MONDAY
APRIL 24
2017

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

MIDSEASON RETURN: Coming back from its spring break, Gotham pays off a three-year plot development by turning one of its characters, Cory Michael Smith as Ed Nygma, into a full-fledged, recognizable costumed villain from the DC Comics Batman universe: The Riddler. But riddle me this: When is a bad guy like a hyena? When they both cackle…

 
  
 
 

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s live rounds went without a hiccup – all the voting and selecting was completed in time, if at literally the last second. And the performances ranged from good to excellent, with many impressive choices regarding both song selection and arrangement. The judges, too, have been up to the challenge of going live – they’re loose, and often funny, and only occasionally rambling.

 
  
 
 

Cinemax, 8:00 p.m. ET

Need a laugh? It’s in here somewhere. This 1978 comedy not only changed movies, by turning comedy sensibility over to a new generation, but launched a bunch of the next generation’s new stars. John Belushi broke out big here – but don’t forget about Kevin Bacon, Tim Matheson, Karen Allen, Peter Riegert, Stephen Furst and others.

 
  
 
 

Fox News Channel, 8:00 p.m. ET

NEW TIME SLOT: By staying still, Tucker Carlson keeps moving at Fox News. When Megyn Kelly left the network to join NBC, he inherited her prime-time program slot. And beginning tonight, now that Bill O’Reilly is no longer part of the network he helped establish, Carlson inherits the plum leadoff spot at Fox News. How he addresses and describes that transition, and what he does and doesn’t say about the disgraced departure of his former colleague, is what makes this first 8 p.m. ET appearance worth monitoring.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

It’s not often you have documentaries based on a debate question, but tonight’s installment is – and the topic is, Should the Holocaust be off limits to comedians? Whatever your thoughts on the topic, there are at least two reasons not to miss tonight’s The Last Laugh. One is that it includes footage from the never-released, always controversial Jerry Lewis film The Day the Clown Cried (if you don’t know the plot, watch and gasp). The other reason to watch is that it asks the person I consider the ultimate authority on comedy and everything Nazi-related: the great Mel Brooks. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

A&E, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES FINALE: Do not miss this. Bates Motel has done a spectacular job this season inching up to its finale, which finally aligns with the events of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 Psycho. Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, as the two faces of Norman and Norma Bates, have been amazing, especially this final season. I’m expecting this to be one of TV’s finest finales… and can’t wait to see it. For an appreciation, see Ed Martin's TV Mix.

 
  
 
 

AMC, 10:00 p.m. ET

AMC sent out the first two episodes of this season’s Better Call Saul for preview. This is episode three – which means I’m as much in the dark about what will happen next as you are. And I’m probably even more excited to find out, unless you’re as helplessly and fanatically addicted to this series as I am.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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3702 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.