TUESDAY
JUNE 19
2018

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

TCM, 6:00 a.m. ET

What a rich treasure trove this salute has proven already – and today’s continuation of TCM’s “Mad about Musicals” festival, June’s Tuesday and Thursday all-day marathon of movie musicals, contains several of the best. It’s a ridiculously rewarding tour, including Fred Astaire in three cinematic classics: 1951’s Royal Wedding at 10 a.m. ET, 1957’s Silk Stockings at noon ET, and 1953’s dizzyingly creative The Band Wagon at 2 p.m. ET. Then, in prime time, comes a double feature showing Gene Kelly putting his best feet forward: 1951’s brilliant Singin’ in the Rain at 8 p.m. ET (pictured), followed by the same year’s An American in Paris at 10 p.m. ET. That’s all in one day, all on one channel. In my day, it would have been an entire festival at a local revival cinema house…  

 
  
 
 

Various Networks, 8:00 a.m. ET

Today’s World Cup schedule includes the final two opening-match games, followed by the first contest, featuring the host country of Russia, that is part of the second round of matches in this first stage of the 2018 World Cup. At 8 a.m. ET, Fox Sports 1 presents Columbia vs. Japan, representing the bottom half of Group H. Then, switching to the main Fox broadcast network, it’s the top half of Group H, Poland and Senegal, playing in their first 2018 World Cup games at 11 a.m. ET. Then, at 2 p.m. ET, it’s back to Group A for Russia vs. Egypt (pictured). In their opening games in this Cup, Russia trounced Saudi Arabia 5-0, while Egypt lost to Uruguay 0-1.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: This new special looks to be the 2018 pro basketball equivalent of the NFL’s annual sidelines and super-close-up look at the Super Bowl. If so, what took them so long? And even given the (spoiler alert) sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers by the Golden State Warriors, how dramatic is the potential here… especially at the end of that crushing overtime loss, when LeBron James’ teammates basically let him down in what literally was the last minute?

 
  
 
 

AMC, 10:00 p.m. ET

This weekend, HBO’s Westworld presents its Season 2 finale, and will be gone for quite a while. Meanwhile, this third season of HUMANS, which long predated TV’s Westworld reboot with its exploration of the humanity within technology-created humanoids, is just getting into high gear. This is episode three of this show’s new season…

 
  
 
 

Comedy Central, 10:00 p.m. ET

MIDSEASON RETURN: This goofy but reliably entertaining, and sometimes even instructive, Comedy Central series (which also perfectly describes The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, by the way) returns for a midseason run – starting by narratives, recounted by a slurring Randall Park and others, focusing on WWII. Spoiler Alert: Except on The Man in the High Castle, the Allies win.

 
  
 
 

National Geographic, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: This is episode 10 of the second season of Genius, which means we are about to see the last of this show’s recreations of Pablo Picasso, both young and old.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.