MONDAY
DECEMBER 23
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 1985 time-travel comedy is presented tonight along with (at 10 p.m. ET) its 1989 sequel, Back to the Future Part II. That’s the one in which Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly finds himself, for a while, in the not-distant future – of 2015. We’re getting closer, boys and girls. But hey – I can remember anticipating the actual arrival of 1984 and 2001, and neither of those precisely matched their respective works of fiction, either. So don’t hold your breath waiting for the imminent development of any hovering skateboards.

 
  
 
 

National Geographic, 8:00 p.m. ET

This three-hour documentary visits the place where Charles Darwin compiled the isolated observations that helped prove his theory of evolution. Still remote, and with its access tightly controlled by a government wary of even unintentionally harmful impact by visitors, these remote islands and their unique animal residents can be witnessed effortlessly, and impressively, by watching this beautifully filmed series.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

This is the 1944 movie musical on which director Vincente Minnelli met, and later married, its young star, Judy Garland, five years after her portrayal of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. (Among the duo’s subsequent collaborations: daughter Liza Minnelli.) Fittingly for the holidays, this film also is the one in which Garland introduced what is now a Christmas standard, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – which, in the early draft of its lyrics, was much more melancholy.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

David Gelb’s vivid documentary profile is the first TV show I wish had been made in Taste-O-Vision. It’s about Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old sushi chef who is an astounding perfectionist and culinary artist. He works out of a small place at the Toyko subway, yet has earned three Michelin stars and is hailed in his country as a national treasure. What drives him? What distinguishes him? And what can you learn from him, about sushi preparation or just approaching life? Tune in… and savor. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

Like the best of the classic Sixties TV game shows it emulates and echoes, Hollywood Game Night is an airy, instantly dismissable little confection that is enjoyable and effortless to watch, pure and simple. Jane Lynch hosts, and this special holiday edition includes impromptu fun from Ray Romano, Rachel Bilson, Andy Roddick and others.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.