SUNDAY
DECEMBER 29
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

NBC, 8:20 p.m. ET

This prime-time game has major postseason implications: The Philadelphia Eagles (9-6) and Dallas Cowboys (8-7) are battling for the NFC East crown in a win-or-walk game, with the season on the line. Both teams are starting backup quarterbacks, but with a decided edge to Philly. On the Dallas side, Tony Romo is missing the game and undergoing back surgery, giving backup QB Kyle Orton his first NFL start since the 2011 season finale. Meanwhile, on the Eagles’ side, backup QB Nick Foles has not only been playing for a while this season, he’s been playing brilliantly, amassing the highest QB rating in the league.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Tonight, TCM honors the late Peter O’Toole by presenting an evening of some of his best work. The night begins at 8 p.m. ET with his classic 1962 David Lean epic, Lawrence of Arabia. A midnight (ET) special, Peter O’Toole: Live from the TCM Film Festival, produced last year, follows, and the evening ends with a wonderful double feature: 1969’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips at 1 a.m. ET, paired with 1982’s delightful My Favorite Year at 3:45 a.m. ET.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Always one of the best and most inspiring TV specials of the year, the 2013 edition of the Kennedy Center Honors honors one actor (Shirley MacLaine), one opera singer (Martina Arroyo), and three popular musicians (Billy Joel, Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock). Vintage performance clips and new tributes put their lives and works in context, and each year’s show leaves me feeling better about what TV can do when it really, really tries to aim high.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Tonight, Season 3 of Downton Abbey concludes, setting up next Sunday’s Season 4 premiere. If you’re watching tonight’s season finale repeat for the first time, don’t leave early. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

SERIES FINALE: The end of the fourth season of David Simon’s latest multilayered TV series also is the end of the series itself. This examination of life in post-Katrina New Orleans ends, fittingly, on a note of celebration, with both Mardi Gras and the music – always one of the key ingredients – taking center stage.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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
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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.