SATURDAY
AUGUST 30
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

FXX, Check local listings

This every-episode Simpsons mega-marathon has gained viewership every day in its first week, and has ended up ranking as one of the top five basic cable channels each night – something FXX has never done before, not even once, until pulling this stunt. No wonder, then, that FXX just announced that it will continue to run episodes of The Simspons in massive nightly doses (in six-to-eight-hour clumps) once the marathon is over. But while it’s on, today, make a special effort to catch or record, at midnight ET, one of my very favorite Simpsons episodes of this century: “The Greatest Story Ever D’ohed,” from Season 21 in 2010. It’s the one in which Ned Flanders, hoping to make Homer Simpson see the religious light and become less of a boorish neighbor, treats the entire Simpsons clan to a visit to the Holy Land. The voice of their Israeli guide is provided by Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat fame, and he and the entire episode are hilarious.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 11:00 a.m. ET

U.S. Open tennis shifts over to CBS for weekend coverage, so don’t be upset if you tune to ESPN and no tennis can be found there. Speaking of upset, expect an upset or two as the top-seeded players work their way through the bracket. This weekend, it’s likely we’ll lose at least one.

 
  
 
 

Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 1992 comedy is one of those light, fluffy films that really grow on you. Joe Pesci’s performance seems to get funnier every time, and Marisa Tomei, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her Brooklyn Betty Boop character, does, too. Remember the scene where Pesci’s Vinny, in a Southern diner, confronts grits for the first time?

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

Let me just say, for starters, that last week’s Doctor Who season opener introducing Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor was almost laughably clever in its twists, performances and execution. I expect great things from this new team – especially since I consider the returning veteran half of the duo, Jenna Coleman as Clara, one of the most charming and natural actresses on TV at the moment.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 10:00 p.m. ET

If you watched last week’s super-hyped premiere, and want to return for more, here’s episode 2. I point this out more as a possible service, for those who were more taken by last week’s premiere than I, than with much degree of actual enthusiasm.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.