SATURDAY
MAY 31
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Sundance, 7:00 p.m. ET

The haunting poetry in James Dickey’s novel translates well to this 1972 John Boorman movie, in no small part because Dickey wrote the screenplay himself. Burt Reynolds plays a cocky alpha male who persuades three friends – played by Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox – to shed their comfortable big-city trappings for a weekend for a canoe trip down a soon-to-be-dammed Georgia river. What happens next, from the time they drive their vehicle into the backwoods entry point until the weekend is over, is a voyage as indelible as any other cinematic trip. A truly great movie – and impossible to shake off afterward. Also shown at 9:30 p.m. ET.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET

Held last month in Brooklyn, rather than in the Hall of Fame’s Cleveland home, the 29th annual Rock and Roll Fall of Fame Induction ceremony is an exercise in panning for gold: There’s a lot of worthless stuff to sift through, but there is gold in them thar hills. Even NBC’s three-hour cut-down of the April 10 event is a long slog, but watch for certain highlights. There’s Bruce Springsteen, giving the night’s best induction speech by honoring (before playing with) his own newly inducted E Street Band. And the artist known as Cat Stevens, performing “Father and Son,” “Wild World” and “Peace Train.” But mostly, it’s ladies’ night, as a tag-team roster of female singers (Joan Lett, Kim Gordon, St. Vincent and Lorde) fill in for Kurt Cobain with the surviving members of Nirvana, and Linda Ronstadt is saluted by Carrie Underwood, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks. Underwood kicks things off with an impressively solid and sassy version of “Different Drum,” Harris and Raitt join her for “Blue Bayou,” Crow belts “You’re No Good” with an all-star lineup of backup singers, and everyone joins in for “When Will I Be Loved.” Definitely worth watching – and recording.

 
  
 
 

HBO Signature, 8:00 p.m. ET

With Seth MacFarlane’s just-released A Million Ways to Die in the West being hailed as the funniest Western spoof since Blazing Saddles, it’s a good time to see how the Family Guy creator got the clout to make his dream-project genre comedy. It’s by having stunned Hollywood with Ted, this 2002 comedy about a rude and talking stuffed animal (voice provided by MacFarlane, opposite human costar Mark Wahlberg). Upon its release, it earned about half a billion dollars worldwide, giving MacFarlane the chance to do whatever he wanted.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

In this new episode, Rachel (seen here, as one of many roles played by Tatiana Maslany) comes face to face with her… father. It’s because of detective work by Sarah (Maslany again), who also is working with three other people, all played by Maslany. Either you’re watching and enjoying this show, as I am, or it’s not worth explaining.
 
  
 
 

BBC America, 10:00 p.m. ET

This week, Norton’s guests include Julie Andrews, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Among the typically unexpected conversational moments: As a delighted Andrews listens, Magic Mike star Tatum reveals details of his first real-life stripping job, as a 19-year-old, dressed as a Boy Scout, as his sister sat watching in the audience. Norton ups the ante by playing the actual song to which Tatum stripped – a selection so unpredictable and unlikely, it’s hilarious. Hint: It’s a novelty tune by Allan Sherman.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.