FRIDAY

DECEMBER 23

2016

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

BBC America, 12:00 a.m. ET

Building up to Sunday’s brand new Christmas Day special episode of Doctor Who, shown in the States at 9 p.m. ET on BBC America, the network already has started repeated Doctor Who episodes, in an unbroken multi-day marathon, in the days leading up to the first new Who in a year. So if you’ve been in withdrawal from an absence of the Tardis and its occupants, tune in to BBC America any time. It’s just what the Doctor ordered.

MARS MARATHON

National Geographic, 4:00 p.m. ET

Episodes 1 through 6 of this original approach to planetary history, and drama, are repeated in this six-hour marathon, which is capped at 10 p.m. ET by a new behind-the-scenes special, a documentary called The Making of Mars. The title refers to the TV show, not the planet.

TERRY CREWS SAVES CHRISTMAS

CW, 8:00 p.m. ET

SPECIAL: The final two parts of this multi-part holiday series are shown tonight, back-to-back. So if Crews indeed is going to live up to the title, these are his final chances.

THE "THIN MAN" MARATHON

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Fridays in December have been devoted to the films of Myrna Loy, so it’s mere coincidence that, if I note that this last Friday night before Christmas is a thin night for TV viewing, the word Thin has a double meaning. Six Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as classy married sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, are shown tonight on TCM, starting at 8 p.m. ET with 1934’s original The Thin Man.

GREAT PERFORMANCES: “SHAKESPEARE LIVE! FROM THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY”

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Originally broadcast live on April 23, 2016 – marking William Shakespeare’s death, 400 years previously to the day – this British special is co-hosted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate, of Doctor Who fame, but also famous as performing alumni of the Royal Shakespeare Company. This live two-hour show makes room for ballet, hip-hop, musical performances and other unexpected ties to the Shakespeare canon, along with the more expected scenes from his comedies and dramas – and a Royal royal salute from Prince Charles. Guest performers and presenters include Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, John Lithgow, and the actor who played the Bard in Shakespeare in Love, Joseph Fiennes. Dench, as Titania, the Queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream, is especially delightful. Check local listings.

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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.

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BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

BBC America, 12:00 a.m. ET

National Geographic, 4:00 p.m. ET

CW, 8:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

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