SUNDAY

JUNE 18

2017

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

AXS TV, 8:00 p.m. ET

SPECIAL PREMIERE: This special salute to legendary guitarist and electric guitar inventor Les Paul was 11 years in the making – or, at least, 11 years in the incubating. The concert part of it was recorded on Les Paul’s 90^th birthday in 2006, at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles, with such powerhouse guitarists as Buddy Guy, Slash, and Edgar Winter taking part. Also, there are interviews with Les Paul himself, recorded shortly before his death in 2009, at age 94. With luck, this special will include clips from Paul’s pioneering 1954-55 syndication series, the 15-minutes-or-less The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show (pictured), sold to local stations as musical interstitial filler.

TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

This is Episode 7 of the reboot of Twin Peaks – about time for something to happen, don’t you think? Last week, the biggest revelation was that Laura Dern has been cast as Diane (pictured), the heretofore never-before-seen woman to whom Kyle McLachlan’s Agent Cooper, in the old Twin Peaks, used to dictate notes about fir trees, cherry pie, and chocolate bunnies.

AMERICAN GODS

Starz!, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: Last week, American Gods took an interesting detour that devoted the entire hour to a lengthy flashback explaining the relationships and pasts of two characters. Tonight, we return to the “present” story line in full, meet some new characters (including one god played by Kristin Chewoweth), and, no doubt, end with one hell, and one heaven, of a cliffhanger.

SILICON VALLEY

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

This penultimate episode of the season also is the penultimate Silicon Valley appearance by T.J. Miller, whose HBO special premiered last night – and who is leaving the show after next week’s season finale.

VEEP

HBO, 10:30 p.m. ET

This very, very funny comedy, having its best season yet, continues to surprise, and delight. Last week it had great fun making room for a guest appearance by Jean Smart ([pictured). And this week, it focuses on Anna Chlumsky (pictured) and other members of its own regular supporting cast – where the talent is as hilarious as it is deep.

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER

HBO, 11:01 p.m. ET

Again, what a week. Again, I can’t wait for Oliver not only to explain it all, but to make light of it – because light, these days, is a treasured commodity.

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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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BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

AXS TV, 8:00 p.m. ET

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

Starz!, 9:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:30 p.m. ET

HBO, 11:01 p.m. ET

David Bianculli

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