SATURDAY
AUGUST 31
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

AMC, 1:00 p.m. ET

There’s a whole posse of great characters in this superb 1989 CBS miniseries adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s equally superb Western novel. But for now, stay with the head of the herd: Robert Duvall gives a career-best performance as Augustus McRae, and Tommy Lee Jones does likewise as fellow retired Texas Ranger Woodrow Call. Given those two actors, claiming a career best is really, really up there. And Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston – hell, everyone and everything in this miniseries is worth watching, from start to finish. And you can do just that, today, as AMC televises the entire miniseries from 1-9 p.m. ET.

 
  
 
 

G4, 7:00 p.m. ET

Want to know what state-of-the-art computers, both the home and military versions, looked like 30 years ago? This 1983 drama shows you precisely that, as Matthew Broderick – also 30 years younger – plays a high-school computer nerd who accidentally hacks into a super-restricted American military computer. A simple question, from the computer, leads to a very complex situation. The special effects, almost a third of a century later, are almost laughable. The message, however, is anything but.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

Tonight’s Doctor of note will have the most comprehensive retrospective of any Doctor in this series of specials, but that’s only because the reign of “The Eighth Doctor” lasted only two hours. After the original BBC Doctor Who series, which ran in the U.K. from 1963 to 1989, had gone dormant, the character and storyline were revived for a pilot telemovie in 1996, with the expectations of a new American-produced series to follow. Yet when the Doctor Who made-for-TV movie was shown on Fox and the BBC in 1996, starring Paul McGann as the newest incarnation of the Doctor, it bombed stateside, and the character was shelved until the franchise was relaunched in 2005. So the entirety of McGann’s reign as the Doctor consists of a single telemovie, which BBC America is presenting, also in its entirety, as part of this Eighth Doctor tribute. Co-stars include Daphne Ashbrook as the Doctor’s companion, and Eric Roberts as the Master.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 8:00 p.m. ET

This 2012 film version of the ultra-popular stage musical stars Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert, and Anne Hathaway as Fantine. (She won an Oscar; the others did not.) The other supporting players worth noting, in addition to Hathaway’s unbroken-take vocal showstopper, include Amanda Seyfried as Cosette and, as comic relief, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the Thenardiers.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 9:00 p.m. ET

SERIES FINALE: You don’t have to be a top-notch physician to guess that the prognosis for this NBC series is as grim as can be: Its final two episodes are shown, as a Saturday night double feature, on Labor day weekend. Mark this one D.O.A. – as in, after tonight, Definitely Off the Air.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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3808 Comments
 
 
Para penipu kelas rendah melakukan apa yang paling mereka kuasai—berbohong, menipu, dan menghilang dengan uang orang lain.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu yang memalukan memangsa orang-orang dengan klaim palsu dan kebohongan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This article is packed with insights! I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into making it so engaging. Well done!
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Such an amazing read! Your ability to explain things in a simple yet detailed way is truly impressive.
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey sweetie,

It's not that complicated! It's TV!!! Do what I do!!!!! Grab a six pack of Miller Lite, crack the first one open and drink it. Rinse and repeat!!!!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!!!

Just let the TV flow over you.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

Dave
Apr 21, 2026
 
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This was well explained since it stayed concise and clear. Thanks for sharing this insight.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia tangkap situs web sialan itu
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Practical stream
A thoughtful reflection on TV criticism’s evolution and legacy—blending nostalgia, personal memories, and appreciation for creators who shaped meaningful viewing experiences.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Situs web ini benar-benar penipuan, jangan percayai mereka.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya sekelompok penipu lain yang melakukan bisnis kotor secara online.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 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.