THURSDAY
NOVEMBER 28
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

NBC, 9:00 a.m. ET

This morning, New York city officials will determine whether the sustained winds and wind gusts in the city are sufficiently severe to ground the Macy’s balloons this year – in which case the 2013 parade telecast will really blow. The cutoff numbers are 23 m.p.h. sustained and 34 m.p.h. for gusts – anything above that, and the airborne part of the parade is grounded. After all that work, expense and planning? Good grief, Charlie Brown.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET

NBC doesn’t even bother to change the name of its showcase pro football series when it televises a special edition on Thursday. But how special is it, really? The game has “playoff implications,” yes, but it’s a prime-time contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, both of which have identical losing records of 5-6. Bring the stuffing: enjoy the turkey.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

POV has done this before, and at the time, I strongly urged they do it again – so I’m glad to see this latest StoryCorps special. StoryCorps, of course, is an exisiting, long-running feature on public radio, an intimate oral history experiment that is one of the very best ideas in its history. For television, these existing audio recordings are augmented with basic, simple animation – much like Ricky Gervais turned his podcast conversations into HBO’s The Ricky Gervais Show – and presented, this time, as a Thanksgiving Day treat. Few things you’ll watch on TV today will tend to bring the family closer. For a full review, see Eric Gould's Cold Light Reader. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

Sundance, 9:00 p.m. ET

Part 5. This is anything but standard Thanksgiving night fare. But if you’ve been watching, you might want to keep up, because this is a pivotal episode in this creepy, moody, haunting miniseries. But don’t worry: If you don’t want to sacrifice tonight’s viewing time, Sundance is mounting a catch-up marathon of The Returned this Saturday.

 
  
 
 

ABC, 9:30 p.m. ET

Two years ago, Lady Gaga presented an ABC Thanksgiving special that had her hanging out with her mother, sharing cooking tips with a chef, and, yes, singing. For this second special, she teams with the Muppets, with a plot line that is lifted straight from the classic syndicated The Muppet Show: It’s a TV variety show that shows the attempt to mount a variety show, with backstage as well as onstage antics throughout. And in addition to the Muppets – all of them, according to ABC – this Holiday Spectacular also makes room for Elton John (who appeared on the original Muppet Show), Kristen Bell and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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Dave Bianculli
Howdy pardner,

Did you pass out on your keyboard after getting drunk, and then just kept bouncing your head over and over and over???

ROTFFLMBFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously dude, watch more TV, drink less alcohol!!!!

Warmly,

Dave
Jun 20, 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.