SUNDAY
JANUARY 19
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

CBS, 3:00 p.m. ET

Teams fronted by QBs Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have battled each other 14 times over the years. Brady has won 10, including the last three – most recently the overtime game earlier this season in which the Patriots overcame a 24-point deficit to win in overtime. With a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line, the reputation-enhancing rivalry between these two quarterbacks is intense. Brady has won three Super Bowls, Manning one, and this is a pivotal game for them both in terms of defining their respective NFL dynasties.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 6:30 p.m. ET

These two NFC teams have been dominating their league all season, so it’s not much of a surprise that they ended up here. But only one team can progress to the Super Bowl, so this battle between two similar teams, run by mobile and aggressive young quarterbacks – Colin Kaepernick for the 49ers and Russell Wilson for the Seahawks – should be tight, and tough, from start to finish.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

I’m somewhat surprised by the online backlash to recent events involving the character of Anna (Joanne Froggatt). But trust me – I’ve seen the next several episodes, and what happened to Anna, and how it impacts her relationship with Bates (Brendan Coyle), is not dealt with cavalierly or rapidly. It’s a subplot that earns its place, maintains its weight, and is part of what makes Downton Abbey so compelling in the first place – the unexpected events that befall characters from time to time, sometimes with great ramifications. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

If you liked last week’s premiere of this new limited series starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as two very different detectives – and I hope you did – you should like this week’s installment even more. Both the story and the chararacters are delved into much more deeply, and in more than one time line. For a full review, see Bianculli’s Blog.
 
  
 
 

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: How in the world could Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) survive that fall from last season? Well, tonight, as we begin Season 3, we find out – and since, in the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the seemingly killed-off detective was resurrected after battling with Moriarty and plummeting over Reichenbach Falls, it all seems fitting. As well as a lot of fun. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 10:30 p.m. ET

This dark-horse favorite comedy of mine boasts not only a warmly grounded central performance by Tamsin Greig as transplanted-to-LA British TV writer Beverly, but so many shrewd and laugh-out-loud-funny observations about Hollywood life and times that you know it comes from someone deep inside the industry. And it does: David Crane from Friends and Jeffrey Klarik from Mad about You. And in tonight’s episode, Beverly has to deal with change on two fronts: a reawakening of a relationship with estranged husband and co-writer Sean (Stephen Mangan), and a new network executive in charge of their still-struggling sitcom. And, of course, there’s Matt LeBlanc, who’s fighting for custody of his kids – a battle his lawyer explains wasn’t helped by Matt’s arrest for driving while intoxicated, especially with his kids in the back seat.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.