WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 20
2019

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: This is not a recommendation. I used to recommend Survivor, for years. But then there were more years, and more years, and even the “new” challenges and team structures became repetitive. Survivor premiered in 2000, and is still around 19 years later, and presenting two different games each season. That’s 19 times two, which works out mathematically, because tonight is called the “Season 38” premiere of Survivor. It’s actually “Cycle 38,” but that’s harder to promote, and sounds like a very intricate dog-food brand. Tonight, for this new 2019 edition, Survivor promises to shake up things yet again, with a series subtitled “Edge of Extinction” – but I’m beyond caring.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 1933 costume epic is directed by Alexander Korda, and stars the always riveting Charles Laughton as King Henry VIII. And because this is about his private life, and this particular monarch worked his way through a half-dozen wives, this film also features a bevy of beautiful co-stars. All but his first wife appear in this film, so his co-stars include Merle Oberon as Anne Boleyn, Wendy Barrie as Jane Seymour and, pictured, Elsa Lanchester as Anne of Cleves. Two years later, Lanchester would co-star in another memorable film, playing the title role in The Bride of Frankenstein. Tough luck, hubby-wise: from murderous monarch to murderous monster.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 9:00 p.m. ET

Two singers are unasked tonight, leaving the field to the final – and presumably most talented – three. Among the costumed singers still standing: Well, see for yourself…

 
  
 
 

IFC, 11:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Season 3 of this wildly eccentric, creatively obsessive comic parody of specific documentary films begins with Batshit Valley, a mashup tribute to two nature documentaries: Netflix’s Wild Wild Country and 2012’s The Source. Owen Wilson plays a cult leader (pictured), with Michael Keaton as someone hot on his trail. Seth Meyers wrote the script.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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4484 Comments
 
 
Such a well-researched and thoughtful post! I enjoyed reading every bit of it. Your expertise really shines through.
Aug 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Adams
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Aug 19, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Robin_B
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan situs web ini, mereka menipu orang.
Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Aug 18, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
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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.