FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 20
2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Amazon Prime Video, 12:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Unless you count Season 2 of FX’s Fargo as a brand-new series (which you shouldn’t, because it’s a rebooted anthology show), The Man in the High Castle deserves credit as the best new show of the season. That’s on broadcast, cable or streaming TV – and even that’s not high enough praise, because the fall 2015 season has been a relatively crummy one. But this new series, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick (whose sci-fi stories have inspired such films as Blade Runner and Total Recall), is as interesting as it is unusual. It imagines an alternate history in which the Allies lost World War II, with the Japanese and Nazis dividing up the spoils of the continental United States. It’s 1962, and a trio of young characters are drawn, for various reasons, into the underground resistance movement. For a full review, see my Bianculli’s Blog, or visit the Fresh Air website to read and hear my review on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. And for more, read Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky’s Bytes.
 
  
 
 

Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Another streaming service drops the entirety of Season 1 of a new series today. On Netflix, it’s Marvel’s Jessica Jones, its second TV series effort from the Marvel universe, following on, and set in the same world, time and neighborhood as its predecessor, Marvel’s Daredevil. I liked Daredevil, but like this new series even more. Krysten Ritter, who was so good in Breaking Bad as Jesse’s junkie girlfriend, has another dark role here. She stars as a former superhero whose defeat and humiliation by a mind-controlling villain has driven her to drop her alter ego and costume, and work as a low-rent private eye. David Tennant plays the villain who broke her spirit – and though he doesn’t make an appearance until halfway through this first season, he magnetizes the proceedings the second he shows up. Jessica Jones, as a Marvel character, didn’t make her first appearance until this century, but makes a strong first impression here, in a series that’s as mature as the R-rated comic on which it’s based. For a fuller review, see Bianculli’s Blog.
 
  
 
 

Various Networks, 8:00 p.m. ET

This two-hour TV version of Wednesday’s concert, from Los Angeles, is spread across several cable networks in a simulcast: A&E, History, History 2 and Lifetime all are among the six networks presenting it tonight. Headliners include Bruce Springsteen, John Legend and Tom Morello performing “American Skin (41 Shots),” Jill Scott singing “Strange Fruit,” and Big Sean and Common closing the show with “One Man Can Change the World.” Other performers include Sia, Pink, Smokey Robinson and Nicki Minaj.
 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

This TV version of the Broadway salute to songwriting team John Kander and Fred Ebb features songs from such hit shows of theirs as Cabaret and Chicago. The cast of singers includes James Clow, Kate Baldwin, Matthew Scott and others. Come to the cabaret, old chum… and enjoy. Check local listings.
 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: This is the final installment of Bill Maher’s live political talk show for the year, and for what, for him, is Season 13 of this always-interesting gabfest. Among tonight’s scheduled guests: Gavin  Newsom and Andy Cohen.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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Buying a home can feel overwhelming at first, but once you understand the process and get pre-approved, things start falling into place. I really appreciate how this post breaks down the steps clearly, super helpful for buyers!
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You made karaoke night the highlight of the evening, fantastic job!
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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.