SATURDAY
MAY 27
2017

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

CNN, 8:00 p.m. ET

MINI-MARATHON REPEAT: Tonight, CNN is planning to pad out some of its Memorial Day weekend schedule by replaying many episodes from its 2016 documentary miniseries The Eighties, beginning with an episode devoted to television in that decade – including the slow but steady and important rise of NBC’s Cheers. I’m one of the people interviewed for that particular episode – but as with almost any special programming scheduled for CNN these days, whether it actually appears depends on whether world news in general, and President Trump in particular, has a quiet spell for a day. Which, these days, seems to be happening almost never.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

TCM’s Memorial Day weekend marathon continues, featuring military-themed movies all day today, tomorrow, and Monday. But tonight, the film schedule takes a deliberate tack towards the lighter side, offering up a series of comedies as a uniform mini-marathon within the larger marathon. First up is 1958’s No Time for Sergeants, the film that actually began as an adaptation of the comic novel presented on live TV. In 1955, on The U.S. Steel Hour, Ira Levin – yes, the eventual author of Rosemary’s Baby – adapted the book for TV, starring Andy Griffith in a delightful comedy that moved quickly to Broadway, then became a motion picture. Most of the original Broadway cast, led by Griffith, showed up for this film version – including Don Knotts, a supporting actor who later called Griffith and offered to team up again for Griffith’s then-upcoming CBS comedy series, The Andy Griffith Show. Griffith never won an Emmy for that show, but Knotts did – plenty of them.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

Last week, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) saved the day again, but lost his eyesight. This week, he continues to fight evil and try to save the human race and the universe – but this time while continuing to be blind. And the problem he faces, this week, is the sudden appearance on a pyramid from nowhere, which heralds a countdown to the end of life as we know it.
 
  
 
 

HBO, 9:30 p.m. ET

Last year’s newest entry in the X-Men movie franchise set up a time frame, and new set of heroes and actors playing them, to be able to deal with stories inspired from the Marvel Comics series’ generally agreed-upon most creative dramatic streak. James McAvoy continues to play the “new” Charles Xavier, and Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones plays Jean Grey, whose transition to cosmic darkness will be explored in the next film in the franchise, the already announced X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 10:30 p.m. ET

As another entry in tonight’s comedy mini-marathon of military movies, presented for Memorial Day, TCM presents another uniformed wartime comedy classic: 1955’s Mister Roberts, co-directed by John Ford, who himself served in WWII, and Mervyn LeRoy, who also directed the movie adaptation of No Time for Sergeants. It stars Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon.

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
OYIGQ
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 211  | Go to page: 
4214 Comments
 
 
I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post
Jul 15, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Admiring the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer!..
Jul 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
https://simitporplacca.com
I really enjoyed reading this article. The information is well explained, easy to understand, and provides practical value for readers. I appreciate the time and effort that went into creating such quality content, and I look forward to reading more posts like this in the future. ????? I also recommend visiting https://simitporplacca.com/SIMIT Colombia for helpful guides and useful information. Thanks for sharing this excellent article!
Jul 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
arjun
I really enjoyed reading this article. The information is well explained, easy to understand, and provides practical value for readers. I appreciate the time and effort that went into creating such quality content, and I look forward to reading more posts like this in the future. ????? I also recommend visiting https://simitporplacca.com/SIMIT Colombia for helpful guides and useful information. Thanks for sharing this excellent article!
Jul 14, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I Was Eagerly Looking For Content Like This, Right To The Point And Detailed As Well Accordingly Depending Upon The Matter/Topic. You Have Managed This Greatly For Sure
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
???
Uncommon tips and clear. This will be to a great degree supportive for me when I get a chance to start my blog
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
i really like this article please keep it up
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Stunning! Such an astonishing and accommodating post this is. I super love it. It's so great thus amazing. I am simply stunned. I trust that you keep on doing your work like this later on moreover
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I am propelled by the information that you have on this blog. It demonstrates how well you grasp this subject
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
???
Cool stuff you have and you keep overhaul every one of us
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
???
Cool stuff you have and you keep overhaul every one of us
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This is my first time visit to your blog and I am very interested in the articles that you serve. Provide enough knowledge for me. Thank you for sharing useful and don't forget, keep sharing useful info:
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
thank you for your interesting infomation
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Thanks for a very interesting blog. What else may I get that kind of info written in such a perfect approach? I’ve a undertaking that I am simply now operating on, and I have been at the look out for such info
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
i was just browsing along and came upon your blog. just wanted to say good blog and this article really helped me
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini mengira orang-orang itu bodoh. Modus penipuan yang sama, omong kosong yang sama.
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This farewell page feels unusually personal for a recommendations site. What I appreciate most is the attention to habit: returning to shows, voices, and small details over time. That same kind of close listening matters in music practice too, where separating a full mix into parts can make hidden details easier to notice.
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This closing note has a nice sense of memory and gratitude. I especially liked the way it treats television criticism as something personal rather than just a list of recommendations. It made me think about how much of media work is really about listening closely, saving small details, and returning to them later. I often do that with music practice as well, using simple tools like https://tunestems.com/ to separate parts and hear what is happening underneath the full mix.
Jul 13, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Situs web ini benar-benar penipuan, jangan percayai mereka.
Jul 12, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 211  | Go to page: 
 
 

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.