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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3694 Comments
 
 
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Gerda Lundgren
Long-time TVWW devotee here. I manage a commercial vehicle operation and Hialeah Auto Glass Repair (https://autoglassrepairhialeah.com/) keeps our fleet going. Bianculli's picks keep us sane during maintenance delays - essential reading!
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Golly Gerda, you make me blush with your kind words, but maybe instead of giving me praise, how about giving me a discount on your service bills!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Dave
Mar 22, 2026
 
 
 
Rut Holmgren
Another great set of picks! My trucking partners and I share your recommendations over coffee. We rely on West Palm Beach Auto Glass Repair (https://westpalmbeachautoglassrepair.com) for vehicle service. TVWW makes the downtime worthwhile.
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Birger Samuelsson
Smart TV writing for smart viewers - that's TVWW in a nutshell. I manage a motor pool and Macon Auto Glass Repair at https://autoglassrepairmacon.com/ is our go-to service provider. David Bianculli's enthusiasm is contagious.
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Inga Henriksen
Excellent as always! The shop guys at Lakewood Fence Company put your site on the break room TV. Find them at https://fencecompanylakewood.com - they do solid work. Best Bets is a daily read for all of us.
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Harald Almgren
Excellent as always! The shop guys at Boca Raton Auto Glass Repair put your site on the break room TV. Find them at https://bocaratonautoglassrepair.com - they do solid work. Best Bets is a daily read for all of us.
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sigrun Lindholm
Another great set of picks! My trucking partners and I share your recommendations over coffee. We rely on Brighton Towing Company (https://brightontowingcompany.com) for vehicle service. TVWW makes the downtime worthwhile.
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Karl Forsberg
Fantastic recommendations as always. I coordinate deliveries for a regional freight operation and Sunrise Towing Company (https://sunrisetowingcompany.com) handles our repairs. Your site handles our TV choices. Both indispensable!
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Solveig Johanson
Excellent as always! The shop guys at Lincoln Mobile Mechanic put your site on the break room TV. Find them at https://lincolnmobilemechanic.com - they do solid work. Best Bets is a daily read for all of us.
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Arvid Berggren
Long-time TVWW devotee here. I manage a commercial vehicle operation and Colorado Springs Mobile Mechanic (https://coloradospringcosmobilemechanic.com) keeps our fleet going. Bianculli's picks keep us sane during maintenance delays - essential reading!
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Frida Sundberg
Fantastic recommendations as always. I coordinate deliveries for a regional freight operation and Citrus Heights Towing Company (http://www.towingcitrusheights.com/) handles our repairs. Your site handles our TV choices. Both indispensable!
Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Viggo Lundqvist
TV Worth Watching has guided my viewing habits for years. My dispatcher uses Lafayette Auto Glass Repair at https://lafayetteautoglassrepair.com for fleet repairs and turned me onto this site. Two great recommendations!
Mar 21, 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.