TUESDAY
SEPTEMBER 17
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Part of TCM’s special lineup tied to its Story of Film documentary series, tonight’s prime-time early cinematic offerings from around the world begin with a very rare telecast of this 1923 silent French film by Abel Gance, who later directed the sprawling masterpiece Napoleon. This movie is sprawling, too: Originally, it was eight hours long, more like a pre-television miniseries. Here, it’s pared down to about half that, but includes many of the same visual innovations and images that made Gance such a film pioneer. The movie itself, starring Severin-Mars and Ivy Close, is about a railroad engineer who adopts an orphaned girl (the survivor of a train crash), only to have his own son eventually fall in love with her.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 8:30 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Andy Samberg, from Saturday Night Live, and Andre Braugher, from Men of a Certain Age and Homicide: Life on the Street, are such an unlikely pairing – especially on a prime-time broadcast network sitcom – that this new series deserves a look. And after a first look, it’ll earn a second, because this is a series concept, and a bunch of eccentrically drawn characters, that could grow on you quickly. And surprisingly, in this comic setting, Braugher, playing the police precinct’s (and Samberg’s) no-nonsense new boss, initially sticks the landing more than Samberg, though they both do well.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) ended Season 2 by running off into the sunset, still together, somehow. Season 3 begins at sunrise – or, at least, in a sunny climate, after the combustible duo heads impulsively for a vacation in Mexico.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 9:30 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Season 3 begins with Mindy (Mindy Kaling) off in Haiti with her pastor boyfriend – but while she’s away, her medical residency in New York has been inherited by a new OB/GYN, played by guest star James Franco. Before the episode is over, they meet on her home turf, which he now feels is his.

 
  
 
 

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s season premiere was peppered with unexplained shots of a uniformed boy sitting and brooding – until the end of the episode, when he unpacked an automatic weapon and headed into his school. Tonight’s episode deals with the immediate aftermath of that tragedy – and how it impacts the SAMCRO club, which turns out to have been the source for the illegally obtained firearm. Charlie Hunnam stars.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 12:30 a.m. ET

Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali collaborated on this 1928 short exercise in cinematic surrealism, which has images still capable of drawing gasps almost a century later. I know: I hear them every time I show this movie in my Rowan University film class.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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3808 Comments
 
 
Para penipu kelas rendah melakukan apa yang paling mereka kuasai—berbohong, menipu, dan menghilang dengan uang orang lain.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu yang memalukan memangsa orang-orang dengan klaim palsu dan kebohongan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This article is packed with insights! I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into making it so engaging. Well done!
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Such an amazing read! Your ability to explain things in a simple yet detailed way is truly impressive.
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey sweetie,

It's not that complicated! It's TV!!! Do what I do!!!!! Grab a six pack of Miller Lite, crack the first one open and drink it. Rinse and repeat!!!!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!!!

Just let the TV flow over you.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

Dave
Apr 21, 2026
 
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This was well explained since it stayed concise and clear. Thanks for sharing this insight.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia tangkap situs web sialan itu
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Practical stream
A thoughtful reflection on TV criticism’s evolution and legacy—blending nostalgia, personal memories, and appreciation for creators who shaped meaningful viewing experiences.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Situs web ini benar-benar penipuan, jangan percayai mereka.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya sekelompok penipu lain yang melakukan bisnis kotor secara online.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
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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.