MONDAY
AUGUST 25
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Acorn TV, Check local listings

SERIES FINALE: Agatha Christie’s Poirot, an imported British mystery series that began being televised here in 1989, concludes officially today, as the streaming site Acorn TV premieres the final episode starring David Suchet as the fussy but observant Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. As with almost every other story in the Christie canon, this one ends with Poirot explaining how he cracked the case and identifying both the murderer and his methods. The difference, this time, is that he manages to do that from beyond the grave. And before you scream “Spoiler Alert,” please remember that The New York Times ran a front-page “obituary” of Poirot when that beloved fictional character died – way back in 1975. So literally, it’s very old news. For my full review, visit NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
 
  
 
 

Tennis Channel, 11:00 a.m. ET

The early rounds of tennis this year have proven especially volatile, and this year’s U.S. Open has so many dramatic story lines that you may want to be there from the start – and you can, by tuning to Tennis Channel at 11 a.m. ET for eight hours of first-day live coverage, or, from 1-6 p.m. ET, five hours on ESPN. Among the main stories: Novak Djokovic, after a dramatic Wimbledon win against Roger Fededer, tries to reach the finals here, with persistent rival Rafael Nadal sidelined with a wrist injury. Serena Williams hopes to earn her third U.S. Open title here, reversing a very shaky year. And Eugenie Bouchard, the 20-year-old Canadian, has been coming on strong, but not as strong as Petra Kvitova, who beat her in the most recent Wimbledon women’s final. And then there’s Maria Sharapova, coming back from injury. Lots of drama – and, on the women’s side, lots of grunts.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Monday night for the Emmys? In August? Yes, it’s an odd day to televise it, and presenting it before Labor Day dilutes the impact even more. But there are some big stories to watch here, including a few historic ones. AMC’s Breaking Bad, for example, deserves to win the Best Drama Series award this year, but it’s up against some very stiff competition – including the same network’s Mad Men, which, if it wins, would outpace Hill Street Blues, The West Wing and L.A. Law to become the first five-time Drama Series winner in TV history. Seth Meyers hosts.
 
  
 
 

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: This limited-series Top Gear spinoff stars James May, the king grouch among this show’s pack of affable automotive grouches, to evaluate a series of Cars of the People – economical “autos for the masses,” complete with some quick history lessons to explain, for example, why the VW bug originally was referred to as “Hitler’s car.” Dictators, it turns out, have a lot to do with automotive history, though they can’t dictate what does, and doesn’t, ultimately become popular.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

Barbie is missing, and the townspeople, including the new town sheriff (Dean Norris) think he’s dead. He isn’t – but if these folks are guilty of anything, it’s living inside the bubble.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.