SUNDAY
JULY 8
2012

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

ESPN, 9:00 a.m. ET

This could well be the most-viewed Wimbledon men’s final in history. Certainly, that will be true in England, where Andy Murray is the first male British player to reach the finals since 1938 (and where no British man has won the trophy since 1936). The home-crowd excitement should be huge, and history is in the making either way – because if Murray (pictured) doesn’t win his first Wimbledon title, Roger Federer will win his seventh.

 
  
 
 

AMC, 11:30 a.m. ET

The two-day marathon concludes today, and pay particular attention to the crowning entry – a 10 p.m. ET repeat of the series’ original pilot. But it’s a repeat with a difference, because it’s being televised in black and white, instead of the original color version. This is, no question, an odd twist, the reverse of the “colorization” process that Ted Turner used to enliven (or, in my mind, desecrate) old black-and-white TV shows and films. So what do you call this? “Monochromization”?

 
  
 
 

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

As usual, this series moves at vampire-fast speed, covering lots of ground and zipping from plot point to plot point. In one scene, Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll, pictured) gives new vamp Tara (Rutina Wesley) a pep talk about why being a vampire is cool – and later, Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) breaks the news about Tara to Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) and Bill (Stephen Moyer), who learn how fast things can change when they leave town.

 
  
 
 

HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET

This third episode is where The Newsroom truly begins – or, at least, where Aaron Sorkin allows his fictional news characters to present the news as they see fit. The revamped News Night begins with a replay of former Counter-Terrorism chief Richard Clark testifying in front of the 9/11 Commission in 2004, apologizing. Then comes Jeff Daniels as anchorman Will McAvoy, saying, “Americans liked that moment. I liked that moment,” after which he apologizes for presiding over a newscast of which he was less than proud. From now on, he says, things will be different – and for this Aaron Sorkin series, too, everything gets a little better, and even more interesting.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 10:30 p.m. ET

Last week, Pucks! premiered to poor ratings and worse reviews. This week, everyone is in panic mode – especially the studio – but that doesn’t stop the cast and crew from forging new alliances. For example: why, in the dressing room of Matt LeBlanc, are these Friends bobbleheads bobbing? Answer: It’s one of my favorite sight gags of summer. See for yourself.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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4484 Comments
 
 
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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.