I, David Bianculli, Highly Recommend 'I, Claudius'
I, Claudius came to American television, imported from the BBC, in 1977 — the same year as another ambitious long-form production, ABC's Roots, which proved to everyone that miniseries were an exciting...
View ArticleJohnny Carson Gets The 'Masters' Treatment
Johnny Carson walked away from TheTonight Show, after 30 years at the top of the late-night ratings, of his own volition. And except for a few fleeting TV appearances after he retired, he never looked...
View ArticleNew Shows Hit Average In Fall TV Lineup
Last year, the broadcast networks didn't do well at all when it came to new series development. We got ABC's clever Once Upon a Time, which was about it for the fall crop, until midseason perked things...
View ArticleFall TV's Returning Series: A Cause To Rejoice
Right now, as we near the end of the 2012 fall TV premiere week, there's a tendency for a sense of weariness to set in. So many of the new TV series are so bad this year, and not one of them is...
View ArticleBoxes Of TV Fun, Old And New, For The Holidays
I'm biased, of course, because I'm a television critic — but to me, giving someone a gift of a TV show you yourself enjoyed tremendously is somehow very personal. You're giving something that you love,...
View ArticleBehind The Scenes Of The Beatles''Magical Mystery Tour'
On Friday night on PBS, Great Performances presents a documentary about the making of a Beatles TV special from 1967 — Magical Mystery Tour— then shows a restored version of that special. Magical...
View Article'Downton' Returns With Aristocratic Class And Clash
Downton Abbey, the drama series about the residents and servants at a grand estate in early 20th-century England, has done for PBS what the commercial broadcast networks couldn't achieve last year. It...
View ArticleSeason Two Brings Changes For 'Girls'
Of all the cable comedies returning with new episodes Sunday, Girls is the most ambitious — as well as the most unpredictable, and occasionally unsettling.When thirtysomething premiered on ABC more...
View ArticleKevin Bacon, Seeking A TV 'Following'
In the new Fox TV series The Following, Kevin Bacon plays a former FBI agent asked to help apprehend an escaped serial killer he once put behind bars. The show is from Kevin Williamson, who also...
View Article'House Of Cards' Is Built To Last
This week brings two new high-profile drama series. One is The Americans, premiering Jan. 30 on the FX network; it's about sleeper KGB agents living in the U.S. during the Reagan era. The other is...
View ArticleFilmmaker Woody Allen Gets The 'Masters' Treatment
Woody Allen: A Documentary is the result, though not the culmination, of three very long and distinguished careers.First, there's Robert Weide, the writer-director whose examination of Allen's life and...
View ArticleAt Midseason, Serial Dramas Serve Up Some Big Twists
By now, I hope my position on spoiler alerts is firmly established. My feeling is that once something has been televised, it's fair game for discussion. I feel it's the responsibility of the person...
View ArticleBianculli Picks The Best (And Worst) TV Of 2011
Fresh Air's TV critic David Bianculli liked so many shows this year that he says he couldn't pick just 10 favorites. Instead, he split his favorites into several lists, including best documentaries and...
View ArticleThis Weekend, Some New Shows (And Old Favorites)
The New Year brings with it new TV programming, and this Sunday is an especially busy one for television. Two new series premiere, while one miniseries and several other series return.But because it's...
View ArticleA New 'Morning' On CBS, But Will It Work?
There are three new hosts of CBS This Morning, which was unveiled yesterday. One is Erica Hill, a holdover from The Early Show, the previous program in the early-morning time slot. Another is Gayle...
View ArticleBill Moyers Is Back On TV — And Better Than Ever
It's one of my favorite TV moments of this year. On Tuesday, the night of the New Hampshire primary, Stephen Colbert had Bill Moyers as his special guest on The Colbert Report. Moyers was there to...
View ArticleGet 'Lost' In J.J. Abrams' Latest Show 'Alcatraz'
Let's begin with Justified – because, frankly, that's the one that's got me the most excited.This is a series that ended its previous season about as brilliantly as you can end one: With Timothy...
View ArticleA Boy's Magical 'Touch' Predicts The Future
The new Fox series Touch stars Kiefer Sutherland as a father — a widower — raising a withdrawn preteen son with behavioral problems.But it doesn't begin with Sutherland.It begins, instead, with the son...
View ArticleHBO's 'Luck': A Winning TV Show, Set At The Track
It isn't a long shot that David Milch's newest series for HBO, called Luck, will be on par with his HBO series Deadwood. It's a sure thing. HBO sent out all nine episodes of the show's first season for...
View ArticleTwo Rowdy Talk Shows Showcase Vintage Humor
The two DVDs I want to talk about today are hilarious, but they aren't sitcoms. They're talk shows — well, one's a talk show, and one's a filmed seminar. But they're both fascinating examples of a...
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