TUESDAY

MAY 31

2016

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Howard Stern is out, and Simon Cowell is in, as the former American Idol super-judge joins returning America’s Got Talent judges Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel for Season 11. If that makes the difference between whether you tune in or not, there you go. For me, when it comes to TV, America’s got other options.

ROOTS

A&E, Lifetime, History, 9:00 p.m. ET

Part 2 of 4. The story of Kunta Kinte continues in this second two-hour installment of the new Roots remake, and tonight presents an entire storyline that was not dramatized in the original. This new version is quite good, and a fascinating exercise in comparison when measured against the 1977 ABC original. For reviews, hear my report for NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross on the Fresh Air website, and read our TVWW contributors’ reviews on Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky’s Bytes and David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower. Malachi Kirby stars.

BREAKING AWAY

TCM, 9:30 p.m. ET

This 1979 movie, about a quartet of teenage friends growing up in Indiana, is one of my favorite movies. It’s a quiet, beautifully realized character study about a high-school kid obsessed with competitive bicycling – yet it’s so, so much better, and more heartwarming, than that description sounds. Dennis Christopher, Daniel Stern star.

MAYA & MARTY

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: Could this be the attempt that finally revives the prime-time variety series? Only time and ratings will tell, but these Saturday Night Live alumni might be more likely than most to pull it off. The title stars are Maya Rudolph and Martin Short, the executive producer is Lorne Michaels, and Kenan Thompson is a regular supporting player. So the talent is here: What matters are the ideas, the variety, and the execution. But is it worth sampling? Absolutely.

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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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NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

A&E, Lifetime, History, 9:00 p.m. ET

TCM, 9:30 p.m. ET

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

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