THURSDAY

JANUARY 30

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

AMERICAN MASTERS: “PETE SEEGER: THE POWER OF SONG”

PBS, 7:30 p.m. ET

To honor Pete Seeger, who died Monday at age 94, PBS is repeating its 2008 American Masters profile of the influential singer and songwriter. It’s an excellent documentary, and his TV return on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the Sixties plays a prominent part. For my salute to Pete Seeger, see Bianculli’s Blog. Many local PBS member stations will make room for this special telecast, either sometime tonight or over the weekend. Even more than usual for a PBS offering, Check local listings.

THE BIG BANG THEORY

CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

Geek fanboy alert: Tonight on this new Big Bang, the guest star, playing himself, is James Earl Jones. Forget what else he’s accomplished over a stunningly impressive lifetime on stage and screen: for Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Jones is known, and revered, for only one thing: providing the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies. That’s cause enough for celebration – and an excuse to celebrate more.

PARKS AND RECREATION

NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET

This series has been leading up to tonight’s episode for quite a while: Ann and Chris (Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe), future parents, take their union on the road – aiming for Michigan – and leave Pawnee. The actors themselves are leaving the show – but not without an on-air goodbye party, planned by Leslie (Amy Poehler).

THE SIXTIES: THE BRITISH INVASION

CNN, 9:00 p.m. ET

Hastily scheduled, this is another special preview installment of The Sixties, the forthcoming CNN documentary series by Tom Hanks’ production company. The first of these, back in November, was keyed to the golden anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Now, two months later, comes a much happier 50-years-later program: a salute to the Feb. 9, 1964 appearance by The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.

THE SPOILS OF BABYLON

IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET

In tonight’s episode, Jessica Alba steps to the fore – and steps into a series of bitchslaps, traded with Kristen Wiig’s Cynthia in a very pointed homage to the Dynasty-era miniseries Spoils is so gleefully satirizing.

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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

PBS, 7:30 p.m. ET

CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET

CNN, 9:00 p.m. ET

IFC, 10:00 p.m. ET

David Bianculli

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