SATURDAY
APRIL 21
2012

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

BBC America, 6:00 a.m. ET

(6 a.m. - 5:55 p.m. ET) Tomorrow, Discovery Channel presents a nature series marathon of its own, televising the entire Frozen Planet, a sequel to this series – which, like Frozen, was a co-production by the BBC and Discovery Channel. The two series have something else in common: while narrated by Sir David Attenborough in the U.K., both were televised in the U.S. by Discovery with substitute narrators: Sigourney Weaver for Planet Earth, and Alec Baldwin for the Frozen Planet, which just ended its run on Discovery. I’ve complained about this needless substitution both times, and relief is at hand. Today’s Planet Earth marathon on BBC America, is shown three times (April 21, 2012 from 6am-5:55pm ET, then repeating 5:55pm-9:05am and 9:05am-9pm ET Sunday), and is followed at 9 p.m. ET Sunday by The Making of Planet Earth. And this time, all of it is televised with the original Attenborough narration – as is tomorrow’s Frozen Planet marathon on Discovery. A victory for two Davids.
 
  
 
 

HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 2011 movie, based on a true story, stars Robin Pattinson as a former veterinary student who falls in love with a circus performer, played by Reese Witherspoon. It’s set in a circus, and the animals have no trouble stealing this show – but on a slow TV night, why not?
 
  
 
 

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

Terrence Malick's films -- relatively rare events -- never make much of a dent at the box office, and this poetic 2011 drama didn't either, despite the presence of both Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. But, like the others, attention was indeed paid. Roger Ebert said, "The only other film I've seen with this boldness of vision is Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey." And he went on to add that 2001 "lacked Malick's fierce evocation of human feeling." In other word: Watch.
 
  
 
 

Comedy Central, 10:00 p.m. ET

This new Comedy Central special has Patton Oswalt holding court, spinning stories that poke fun at everything from being a new parent (which he is) to attending meetings at Weight Watchers (which he has). Very funny stuff, all around.
 
  
 
 

NBC, 11:29 p.m. ET

This is a rerun, but one with a reason for revisiting. The musical guest is Lana Del Ray, and her performances here were largely derided afterward as the worst SNL musical debacle since Ashlee Simpson’s lip-synching machine “malfunctioned” in 2007, causing her to walk off in embarrassment.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.