MONDAY
NOVEMBER 21
2016

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

The live shows have gone well so far in this final round – for both the singers and the judges, who are similarly constrained to perform well under pressure, with no retakes.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET

Produced in association with the Boston Globe, this new documentary hones in on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing – but stresses the aftermath, both of the pursuit of the terrorists and the recovery efforts of the survivors.

 
  
 
 

National Geographic, 9:00 p.m. ET

Episode 2. This new series from Ron Howard and company is part documentary, but also a big part scripted fictional story – science fiction in the most precise sense, telling a feasible story about a “future mission” to Mars. For a full review, see David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower.
 
  
 
 

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Last week, I described this excellent documentary series on recorded music as a five-part series. I’d blame my pain meds, but I stopped taking them two months ago. Several of you noted my mistake, and I’m happy to report that you’re right and I’m wrong. There are still three episodes left, thank goodness, starting with tonight’s installment, which includes the rise of hip-hop, the development of musical “sampling,” and such pioneering rap artists as Public Enemy and Run-DMC. For a full review, see David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower.  Check local listings.
 
  
 
 

TBS, 11:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Alia Shawkat from Arrested Development stars in this new TBS series, which is being unveiled in late night, two episodes per night, for a one-week burst, beginning tonight. (Though if, like Soundbreaking, it ends up leaking into next week as well, then I’ll be 0 for 2.)  She plays Dory, a pampered housewife’s personal assistant who impulsively takes on a mission in life she deems more meaningful: rounding up a posse of friends in hopes of locating a former college acquaintance, Chantal, who has gone missing. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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4025 Comments
 
 
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https://changwoncoco.clickn.co.kr/
Jun 17, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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Jun 17, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Howdy pardner,

Did you pass out on your keyboard after getting drunk, and then just kept bouncing your head over and over and over???

ROTFFLMBFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously dude, watch more TV, drink less alcohol!!!!

Warmly,

Dave
Jun 20, 2026
 
 
 
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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.