. continues, with Anya-Taylor Joy playing Nella Oortman, an 18-year-old woman who arrived in Amsterdam in 1686 to begin an arranged marriage with her rich husband, Johannes (Alex Hassell). Now that she’s there, and has met her intended and his creepy sister, Marin (Romola Garai), the drama intensifies. So does the meaning of the oddly detailed scale model of her home, with which she was gifted upon her arrival. Check local listings.

THE DEUCE

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s Season 2 premiere of The Deuce delivered strongly and assuredly – and established a new set of conflicts, and goals, that should feed this drama season (and its viewers) all season. And, once again, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Candy steals the show, and single-handledly makes this series more intriguing, and less exploitive, than it might otherwise have seemed.

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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.

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