WEDNESDAY
MAY 6
2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Here’s an early rarity from an extraordinary film career: A film noir heist movie, made in 1956, featuring all the taut writing, bitter betrayals and memorably shadowy characters you expect from this genre. But co-written and directed, in this case, by a young moviemaker named Stanley Kubrick – who, even this early, put his stamp on the visuals, the pacing, the performances, and the overall impact. Sterling Hayden, later to co-star in Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, stars as the man who plans a robbery at a race track.

 
  
 
 

ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

Back in 1981, the slogan for a brand-new music channel was “I Want My MTV!” Well, in this episode, The Goldbergs essentially pays homage to that explosion of interest in the music video, with Adam (Sean Giambrone) and his mom (Wendi McLendon-Covey) teaming up to co-direct a video submission for Erica (Hayley Orrantia), who has her sights set, perhaps a bit too high, on Juilliard. And what could impress Juilliard more than a home-made music video audition, Eighties style?

 
  
 
 

ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET

Alex (Ariel Winter) is given the Valedictorian award in this week’s new episode. The bad news is that she has to share it – and the worst news is the person she has to share it with: her arch-enemy academic rival. There’s still a way to claim victory, though, and it’s a race to the finish – literally.

 
  
 
 

Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m. ET

In this episode, dreams to mount an independent movie are revived, thanks to the unexpected return of Cuba Gooding, Jr. The episode title, in another nod to the moviemaking meta-approach of this series, is itself also a movie title: “What Dreams May Come.”

 
  
 
 

CBS, 11:35 p.m. ET

The countdown continues, as David Letterman approaches his last weeks of shows. Tonight’s scheduled guests – and this sounds like a great roster – are Martin Short and Norah Jones. And for my appreciation of Letterman’s lengthy TV career, read and hear my report on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross website.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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3695 Comments
 
 
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Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
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Mar 22, 2026
 
 
 
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Mar 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
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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!
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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.