FRIDAY

DECEMBER 26

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

BBC America, 8:00 a.m. ET

The new Doctor Who episode – and what a pivotal one it was – was shown on Christmas Day, here in the U.S. as well as in England. Today and tomorrow, BBC America continues the festivities by showing episodes from various incarnations of the modern Doctor, starting this morning with three episodes from Season 2, featuring David Tennant – now starring on TV in both Broadchurch and its Americanized version, Gracepoint – as the Doctor, and Billie Piper as his Companion, Rose. Episodes from Seasons 3 and 4, also starring Tennant, continue through midnight.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE DOCUMENTARY MARATHON

VH1, 6:00 p.m. ET

Starting at 6 p.m. ET, VH1 begins its look back at Saturday Night Live, repeating the excellent two-hour documentary retrospectives made to date. SNL in the 80s: Lost and Found begins the marathon, followed at 8 p.m. ET by SNL in the 90s, and at 10 p.m. ET by SNL in the 2000s. The current decade isn’t over, so VH1 substitutes SNL: The Women at midnight ET. That leaves it until 2 a.m. ET for VH1 to complete its marathon, but VH1 is saving the best, as well as the most vintage, for last: At 2 a.m. ET, the overview concludes, out of sequence, with Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live. Set your recorders.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

Comedy Central, 7:30 p.m. ET

When Comedy Central scheduled this 2008 film, it was, at best, an attempt to tie in with a holiday release of a new comedy starring the same two actors. But now, presenting Pineapple Express the day after the defiant, First Amendment-embracing release of the controversial The Interview seems positively prescient. Both comedies star Seth Rogen and James Franco – so if you watch this pothead comedy, keep in mind that it features the same guys at the center of one of the most fascinating international media cases of the modern era.

AMERICAN MASTERS: "BING CROSBY REDISCOVERED"

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

If you didn’t catch this profile of Bing Crosby earlier this month, here’s a second chance – and if you do watch this time, stay tuned through the final credits – because that’s when the filmmakers slip in an especially rare and entertaining Crosby vocal outtake. Check local listings.

THE NEXT MEGA TSUNAMI

National Geographic, 9:00 p.m. ET

Back in March 2004, a violent earthquake struck Southeast Asia, triggering a tsunami that devastated coastal Japan and many other countries. A decade later, this documentary takes a look back – and a look ahead, asking what steps can be taken to save more lives the next time such a disaster strikes.

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3685 Comments

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

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Sincerely,

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Mar 22, 2026

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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.

New From TVWW

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

BBC America, 8:00 a.m. ET

VH1, 6:00 p.m. ET

Comedy Central, 7:30 p.m. ET

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

National Geographic, 9:00 p.m. ET

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