Only the central characters on The Walking Dead have had as much awful stuff thrown at them, on a regular basis, as the ones on Shameless – but the characters here are even more worthy of the term survivors. If for no other reason, I argue, than the inescapable fact that more of them, in their own arduous personal journeys confronting all manner of imposing obstacles, have survived.

2016

Nov

INSECURE By David Bianculli

SEASON FINALE: This is the Season 1 finale of this series – and it ends not with a bang, or a whimper, but a little of both: with a sexually charged party that, for some attendees at least, doesn’t go as hoped. Not even close.

2016

Nov

TOOTSIE By David Bianculli

TCM is saluting Dustin Hoffman this evening, with a lineup that includes three movies that, individually, would be called career highlights – but, in Hoffman’s case, are merely three great movies in a truly stellar career. First up, from 1982: Tootsie, which earned Hoffman his fifth Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. It also gave a prominent supporting role to Bill Murray, signaling some of the meatier cinematic roles he would get in the future. Also undervalued at the time, but

2016

Nov

48 HOURS By David Bianculli

Tonight’s special hour-long report is called Live to Tell: The Long Road Home, and tells the story of Sebastien Bellin, the Brazilian-born former international basketball player, living with his wife and daughters in Michigan, who was one of the victims of the March 2016 terrorist bombings at the Brussels airport. The story is told, in part, by Bellin himself, who survived to tell his tale, and tells it in memorably honest and emotional fashion. We also hear from his wife, and the photogra

2016

Nov

RAIN MAN By David Bianculli

Here’s another Dustin Hoffman triumph – one of two movies for which he’s won a Best Actor Oscar. And his performance in this 1988 drama, as an autistic and formerly overlooked man named Raymond, the older brother of a self-absorbed schemer played by Tom Cruise, is award-worthy for sure. But so is Cruise’s, the less showy but equally crucial and difficult role, so enjoy them both.

2016

Nov

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE By David Bianculli

This is a repeat, but an excellent one: The guest host, from earlier this season, is Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who opens the show with a trademark rapid-paced rap number, moving through the SNL space with wit as well as energy. This episode already was shown in late night in October, but it appears Miranda is not giving away his slot...

2016

Nov

THE GRADUATE By David Bianculli

This movie, from 1967, resulted in Dustin Hoffman’s first Oscar nomination as Best Actor – and is pretty much a perfect movie. Perfect performances (by Hoffman, Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson, and Katharine Ross as her daughter), perfect music (written by Paul Simon, performed by Simon & Garfunkel), perfect direction (by Mike Nichols), and perfectly ambigious ending. That’s three cinematic triumphs for Hoffman, shown on the same night – and this tremendous triple feat

2016

Nov

FLORENCE HENDERSON: ONE OF THE LAST OF THE CLASSIC TV MOMS By David Hinckley

The death of Florence Henderson draws the curtain a little further on the Good Old Days of television Moms...

2016

Nov

NATGEO DOCUMENTS A FEAST OF ANOTHER SORT By David Hinckley

Once we’ve all enjoyed our Thanksgiving feasts, National Geographic Wild will remind us how food consumption works elsewhere in the animal kingdom...

2016

Nov

GILMORE GIRLS: "A YEAR IN THE LIFE" By David Bianculli

SERIES RETURN: Netflix has gone the TV series revival route before – quite gloriously with new episodes of Arrested Development, and quite horribly with its sequel sitcom series, Fuller House. But now, today, comes four new 90-minute installments of Gilmore Girls, generated by series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, returning to her TV baby to craft four new reunion episodes tied to the seasons: “Winter,” “Spring,” “Summer” and “Fall.” (In a di

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