SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 28
2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET

Well, not technically. Nineties country superstar Shania Twain recently wrapped up a two-year residency as a Las Vegas headliner, whose show included dancers, a 13-piece band, a motorcycle, and even a trained horse. (A main attraction and a mane attraction!) This is its captured-for-posterity, shown-after-the-fact TV edition, and why ABC is premiering this one-hour special on a Saturday night, I’m not sure. But here it is. I hope she’s in good voice after all these years, and doesn’t get horse.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET

In promos for this biographical special, 16-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant explains that rather than write a biography or go into therapy, he’d just talk to the camera, explaining his life, his philosophies, and his work ethic. You can do anything if you apply yourself enough, he insists – but I’m not sure I agree. No matter how hard I try, the only way I can dunk is to submerge a doughnut.

 
  
 
 

Sundance, 9:00 p.m. ET

If you loved Peter Berg’s NBC series about a dedicated Texas high school football coach, and you should have, but never saw the 2004 movie on which it was based, you should have. And here it is, with Billy Bob Thornton playing the role Kyle Chandler would embody so powerfully on TV. In both the movie and TV versions, the wife is played by the same actress, the superb Connie Britton – but her role in this movie version, based on the book by Buzz Bissinger, is much smaller than in the series. But if you watch for her closely, you’ll see her: Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose…

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 10:15 p.m. ET

After a long hiatus, Graham Norton is back with new shows. (Hooray!) As always, there’s a mixture of the famous (Sean Penn, Kelly Clarkson) and the celebrities more familiar to those on the other side of the Atlantic (Celia Imrie, Ross Noble). And, as always, they all share the couch at the same time, leading to marvelous and unpredictable interactions – and, under Norton’s guidance, some hilarious stories – like how Sean Penn greeted his 16-year-old daughter’s first date when the young man came to call on her.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 11:29 p.m. ET

This first new edition of Saturday Night Live after its big 40th-anniversary special is in living color, as they used to say – but with Dakota Johnson as host, also expect about 50 shades of grey. Musical guest: Alabama Shakes.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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Gerda Lundgren
Long-time TVWW devotee here. I manage a commercial vehicle operation and Hialeah Auto Glass Repair (https://autoglassrepairhialeah.com/) keeps our fleet going. Bianculli's picks keep us sane during maintenance delays - essential reading!
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Golly Gerda, you make me blush with your kind words, but maybe instead of giving me praise, how about giving me a discount on your service bills!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

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Smart TV writing for smart viewers - that's TVWW in a nutshell. I manage a motor pool and Macon Auto Glass Repair at https://autoglassrepairmacon.com/ is our go-to service provider. David Bianculli's enthusiasm is contagious.
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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.