SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 5
2016

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Well, I’m going to give it a try, anyway: Returning to the daily grind of presenting daily, rather than weekly, editions of Bianculli’s Best Bets. I’ll try it for a while, and see if I can keep up the pace – the whole point is, in this post-operative phase of my TVWW experience, is that it’s not supposed to be a grind, but fun. So I reserve the right to revert to weekly recaps if this proves too taxing. But for now, let’s give it a go. And thanks, again, to all the wonderful comments you’ve sent in as I’ve slowly worked my way back. And here goes… - DB

 
  
 
 

Epix, 8:00 p.m. ET

Michael Moore just dropped a surprise documentary into the pop-culture universe to add to the current election cycle cacophony of coverage – but this is the TV premiere of his 2015 documentary, which also pays attention to the still-current presidential election campaign.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

I must admit, I don’t profess, at this point, to understand much of this series, based on the Douglas Adams story and characters. But I loved the previous adaptation of this ultra-zen crime comedy, and this one, loaded with enjoyably oddball performances, is fun, too. Think of it as an even more spaced-out The Big Lebowski. There. Now don’t you want to sample it? And you should.

 
  
 
 

BBC America, 10:00 p.m. ET

Benedict Cumberbatch is starring on the big screen right now as the hero of the latest Marvel Comics movie franchise, Doctor Strange. But he’s also doing publicity for it, which is why he’s on Graham Norton’s couch tonight, sharing space with Bryan Cranston and Eddie Redmayne, with musical guest Leann Rimes.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 10:15 p.m. ET

TCM presents a double feature of Sissy Spacek movies tonight in prime time. Coal Miner’s Daughter, the 1980 movie in which she stars as country singer Loretta Lynn, leads off the night at 8 p.m. ET, and duly earned Spacek an Oscar as Best Actress. But seven years prior to that, in the movie shown at 10:15 p.m. ET, she starred in 1973’s Badlands, giving an equally unforgettable performance as a teenager who embarks on a murder spree with a drifter played by Martin Sheen. The fact-based story marked the feature film debut of writer-director Terrence Malick, whose imagery here is haunting and often breathtaking.

 
  
 
 

NBC, 11:29 p.m. ET

Benedict Cumberbatch, already on view tonight on The Graham Norton Show, is the guest host of tonight’s new Saturday Night Live, which features Solange as the musical guest. I’m a big fan of Cumberbatch’s work in both The Imitation Game and TV’s Sherlock, but the real draw here is the opening sketch – in what will be the final fresh SNL before Tuesday’s presidential election.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.