MONDAY

SEPTEMBER 17

2012

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: As we pick up the story, Brennan (Emily Deschanel has been on the run for three months, hiding from everyone including Booth (David Boreanaz) — and she’s blonde. But before the season-opening hour is up, all that will change.

THE VOICE

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

The blind auditions continue. NBC has stretched them out to almost absurd lengths this year — but why not? They’re the best part of the show — as well as the secret weapon in maintaining supremacy over Fox’s The X Factor.

SHOGUN

Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET

Part 1 of 6. Encore launches its miniseries revival with one of the best: NBC’s 1980 masterpiece starring Richard Chamberlain, based on the novel by James Clavell. Toshiro Mifune and Yoko Shimada co-star, in this fascinating, refreshingly intelligent story of a 17th-century British sea captain whose ship is beached off the Japanese coast — and who finds himself at the mercy of an utterly alien society and its seemingly unfathomable rulers. Watch the first 20 minutes, and I guarantee you’ll be hooked for the entire six parts.

REVOLUTION

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: The biggest name behind the scenes here, J.J. Abrams, generates the biggest hopes for this series, but its pilot is much less than a Lost-like slam dunk. For one thing, Tracy Spiridakos’ teen heroine is an arrow-wielding toughie straight from The Hunger Games. For another, even in a show with such a high concept at its core — the power goes off, and never comes back on — the notes of incredulity are deafening. When she goes to find her uncle in the blacked-out city of Chicago, he’s literally the first guy she meets. Suspending disbelief isn’t enough. You have to slaughter it. For a full review, see Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky’s Bytes.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI

Showtime 2, 10:00 p.m. ET

One of my son Mark’s favorite spider-web movies — and, I have to admit, one of mine, too. And it’s amazing, after I introduce my film history students to the choreographed insanity of Busby Berkeley, how many of them mention the drug-trip bowling-alley sequence in Lebowski as a modern nod to something they didn’t know existed. Dude!

<< PREVIOUS | NEXT >>

Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!

Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)

Name (required)

Email (required) (will not be published)


Type in the verification word shown on the image.

Page: 1 of 202 | Go to page:

4027 Comments

???

??? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?????. ?? ??? ? ???? ??? ???? ????. ?? ? ?????

Jun 23, 2026 | Reply

https://gangnamya.clickn.co.kr/

https://gangnamya.clickn.co.kr/

Jun 23, 2026 | Reply

https://changwoncoco.clickn.co.kr/

https://changwoncoco.clickn.co.kr/

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

????

?? ??? ???! ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????!

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

Dave Bianculli

Howdy pardner,

Did you pass out on your keyboard after getting drunk, and then just kept bouncing your head over and over and over???

ROTFFLMBFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously dude, watch more TV, drink less alcohol!!!!

Warmly,

Dave

Jun 20, 2026

????

?? ??? ???! ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????!

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

?????

??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?? ? ????, ?? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????. ? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????. ???!

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

????

??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?? ? ????, ?? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????. ? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????. ???!

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

????

?? ??? ???! ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????!

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

??????

???? ????? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ? ??? ???? ??????. ? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????. ? ??? ??? ? ???? ??? ?????. ? ???? ???? ??????.

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

??????

???? ????? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ? ??? ???? ??????. ? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????. ? ??? ??? ? ???? ??? ?????. ? ???? ???? ??????.

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

?????

?? ??????. ? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ????! ?? ??? ??, ?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??. ? ?? ??? ???? ???????. ?????. ??? ???.

Jun 17, 2026 | Reply

????

Thank you so much for sharing this great blog.Very inspiring and helpful too.Hope you continue to share more of your ideas.I will definitely love to read

Jun 16, 2026 | Reply

????

?? ??? ???? ?? ? ??? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?????. ? ??? ??? ?? ?????

Jun 16, 2026 | Reply

??114

Thank you so much for sharing this great blog.Very inspiring and helpful too.Hope you continue to share more of your ideas.I will definitely love to read

Jun 16, 2026 | Reply

?????

? ?? ?? ??? ?????.

Jun 15, 2026 | Reply

?????

??? ???? ??? ??????. ?? ?? ??????.

Jun 15, 2026 | Reply

?????

Stunning! Such an astonishing and accommodating post this is. I super love it. It's so great thus amazing. I am simply stunned. I trust that you keep on doing your work like this later on moreover.

Jun 15, 2026 | Reply

????

I definitely enjoying every little bit of this blog. It is a great website and nice share. I want to thank you. Good job! You guys do a great blog, and have some great contents. Keep up the good work

Jun 14, 2026 | Reply

????

??? ???,? ???? ??? ?? ??????. ? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ?? ???? ?????!

Jun 14, 2026 | Reply

????

??? ???,? ???? ??? ?? ??????. ? ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ?? ???? ?????!

Jun 14, 2026 | Reply

Page: 1 of 202 | Go to page:

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.

New From TVWW

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

Showtime 2, 10:00 p.m. ET

David Bianculli

PBS' 'Frontline’ Examines Pension Promises and — Spoiler Alert — Finds the Math Doesn’t Add Up

The Decadence of ‘Versailles’ Comes to Ovation

Prescribing Mamie Gummer in 'Emily Owens, M.D.'

Looking for a Free Ride? HBO Can Deliver

'Pass the Biscuits' Part of the Hatfield-McCoy Pop-Culture Legacy