FRIDAY
APRIL 6
2018

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET

The fourth installment of David Letterman’s Netflix talk show features Jay-Z, with a side trip to record producer Rick Rubin and a recording session with Madison Ryann Ward, one of the artists Rubin is producing. The conversational chunks with Jay-Z are really intriguing, and Jay-Z has a shrewd way of responding to certain questions – by reshaping the question and throwing it back at his host. When Letterman asks Jay-Z which of his popular hip-hop peers just can’t rap, Jay-Z smiles and asks him which of today’s late-night talk hosts just aren’t funny. But many questions, Jay-Z does answer – about the creation of rhymes, his youthful occupations as both running a paper route and dealing drugs, his mother, and his family, including his wife, Beyoncé. And near the end, Letterman gets more personal than he usually does, and talks about the time his bad behavior blew up his family – then asks Jay-Z if he can relate.

 
  
 
 

ABC, 9:01 p.m. ET

It’s a team effort now, S.H.I.E.L.D. and H.Y.D.R.A., working together for the first time, against something bigger and worse than them both. (No, it’s not Y.I.C.U.F.O., which was the name of the flying-saucer investigation group I organized in high school, and for which I successfully was recognized by the Air Force’s similarly obsessed Project Blue Book. That acronym stood for the Youth Investigations Committee on Unidentified Flying Objects, and I established it as a very sneaky way to get published in my high school paper and start my career in journalism. First I shot a fake photo of a flying saucer [actually, one of my dad’s floppy fishing hats, thrown into the air at a neighborhood park], then, as a cub reporter for the Nova Vue, took the alleged flying saucer photo to the head of Y.I.C.U.F.O. – who wanted to remain anonymous, obviously – and who declared it an obvious fake. Fake news! But my favorite hidden joke, in that story, was what it sounded like if you said aloud the organization’s initials: Y.I.C.U.F.O.! But I digress…)

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Every time I teach Film History and Appreciation, covering the early development of cinema up to and including Citizen Kane, I show this 1932 Tod Browning movie, made only a handful of years after the first full-length sound film. It’s a beautiful horror film about a circus sideshow troupe, in which the abnormal performers gathered for the amusement of audiences – the midgets, pinheads, Siamese twins and others – are the sweet and loving heroes, and the conniving human circus performers are the actual “freaks.” This movie, once seen, will never be forgotten.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

I won’t list all of tonight’s guests, but will point out three – and taken together, they’d be unlikely to appear together in almost any other context, off or on TV. The announced guests for tonight’s show include Louie Anderson, Eliot Spitzer, and (pictured) Geraldo Rivera.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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2896 Comments
 
 
Amazing post! Karaoke is a fantastic way to bond with friends and family.
Jan 5, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Canberra Crescent Residences is a well-designed residential development that offers comfortable living in a peaceful and family-friendly environment. With its modern architecture, quality construction, and thoughtfully planned spaces, it provides a pleasant and convenient lifestyle. The project’s serene surroundings and good connectivity make Canberra Crescent Residences an excellent choice for modern homes and long-term value.
Jan 4, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
katherine
Bianculli’s Best Bets is a great way to discover what’s trending and worth watching right now. In the same way, APKPure helps Android users discover the best and most popular apps and games without limits. Whether you’re looking for top-rated streaming apps, entertainment tools, or new releases, APKPure makes it easy to explore and download everything in one place.

https://apkpure.com
Jan 1, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey Miss Prickears,

I have NO PROBLEM with the first part of your post (although it's just stating the obvious !!!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!) The second part though is not appropriate. Please delete so that I don't have to take LEGAL ACTION that will be very uncomfortable for you.!!!

Warmly,

Dave
Jan 2, 2026
 
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Dec 31, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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Dec 30, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Dec 28, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Dec 27, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya sekelompok penipu lain yang melakukan bisnis kotor secara online.
Dec 27, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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Dec 27, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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Dec 26, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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Dec 26, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
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Dec 24, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Amazing post! Karaoke is a fantastic way to bond with friends and family.
Dec 23, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu licik menjalankan operasi kotor yang dibangun di atas kebohongan dan penipuan.
Dec 23, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu kelas rendah melakukan apa yang paling mereka kuasai—berbohong, menipu, dan menghilang dengan uang orang lain.
Dec 23, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Dec 23, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini pantas untuk diungkap kebohongan dan kebusukan mereka.
Dec 23, 2025   |  Reply
 
 
Tidak ada yang nyata di sini. Hanya omong kosong penuh tipu daya dari orang-orang serakah.
Dec 23, 2025   |  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.