SUNDAY
APRIL 24
2016

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET

Dropped on HBO last night as a mystery special, Lemonade turns out to be not only the title of this Beyoncé music special, but also her brand new album, which became available on husband Jay-Z’s Tidal music service the second the HBO special ended. Good to know the two still were working together, because much of HBO’s Lemonade, a series of songs presented as moody and sometimes menacing music videos, painted Beyoncé as a woman wronged by her man and infuriated by his infidelity (at one point, she throws her wedding ring at the camera). By the end of the song cycle, there is apparent reconciliation of sorts, but also a series of larger messages, especially about being a strong woman in lessons taught by her grandmother. The visuals here are superb and often powerful – during one song-cycle chapter, called “Resurrection,” the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brian sit silently, and emotionally, while holding portraits of their slain sons. The music and lyrics are powerful, too, with a range, and a ferocity, that deserve this “video album” treatment. And, as such, we’ve come a long way, baby, since the first one ever made, Blondie’s Eat to the Beat. Catch this next-day repeat, if you’re at all interested in watching what MTV has ceded to HBO, like broadcast networks with the miniseries and made-for-TV movies.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

We’re into the final episodes of The Good Wife, so it makes sense that Alicia (Julianna Margulies) wants to throw a party – except a party is the last thing on her mind, given that her mother-in-law (Mary Beth Piel, pictured) is getting remarried just as Alicia herself has demanded a divorce from her own husband, the increasingly disgraced Peter (Chris Noth).

 
  
 
 

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: It’s the series return many, many people are waiting for, and HBO has pumped up the suspense by keeping the season premiere under wraps. But it is an HBO “free preview” weekend, so you can watch this and all other recommended HBO shows tonight free of charge. The charge will come afterward: As with many crack dealers, the first taste is free.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Another HBO series returns in a free preview weekend – with a revamped corporate structure, but the same oddly endearing tech-savvy characters.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:30 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: When the writers of Veep planned out last season’s cliffhanger, and the possibility that the presidential race would result in a deadlocked and brokered political convention, it was supposed to be satirical fantasy. So much of the real 2016 race appears to be just that, I guess, so why not? For a full review, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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2942 Comments
 
 
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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.