MONDAY

JUNE 24

2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 1980 miniseries version of the Judith Krantz bestseller was produced at the height of the TV miniseries era, when no story was too long, no cast too diverse, and no production too bloated. Lindsay Wagner stars in this soap opera about the fashion and film industries, and her costars include Barry Bostwick, Marie-France Pisier, Robert Reed and Connie Stevens. It’s rarely televised, and only partly because of its length. (It occupies prime time tonight on Encore, and concludes tomorrow.) But it’s an interesting TV curiosity. Think of it as Lifetime before there was a Lifetime.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

Sundance, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 1977 movie made a movie star of John Travolta and musical superstars of the Bee Gees. Leading lady Karen Lynn Gorney, seen here as the woman no one sees in the photo with John Travolta, not so much.

MISS YOU CAN DO IT

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

Ron Davis produced and directed this new HBO documentary film, which visits, and gives the history of, the decade-old pageant for children with limitations, organized by Abbey Curran, who was diagnosed at age 2 with cerebral palsy. She went on to compete in the Miss USA pageant, but not before organizing this less restrictive alternative, where every entrant wins something, and self-esteem is the real prize.

UNDER THE DOME

CBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: This new summer series, a welcome and different experiment from CBS, is based on a 2009 story by Stephen King, which imagines that a giant invisible dome is dropped over a small town, isolating its residents from the world outside. The same thing happened to the town of Springfield in 2007’s The Simpsons Movie, but let’s put that aside. What we have here is the makings of a welcome summer diversion, starring Dean Norris from Breaking Bad as a town resident prepared to take advantage of his very unusual new situation. The opening hour provided for preview was all exposition, so I’m not sure how well this dish under glass will be served – but an early shot of a dome-bisected cow, reminiscent of Damien Hirst’s “Mother and Child Divided” art installation, is certain to generate lots of conversation as an early attention-getter. For a full review, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes.

P.O.V.: "HOMEGOINGS"

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: The opening offering for Season 26 of P.O.V. comes from Harlem, where a funeral director named Isaiah Owens ministers to the needs of his community in a way that brings to mind, among other things, Six Feet Under and a TLC reality series. No wait – that last part doesn’t sound like a compliment, and what I’m trying to say is that this program, a celebration of both death and life, is well worth your time. Just know, as this documentary also points out, that time is precious. 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

Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET

Sundance, 8:00 p.m. ET

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

CBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

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