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.

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
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4582 Comments
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia tangkap situs web sialan itu
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu licik menjalankan operasi kotor yang dibangun di atas kebohongan dan penipuan.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini benar-benar bajingan, berbohong kepada orang-orang dan mencuri uang seperti penipu kotor yang sebenarnya.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Tidak ada yang nyata di sini. Hanya omong kosong penuh tipu daya dari orang-orang serakah.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya sekelompok penipu lain yang melakukan bisnis kotor secara online.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu yang memalukan memangsa orang-orang dengan klaim palsu dan kebohongan.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu kelas rendah melakukan apa yang paling mereka kuasai—berbohong, menipu, dan menghilang dengan uang orang lain.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Situs web ini benar-benar penipuan, jangan percayai mereka.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Singkirkan para penipu dengan cerita palsu dan hasil palsu. Jangan percaya bajingan pembohong ini.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya kebohongan dan taktik penipuan. Buang-buang waktu dan uang saja.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya kebohongan dan taktik penipuan. Buang-buang waktu dan uang saja.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Penipu sejati, persetan denganmu, jalang!
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini pantas untuk diungkap kebohongan dan kebusukan mereka.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini benar-benar bajingan, berbohong kepada orang-orang dan mencuri uang seperti penipu kotor yang sebenarnya.
Sep 6, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini benar-benar bajingan, berbohong kepada orang-orang dan mencuri uang seperti penipu kotor yang sebenarnya.
Sep 6, 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.