SUNDAY

JUNE 24

2012

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

A big evening of movies about the big top begins with one of the first – and still best – films of that genre. It’s Charlie Chaplin’s 1928 silent comedy The Circus, in which his character of the Little Tramp wanders into a circus tent and becomes a comedy sensation. But he gets laughs only when he’s not trying to, and falls flat otherwise. It’s a very knowing approach to comedy, and the characters – and if you think capuchin monkeys were discovered as scene-stealing simian cinema stars in The Hangover, think again. Chaplin, as with so many other things comedic, got there first.

TRUE BLOOD

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

What a wild, wonderful season. Tara (Rutina Wesley), totally out of control as she goes through her latest changes, is on the loose – and Sookie (Anna Paquin) goes to Fangtasia to beg Pam (Kristin Bauer) for help in reining her in. But instead, Sookie and Pam have a very public confrontation – while, elsewhere, everyone else has some pretty major problems and conflicts as well.

THE AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: SHIRLEY MACLAINE

TV Land, 9:00 p.m. ET

These annual American Film Institute specials used to be treasured jewels on the major broadcast networks, but time, and an obsession with younger demographics, has relegated them to the fringes of cable. But CBS’s loss, in this case, is TV Land’s gain, because check out the guest roster for tonight’s salute to movie star and former Rat Packer MacLaine: Meryl Streep, Sally Field and Julia Roberts are on hand, as are Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and, yes, Don Rickles.

BOOGIE NIGHTS

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

This 1997 Paul Thomas Anderson movie about the porn industry in the 1970s and 80s gave Mark Wahlberg a starring role, demonstrating what turned out to be a very impressive eye for talent. That extended to the rest of the cast as well, which featured – 15 years ago – Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, and, as the infamous Rollergirl, Heather Graham (pictured). All that, and Burt Reynolds, too…

THE NEWSROOM

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Aaron Sorkin has a new TV series, for HBO this time – and it stars Jeff Daniels as a TV newsman who finds his voice, and a new direction, after a very public meltdown of unfiltered honesty. For a full review, and an overview of Sorkin’s TV career, see my Bianculli’s Blog HERE.

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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

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

TV Land, 9:00 p.m. ET

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

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