TUESDAY

SEPTEMBER 3

2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

I woke up in the middle of the night this morning to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation, one of the overnight silent-movie treats on Turner Classic Movies. I switched channels before the racist second half of the movie, which I show in film class, but that’s plenty, thanks. Tonight in prime time, TCM presents another early Griffith cinematic epic that’s a lot more palatable: a movie that actually decries bigotry rather than champions it. Lillian Gish stars in this multi-story 1916 drama, which occupies all of prime time.

THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

This evocative, instructive documentary series from Ken Burns and company (in this case, the primary voice being that of writer-producer Dayton Duncan, who even appears on camera) is repeated tonight through Friday on PBS. And it arrives at a time when Yosemite National Park is in the headlines because firefighters are battling major blazes there – so this series is as timely as it is timeless. Check local listings.

LUTHER

BBC America, 10:00 p.m. ET

MINISERIES RETURN: Tonight through Friday, this BBC detective series, starring Idris Elba as the emotionally stressed investigator, presents its third – and final – season. Sienna Guillory plays Mary, his new girlfriend, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Luther is mellowing. Or that the deadly, unhinged Alice (Ruth Wilson, pictured) isn’t still lurking in the shadows.

THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART

Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m. ET

John Oliver did a first-rate, really impressive job sitting in for Jon Stewart this summer, so kudos to him. But a hearty welcome back to Jon Stewart, who takes over the reins again beginning tonight.

WEB THERAPY

Showtime, 11:00 p.m. ET

Once again, tonight’s new episode of Web Therapy makes room for some new clients. And tonight, Fiona (Lisa Kudrow) meets one you won’t want to miss: Nick, a potential online gambling addict played by former Friends co-star Matt Le Blanc, who’s already done such great post-NBC cable work on Showtime’s Episodes. As expected, he and Kudrow are effortlessly successful, and funny, here as well.

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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.

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BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

BBC America, 10:00 p.m. ET

Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m. ET

Showtime, 11:00 p.m. ET

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