FRIDAY
AUGUST 31
2018

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Amazon Prime Video, 3:00 a.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: In the movies, Tom Clancy’s character of Jack Ryan has been played, over the decades, by Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Chris Pine. That listing is alphabetical, not chronological or qualitative – and today, thanks to Amazon, Jack Ryan becomes a TV character, too, played by former The Office co-star John Krasinski. Series co-creator Carlton Cuse, whose post-Lost credits include Bates Motel, is adept at deepening, and finding new approaches to explore, familiar material – but the spy genre is tricky, so we’ll see. For full reviews, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes and David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.

 
  
 
 

Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: If you’ve just watched “Season 5” of this long-running, very popular baking competition series on PBS, you might be confused by the fact that a “Collection 5” pops up, just weeks later, on Netflix. But it’s two entirely different seasons – and, in some ways, different shows. The Season 5 just completing its U.S. run on public TV was a vintage season, never before televised in the States, featuring fan favorite judge Mary Berry, who was with The Great British Bake Off (its original U.K. title) from 2010 to 2016. But this new “Collection 5,” imported by Netflix, is a season of the show’s post-Berry incarnation, with Paul Hollywood as the major returning familiar face. Viewers in the U.K. have complained that the show has lost much of its charm without Berry – but U.S. Netflix viewers, beginning today, can decide for themselves.

 
  
 
 

Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: This Netflix series, starring Jason Bateman, is back for Season 2. I liked Bateman’s performance last season, and the show’s setting, but not its plotting. It seems like Bateman’s character was envisioned as a Saul Goodman-type “talk his way out of anything” guy – but in too many situations, the only way for him to end the scene credibly was as a corpse. Maybe this Season 2 run will correct that problem, but maybe not.

 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
NVVYL
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 198  | Go to page: 
3950 Comments
 
 
? Premier Visa Group,??????????——???????????????????????????????
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Recently, I have started to read a lot of unique articles on different sites, and I am enjoying that a lot. Although, I must tell you that I still like the articles here a lot. They are also unique in their own way.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Recently, I have started to read a lot of unique articles on different sites, and I am enjoying that a lot. Although, I must tell you that I still like the articles here a lot. They are also unique in their own way.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I really liked your article post. Really looking forward to read more. Great. Say, you got a nice article. Really thank you! Fantastic.I think the restaurant which you told me in the letter is very interesting. I also like to eat out and I usually go to a restaurant for dinner with my family twice a month., The food is delicious so we enjoy it very much. The service is also quick and friendly.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Great goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely fantastic. I really like what you’ve acquired here, really like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it smart. I cant wait to read far more from you. This is really a great site.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
lsm99bet
Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Recently, I have started to read a lot of unique articles on different sites, and I am enjoying that a lot. Although, I must tell you that I still like the articles here a lot. They are also unique in their own way.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Recently, I have started to read a lot of unique articles on different sites, and I am enjoying that a lot. Although, I must tell you that I still like the articles here a lot. They are also unique in their own way.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Recently, I have started to read a lot of unique articles on different sites, and I am enjoying that a lot. Although, I must tell you that I still like the articles here a lot. They are also unique in their own way.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I really liked your article post. Really looking forward to read more. Great. Say, you got a nice article. Really thank you! Fantastic.I think the restaurant which you told me in the letter is very interesting. I also like to eat out and I usually go to a restaurant for dinner with my family twice a month., The food is delicious so we enjoy it very much. The service is also quick and friendly.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I really liked your article post. Really looking forward to read more. Great. Say, you got a nice article. Really thank you! Fantastic.I think the restaurant which you told me in the letter is very interesting. I also like to eat out and I usually go to a restaurant for dinner with my family twice a month., The food is delicious so we enjoy it very much. The service is also quick and friendly.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
The vacation trades offered are evaluated a variety of in the chosen and simply good value all around the world. Those hostels are normally based towards households which you’ll find accented via charming shores promoting crystal-clear fishing holes, concurrent of one’s Ocean. Hotels Discounts.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
The vacation trades offered are evaluated a variety of in the chosen and simply good value all around the world. Those hostels are normally based towards households which you’ll find accented via charming shores promoting crystal-clear fishing holes, concurrent of one’s Ocean. Hotels Discounts.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
The vacation trades offered are evaluated a variety of in the chosen and simply good value all around the world. Those hostels are normally based towards households which you’ll find accented via charming shores promoting crystal-clear fishing holes, concurrent of one’s Ocean. Hotels Discounts.
May 26, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 198  | Go to page: 
 
 

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.