FRIDAY

JANUARY 17

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Public Television, Check local listings

I couldn’t think of anyone better, or more charismatic, to carry on Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series and legacy than astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who matches wits, and wit, so well with Bill Moyers on this show, they ought to think about starring in the talk-show equivalent of a buddy movie. Their conversation began last night – and went so well, it’s going into overtime with tonight’s installment. It seems only fitting: their cosmic conversation, likes the universe itself, is expanding. Moyers & Company airs from Friday to Sunday on local public TV stations; to find it in your local area, visit the Bill Moyers website.

GOSFORD PARK

Flix, 8:00 p.m. ET

Robert Altman directed this 2001 film, and with such spirit, subtlety and a sense of fun that it’s well worth revisiting many times to relish the performances, the subplots and the surprises, large and small. But at this particular moment in television, it’s also fascinating to watch because Altman, 13 years ago, was basically serving up what could be considered a template for today’s Downton Abbey. And lest you think that’s too much of a stretch, in this mannered comedy/drama about the upstairs and downstairs folks at a country house in England, just look who’s holding court as Constance Trentham: the marvelous Maggie Smith, who stars as Violet Crawley on Downton. Oh, and we may as well win the argument outright: Altman’s co-writer on this film is Julian Fellowes. You know, the creator of Downton Abbey. So dive in, Downton fans. Other stars in this wonderful Altman film include Michael Gambon from The Singing Detective, Charles Dance from The Jewel in the Crown and Kristin Scott Thomas from The English Patient.

BANSHEE

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

Very quickly in this second season of Banshee, the bad guys – and gals – have come out of the woodwork, guns blazing and tempers flaring. So if you were impressed by the high-voltage action sequences from last season’s finale, get ready for more of the same.

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Bill Maher returns tonight to start Season 12 of his always provocative, almost always quotable live talk show. Among his guests: James Carville and Mary Matalin, the married political odd couple who, near the end of the show, will be seated for once on the same panel.

HELIX

Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET

Ron Moore of Battlestar Galactica continues his new variation on Outbreak and The Thing, and tonight the plot thickens. So do the remains of some of the alien-infected bodies, which are positively viscous – while the ones who are infected yet alive, they’re less viscous than vicious.

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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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BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Public Television, Check local listings

Flix, 8:00 p.m. ET

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

Syfy, 10:00 p.m. ET

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