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SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 8
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 
THE DIRTY DOZEN

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Every time this 1967 WWII movie is televised, I like to point to a different performance and character, and it’s a trick that doesn’t seem to get tired. I could do it a dozen times, easy. And tonight, let’s look beyond the likes of Lee Marvin and Jim Brown, and pay special attention to Donald Sutherland. He has a minor role here – but three years later, in the delightful 1970 WWII movie Kelly’s Heroes, he, like Telly Savalas, managed to star in a comic variation on the same war-movie theme. Of course, while Savalas played the same same basic tough guy in both movies, Sutherland was a true study in contrasts.

 
  
 
 
SLEEPING BEAUTY

ABC Family, 9:00 p.m. ET

Very smart timing here. Just as the 2014 live-action movie Maleficent hits video on demand, ABC family is repeating the 1959 animated Disney film, in which poor Sleeping Beauty runs afoul of a witch named Maleficent, who curses her with a prediction of death by spinning wheel needle.  And thus, her father the King, like fathers everywhere, tries to shelter her in a paternal, but ultimately futile, effort to keep her away from all unwanted pricks.

 
  
 
 
DOCTOR WHO

BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON FINALE: Part 2 of 2. “Dark Water” concludes tonight, and after last week’s installment, already promises to be one of the season’s best. I still haven’t fully shaken the Doctor’s visit to the supposed “afterlife,” specifically one character’s assertion (which, thank goodness, was revealed to be misleadingly false) that souls in the afterlife could feel whatever happened to the bodies they left behind, including cremation. But almost as disturbing was the revelation that the Doctor’s age-old nemesis (a particularly literal use of the phrase), the Master, was back – in the form of a woman named Missy, short for Mistress, and played by Michelle Gomez. Peter Capaldi concludes his first season as the Doctor, and Jenna Coleman may or may not be winding down her stint as the Doctor’s all-time best companion, Clara.

 
  
 
 
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE VINTAGE

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

Tonight’s vintage episode of Saturday Night Live is from 1979, the final season featuring most of the original cast members. In 1972, Rick Nelson wrote and sang “Garden Party,” a hit about how weary he was of being asked to sing only his old songs. Seven years later, the former heartthrob star of Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet showed up on Saturday Night Live – not as musical guest (that was Judy Collins), but as guest host. Yet even as guest host, he finds time to sing such songs as “Hello Mary Lou” and “Travelin’ Man,” and to play in a Twilight Zone sketch in which he finds himself trapped in a series of 1950s sitcoms.

 
  
 
 
THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW

BBC America, 10:15 p.m. ET

The momentum continues for this British import, which keeps packing its guest list, and its couch. The relatively unknown British name among the group is comic Micky Flanagan – but the rest of the gang this week includes Matthew McConaughey, Lena Dunham, Anne Hathaway, and the camera-shy singer Sia.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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3809 Comments
 
 
Thanks for your marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you happen to be a great author. I will remember to bookmark your blog and may come back in the foreseeable future. I want to encourage that you continue your great writing, have a nice evening!
Apr 24, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu kelas rendah melakukan apa yang paling mereka kuasai—berbohong, menipu, dan menghilang dengan uang orang lain.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu yang memalukan memangsa orang-orang dengan klaim palsu dan kebohongan.
Apr 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This article is packed with insights! I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into making it so engaging. Well done!
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Such an amazing read! Your ability to explain things in a simple yet detailed way is truly impressive.
Apr 22, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
Dave Bianculli
Hey sweetie,

It's not that complicated! It's TV!!! Do what I do!!!!! Grab a six pack of Miller Lite, crack the first one open and drink it. Rinse and repeat!!!!!!! ROTFLMBFFAO!!!!!!!!!

Just let the TV flow over you.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

Dave
Apr 21, 2026
 
 
 
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
This was well explained since it stayed concise and clear. Thanks for sharing this insight.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Para penipu ini adalah pembohong profesional. Siapa pun yang mempercayai mereka hanya ikut memperkuat penipuan mereka.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia, persetan dengan para penipu itu, tangkap mereka dan persetan dengan mereka karena telah menipu banyak orang.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pemerintah Indonesia tangkap situs web sialan itu
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Practical stream
A thoughtful reflection on TV criticism’s evolution and legacy—blending nostalgia, personal memories, and appreciation for creators who shaped meaningful viewing experiences.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Manusia sampah sejati, memangsa orang-orang tak berdosa hanya untuk mengisi kantong mereka yang serakah. Sungguh memalukan.
Apr 21, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Sialan para penipu ini karena telah mencuri uang dan kepercayaan orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Situs web ini benar-benar penipuan, jangan percayai mereka.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Perilaku penipuan murni. Bajingan-bajingan ini tidak punya moral dan tidak ragu-ragu menipu orang lain.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Hanya sekelompok penipu lain yang melakukan bisnis kotor secara online.
Apr 20, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 191  | Go to page: 
 
 

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.
 
 
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