TUESDAY

DECEMBER 30

2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

AMC, 9:00 a.m. ET

Strap in and ride: Beginning at 9 a.m. ET today, AMC is ushering in the New Year by repeating, in sequence, all five seasons of The Walking Dead, beginning with the stunning opener that sets the scene in goosebumps-raising fashion. Watch this marathon if you dare – but side effects of binge-watching The Walking Dead include an increase in dramatic tension and the occasional sudden loss of beloved characters.

IN MEMORIAM MARATHON

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Tonight on TCM, the evening is devoted to acknowledging artists who died in 2014, by presenting representative samples of their cinematic work. The salute begins at 8 p.m. ET with 1964’s Topkapi, starring Maximilian Schell, and ends late into the night with 2008’s Doubt, featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman. In between: 1959’s Imitation of Life (10:15 p.m. ET), featuring Juanita Moore in her Oscar-nominated role as the housekeeper; Elaine Stritch in 1959’s Kiss her Goodbye (12:30 a.m. ET); and Robin Williams in 1997’s Good Will Hunting (2:15 a.m. ET, pictured).

THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

Right on schedule, the best variety show on TV returns for another year of honoring the best in a wide sampling of the arts. Tonight’s honorees: Tom Hanks, Al Green, Sting, Lily Tomlin and Patricia McBride. Stephen Colbert hosts. For a full review, see Bianculli’s Blog.

REVELATION: THE END OF DAYS

History, 9:00 p.m. ET

PART 2: The History channel didn’t send a copy of this new program, which began yesterday, for preview. (You can catch up on Part 1 at 7 p.m. ET.) Nevertheless, I’m hoping it’s more conjectural and hypothetical than a fact-based documentary. Otherwise, I’ve bought January plane tickets for nothing. And I’ve just had a revelation of my own: If this special is, we hope, theorizing about the future, isn’t the History Channel the last place it should be televised?

DOUBT

TCM, 4:30 a.m. ET

This 2008 movie version of the acclaimed Broadway play ends TCM’s salute to performers who died in 2014, because it features Philip Seymour Hoffman. His performance here is indeed fantastic – but so are those of his co-stars. That goes not just for Meryl Streep, who gets top billing, but also for some supporting players who, like Hoffman, would achieve even greater status in subsequent years: Amy Adams and Viola Davis.

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3685 Comments

Gerda Lundgren

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Dave Bianculli

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Sincerely,

Dave

Mar 22, 2026

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Arvid Berggren

Long-time TVWW devotee here. I manage a commercial vehicle operation and Colorado Springs Mobile Mechanic (https://coloradospringcosmobilemechanic.com) keeps our fleet going. Bianculli's picks keep us sane during maintenance delays - essential reading!

Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

Frida Sundberg

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Mar 21, 2026 | Reply

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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.

New From TVWW

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

AMC, 9:00 a.m. ET

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

History, 9:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 4:30 a.m. ET

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