THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 25
2016

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

Last night, the majority of the finalists for this final year of Idol were revealed. Tonight, the final two join the stage – and then the Top 10 immediately take the stage, one at a time, to compete for votes from viewers. From this point onward, it’s the audience, not the judges, who really are in charge.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

There are two things to celebrate here. One, it’s episode number 200 for The Big Bang Theory, attesting to the show’s longevity and popularity. Two, it’s Sheldon’s birthday – an occasion he has decided, for once, to embrace rather than ignore, which gives his friends permission to go a little bazinga.

 
  
 
 

CNN, 8:30 p.m. ET

Wolf Blitzer moderates this final debate before Super Tuesday – and yes, Donald Trump is planning to attend. And after winning another primary earlier this week, he’s probably not going to be as shy and retiring this time. The debate is televised by CNN live from Texas – specifically, at the University of Houston.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: This newest crime-series import from England opens with one of the most jolting, high-octane opening sequences since ABC’s Lost – tune in at the start, and you’re there for the entire hour. What Prey appears to be, based on the opening installment, is a modern update of The Fugitive – but that’s only the half of it. The other half is an intertwined story looking at the woman who takes charge of that and another investigation, so Prey, actually, is a cross between The Fugitive and Prime Suspect. And deserves to be talked about in the same breath. Watch the opening. For his take, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower. 

 
  
 
 

History, 11:00 p.m. ET

This is the third episode of this new Craig Ferguson talk and comedy show – and finally, I was able to catch up and see the first two episodes, which premiered last week in a double header. The premise is to choose a topic from history, present six “qualifiers” for that topic – worst medical advice or political blunder, for example – then winnow them down, one by one, until you have a weekly winner. This new show retains Shadoe Stevens from Ferguson’s Late Late Show, and Ferguson’s opening monologue and close-to-the-camera delivery – but then it switches to a format where Ferguson plays host to three guests, including at least one comic, who discuss the issues at hand. It’s like Real Time with Bill Maher, only instead of discussing current events, they discuss vintage events. And very humorously, and even instructively: The opening show, for example, taught me things I never knew before. Like the definition of a gold star… well, I’ll just end it there. You can find out what I’m referring to by watching an 8 p.m. ET repeat of the opener, which features Jimmy Kimmel, then staying for a repeat of the Chris Hardwick show at 8:30 p.m. ET – and returning at 11 p.m. ET for a new episode, featuring Courteney Cox.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.