TUESDAY
MARCH 25
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

Part 1 of 2. This two-part episode of NCIS is a back-door pilot, intended to launch a new NCIS spinoff – which, undoubtedly, it will do, and successfully. Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his crew go to New Orleans, to help work with authorities there on the case of a former NCIS agent found dead there, washed ashore. This investigation reunites Gibbs with a former colleague, now running the New Orleans branch of NCIS. He’s Dwayne Cassius Pride – and he’s played by Scott Bakula, who already has proven his ability to anchor a spinoff series by starring in the UPN prequel, Star Trek: Enterprise.
 
  
 
 

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: British historian Simon Schama, whose previous history TV series include The Power of Art and The History of Britain, brings his bubbly enthusiasm and his personal touch to a story he finds intensely personal: a quest to understand his own identity as a Jew. And though tonight’s first two hours cover the expected ancient history and geographical and cultural conflicts, it begins in a very unusual place: the private study of Sigmund Freud, filled with books and artwork and sculpture in which Schama finds a great deal of significance related to his chosen topic. Two episodes are shown tonight. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

El Rey, 9:00 p.m. ET

In tonight’s third episode, Adrienne Palicki from Friday Night Lights joins the cast. She plays Vanessa Styles, a woman from Seth’s past, who warns Seth (D.J. Cotrona) about something she once discovered about Seth’s twitchy brother, Richie (Zane Hotz): namely, that he suffers from delusions of seeing things and hearing voices. Except, as this Robert Rodriguez expansion of his From Dusk Till Dawn movie already has made clear, he’s not delusional. And when he has a vision, it’s quite a vision indeed – of vampire queen Santanico Pandemonium, played in this series version by Eiza Gonzalez.

 
  
 
 

FX, 10:00 p.m. ET

In last week’s episode, Raylan’s boss Art Mullen (Nick Searcy), whose relationship with Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) has been contentious all season, volunteered to clean up more of Raylan’s mess by warning a woman who may be in danger because of Raylan’s actions and investigations. Preview clips have made it clear that Art’s mission doesn’t end without incident – and the focus of tonight’s episode is how Raylan reacts. Just don’t expect a measured, safe response.

 
  
 
 

Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. ET

Tonight’s guest: former President Jimmy Carter. He’s been on The Daily Show, and been very entertaining – but that show’s host, Jon Stewart, was appropriately deferential. Stephen Colbert, in his persona on The Colbert Report, is anything but – so this ought to be even more entertaining.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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3697 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.