FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 8
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

IFC, 7:30 p.m. ET

Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 movie is one of those intense character studies of his – The Shining is another – that manages to capture, perfectly and frighteningly, a man’s slow descent into homicidal madness. In this case, it’s Marine recruit Vincent D’Onofrio, whose performance in this film remains, despite everything he’s accomplished since, his career best.

 
  
 
 

National Geographic, 8:00 p.m. ET

On the last speech he gave, in the hours before being assassinated at Dealey Plaza in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy uttered the following sadly prophetic statement: “We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.” By devoting itself to the 24-hour period prior to the shooting in Dallas, this two-hour National Geographic special captures many telling details, and unearths and interviews many people whose paths crossed those of John and Jackie Kennedy that day – including the program’s narrator, Bill Paxton, who was 8 years old in 1963, and is shown in a photograph hoisted on the shoulders of his father, getting a better view of JFK as he speaks that fateful morning in nearby Fort Worth, TX. For a related feature tied to this weekend’s JFK programming on National Geographic, see Ed Martin’s TV Mix.
 
  
 
 

ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

This is a warning, not a recommendation. Tonight’s plot has the inappropriate aliens of this silly ABC sitcom, along with one of their earthly neighbors, showing up on an episode of ABC’s Shark Tank, requiring the judges of that show to act and react as players in a sitcom, rather than as themselves. It dilutes the brand of the ABC reality series, which follows immediately, without necessarily helping The Neighbors. Disney and ABC are very, very big on corporate and artistic synergy, but this is one of its more insidious recent examples.

 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET

When this Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical premiered on Broadway in 1970, it changed my life a little. I saw it that season, just after it opened, as part of a trip hosted by the Glee-like Contemporary Music program at Nova High School in Fort Lauderdale. And even though I was a naïve teenager at the time, something about Sondheim’s lyrics and music, and Furth’s sardonic, romantically cyncical comic vignettes, hit me in the gut, and gave me a lifelong love of Broadway theater in general and the works of Stephen Sondheim in particular.  So I was there at one of the performances when the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of Paul Gemignani and utilizing the original full-orchestra arrangement by Jonathan Tunick, staged this excellent concert revival of Company. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Bobby, and is just right in every scene – funny when it’s called for, wistful when it’s called for, and in strong voice for the twin musical tentpoles of his role, the originally dropped, subsequently added “Marry Me a Little” and the iconic closer, “Being Alive.” But there’s so, so much more here to enjoy, including impressively effective supporting turns by Stephen Colbert (who leads a strong version of “Sorry/Grateful”), Katie Finneran (who nails the breathless verses of “Not Getting Married Today”), and especially Christina Hendricks from Mad Men, whose comic performance as flighty flight attendant April is the most revelatory performance in this concert staging. She’s hilarious – even if, on this telecast, her funniest line is censored by a too-timid PBS. Other stars include Patti LuPone as Joanne, Jon Cryer as David, and Anika Noni Rose as Marta. Check local listings.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

After last week’s all-star lineup, this week’s seems positively understated. But it does include Anthony Weiner – and even if his observations and answers don’t prove too candid or entertaining, Maher’s questions might.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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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.