MONDAY

SEPTEMBER 23

2019

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

CBS, 8:30 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Last night, the Emmys were televised live. Tonight, it’s the official start of the 2019 fall TV season – but rather than list all the new and returning shows, I’ll limit mentions on Bianculli’s Best Bets to the shows I’ve actually enjoyed, or expect to. That makes it a much shorter list, and eliminates some smaller pleasures: hoping to see Sean Spicer eliminated on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (would an old tape clip from The Apprentice have Donald Trump seeing him off with a vintage “You’re fired”?), or welcoming Jimmy Smits back to yet another TV series, in NBC’s otherwise unremarkable Bluff City Law. Even Fox’s Prodigal Son, with the talented actor Michael Sheen, is a disappointment. So where, tonight, is the promise? Believe it or not, it’s with Chuck Lorre’s latest CBS sitcom. Billy Gardell from Mike & Molly stars as a heart patient who falls in love with his nurse, a Nigerian immigrant played by Folake Olowofoyeku. His interactions with her are sweet and funnier – and when he meets her friends and family, even more so. For a full review, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes.

THE VOICE

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: There’s no Adam Levine this time around, so Blake Shelton must make do with a different type of on-air chemistry: with returning judge Gwen Stefani, whom Shelton romanced after sitting next to her in his red judge’s chair. Also judging this cycle: John Legend and Kelly Clarkson. Oh, yes, and there are competing singers to watch, and hear, too…

COUNTRY MUSIC

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

Tonight’s episode is titled “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?,” and covers the years 1968-72. That makes sense, because it includes the seminal 1972 multi-album release of the same name by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I remember getting that album when it was released, and being, at the time, almost totally ignorant of the artists and music showcased in the album’s gathering of past giants of country music. But if you’ve been watching Ken Burns’ Country Music thus far, you certainly know them by now: the players on that record, jamming with the Dirt Band boys, included Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, and others. That remarkable album is recalled tonight – as is another truly groundbreaking album from that era, Bob Dylan’s 1969 embrace of country, Nashville Skyline. Check local listings.

THE DEUCE

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

The mid-Eighties are tough on the NYC neighborhood known as the Deuce: the spread of the disease identified as AIDS is decimating the gay community, the bath houses are attracting new interest from medical authorities as well as police, and the porn theaters are searching for ways to survive despite the rise of X-rated home-video releases. Two of the main characters in The Deuce have their own porn-related survival tactics: Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is pushing to direct and produce “femme erotica,” while Frankie (James Franco) is betting on amateur porn videos as being the next big thing.

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Natch brother - all I do is spout pearls of wisdom all day long!! LMBFAOAROTF!@!!!

But thanks for noticing.

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Holy Lolapalooza! It's been a semi-secret in my life that I like to GLAM UP and belt out a few tunes at my local watering hole. I didn't ever think that one of my FANS would stumble in to one of my performances!!! ROTFLMBFAO!!!!

Which song did you like best: Girls Just Want to Have Fun, or Highway to Hell?

Next time, please introduce yourself!! I promise, I don't bite!!!! (unless we both mutually agree that we would like that!!!!!)

Fondly yours in TV,

Dave

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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

CBS, 8:30 p.m. ET

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

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