THURSDAY

DECEMBER 18

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Comedy Central, 10:00 a.m. ET

Starting at 10 a.m. ET, The Colbert Report is noting its final day on the air by an all-day marathon that runs right up to Jon Stewart’s Daily Show at 11 p.m. ET. That’s 11 straight hours of selected episodes from The Colbert Report – episodes which are being presented as a surprise, without any information about which ones are shown, or when. But I’d bet that the opening offering will be Stephen Colbert’s first show from 2005. I’m not certain of that, but it has the ring of truthiness.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

There’s no “Bah, humbug!” reaction to this 1938 film. It’s a terrific version of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story, with Reginald Owen as one of the cinema’s all-time best incarnations of Ebenezer Scrooge.

THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART

Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m. ET

There are two very compelling reasons to watch tonight’s show in particular. One is that the evening’s guest is Chris Rock. The other is that, at some point on tonight’s show, Jon Stewart is bound to bid a fond farewell to his Comedy Central colleague in arms, Stephen Colbert.

THE COLBERT REPORT

Comedy Central, 11:31 p.m. ET

SERIES FINALE: Stephen Colbert has been going out not with a whimper, or a bang, but however the hell he wants. Interview Smaug the dragon? Sure, why not? Close out his entire decade-long run as a triumphant talk-show conservative caricature by making room for his friend “Grimmy,” a.k.a. The Grim Reaper? Sure. And I hope, on this final show, they play a game of chess…

THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON

CBS, 12:35 a.m. ET

While Stephen Colbert presents his final show tonight, Craig Ferguson mounts his penultimate one. His guest: frequent visitor Jim Parsons from The Big Bang Theory.

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3685 Comments

Gerda Lundgren

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Dave Bianculli

Golly Gerda, you make me blush with your kind words, but maybe instead of giving me praise, how about giving me a discount on your service bills!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Dave

Mar 22, 2026

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Solveig Johanson

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Arvid Berggren

Long-time TVWW devotee here. I manage a commercial vehicle operation and Colorado Springs Mobile Mechanic (https://coloradospringcosmobilemechanic.com) keeps our fleet going. Bianculli's picks keep us sane during maintenance delays - essential reading!

Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Frida Sundberg

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Viggo Lundqvist

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Tyra Stromberg

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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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