SATURDAY
MARCH 18
2017

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

TCM, 6:00 a.m. ET

TCM, quite appropriately, has cleared its slate this weekend to present two days of programming honoring Robert Osborne, who served as the network’s most famous public face from its inception until his recent death. For decades, watching TCM (as I did, regularly and almost religiously), all you had to do to appreciate Osborne was listen to him introduce, and comment upon, the movies he presented – or, on occasion, interview some of his favorite actors and filmmakers. His knowledge and enthusiasm shone through instantly and effortlessly, and this weekend, TCM offers plenty of examples of that. The tribute begins early, at 6 a.m. ET, with a special Private Screenings program from 2014 in which Osborne, instead of asking the questions, is the interview subject instead, asked questions by recent TCM guest host Alec Baldwin. Later in the day, Osborne is seen interviewing people through the years, either at the TCM Classic Film Festival or on the regular Private Screenings interview series. In prime time tonight, for example, the evening begins at 8 p.m. ET with a repeat of the Alec Baldwin interview with Osborne, followed by Osborne on Private Screenings interviewing, in order, Debbie Reynolds (9:30 p.m. ET), Betty Hutton (10:30 p.m. ET), and Liza Minnelli (11:35 p.m. ET).

 
  
 
 

TCM, 9:00 a.m. ET

Of all the hours devoted to original and longtime TCM host Robert Osborne this weekend, two programs should be considered all but mandatory. One is the Private Screenings with Alec Baldwin, in which Osborne himself is the subject – it’s repeated in prime time, and again tomorrow, as is this one, a 2015 special honoring Osborne’s then 20 years at TCM. Both specials are informative, inspirational (Osborne’s life is, indeed, a Hollywood dream come true), and wonderfully heartwarming.

 
  
 
 

Various Networks, 12:00 p.m. ET

The second round of games begins today, after two days worth of opening-round contests, and an upset or two. Today’s game coverage is shown on three networks – CBS, TNT, and TBS – and begins at noon ET on CBS, with the West’s No. 5 team, Notre Dame, fighting No. 4 West Virginia.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

Tonight’s new episode is titled “Grasslands,” and includes everything from American prairies to African grasslands. And if you think the latter is hitting below the veldt, then you’ve got no sense of nature. Or humor. (Why do pachyderm dentists prefer to work in Alabama? The Tuscaloosa. One of my favorite grade-school jokes.)

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.