FRIDAY

APRIL 18

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

CW, 8:00 p.m. ET

Boy, am I glad I don’t have to try to say this on the radio: Tonight’s guest, in this effortlessly endearing CW improv comedy sketch series, is champion sumo wrestler Byambajav Ulambayar.

ARGO

Cinemax, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 2012 fact-based thriller, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, is an intense and entertaining account of a bold and bizarre attempt to extricate some diplomats who had fled from the takeover of the American embassy in Iran in 1979, in a mission that remained top secret for decades after. The supporting cast is full of talented TV faces: Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad, John Goodman from Roseanne, Victor Garber from Alias, Tate Donovan from Damages, and Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights.

THE LAST SONG

ABC Family, 9:00 p.m. ET

It was four years ago, back in 2010, that Miley Cyrus starred in this standard romantic drama, playing a somewhat rebellious young woman who gets closer to her dad (Greg Kinnear) because of their shared love of music. In real life, that same story line was acted out by Miley Cyrus too, in a way, but with a lot more tongue. And twerking. And notably, her love interest in this coming-of-age romance movie is played by Liam Hemsworth, who went on to co-star in The Hunger Games as Gale Hawthorne. So this is of interest as a social and pop-culture artifact – just not as a movie.

PARKLAND

Starz!, 9:00 p.m. ET

Peter Landesman, an investigative reporter for The New York Times Magazine and a former war correspondent, directed and co-wrote this fact-based 2013 movie with Vincent Bugliosi, the former prosecutor whose bestseller Helter Skelter provided a detailed look behind the scenes in the trial of Charles Manson. In Parkland, Bugliosi and Landesman follow the trails of many storylines ripping in and around Dallas in the immediate aftermath of the shooting of John F. Kennedy. The stars include Paul Giamatti (pictured) as Abraham Zapruder, who took what turned out to be the only filmed record of the assassination, and Billy Bob Thornton as a secret service agent.

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

TCM, 10:00 p.m. ET

This is as noir as film noir gets. In this 1946 study in love, lust and greed, John Garfield stars as a man who thinks he’s on to a good thing: the apparent love of a bad woman. Lana Turner plays that scheming woman, and plays her like a spider in full command of its web – and its prey.

<< 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 208 | Go to page:

4148 Comments

BNG ?????

Efficiently written information. It will be profitable to anybody who utilizes it, counting me. Keep up the good work. For certain I will review out more posts day in and day out

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

????? ??? ?????

"Very interesting blog. Alot of blogs I see these days don't really provide anything that I'm interested in, but I'm most definately interested in this one. Just thought that I would post and let you know.
"

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

?????

Thank you for such a well written article. It’s full of insightful information and entertaining descriptions. Your point of view is the best

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

????? ??

Hey, this day is too much good for me, since this time I am reading this enormous informative article here at my home. Thanks a lot for massive hard work

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

CQ9 ?? ??? ??

The appearance positively wonderful. All of these miniature info are fashioned utilizing massive amount historical past experience. I want it all significantly

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

?? ????

This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. This is very nice one and gives indepth information. Thanks for this nice article

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

????

Everything has its own value, but this is really precious information shared by Author

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

???????

Very likely I’m going to bookmark your blog . You absolutely have wonderful stories. Cheers for sharing with us your blo

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

Sell GPU servers

Pretty good post. I have just stumbled upon your blog and enjoyed reading your blog posts very much. I am looking for new posts to get more precious info. Big thanks for the useful info.

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

??? ????

don't forget, keep sharing useful infoSo grab a drink, roll the dice, and let’s get began! With an LLC, you will have to file paperwork with the Secretary of State (or different company) to type the organization.

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

????

Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to give it a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Terrific blog and amazing design.| You reported this exceptionally well! fda kratom

Jul 7, 2026 | Reply

https://wonderl.ink/@manilatooto

Excellent analysis! Your perspective on this matter provides a lot of value to the community. I recently saved for future reference, and your points align perfectly with their updated guidelines. Thanks for putting this together.

Jul 6, 2026 | Reply

https://www.nanaimolandscaping.ca/

The majority of coach bags labeling tend to be steel although not all are.

Jul 6, 2026 | Reply

???????

The appearance positively wonderful. All of these miniature info are fashioned utilizing massive amount historical past experience. I want it all significantly

Jul 5, 2026 | Reply

jacktoto

Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.

Jul 5, 2026 | Reply

?????

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

Jul 5, 2026 | Reply

??????

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

Jul 5, 2026 | Reply

?????

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

Jul 5, 2026 | Reply

?????

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

Jul 5, 2026 | Reply

???

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

Jul 5, 2026 | Reply

Page: 1 of 208 | 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

CW, 8:00 p.m. ET

Cinemax, 8:00 p.m. ET

ABC Family, 9:00 p.m. ET

Starz!, 9:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 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