Tonight’s guest host, returning to the fold for one night, is Kristin Wiig, with musical guest the xx. I don’t know how good tonight’s show is going to be – but the promo for this week’s program, featuring Wiig and the entire SNL cast and crew diving into the freeze-and-hold “mannequin” craze, certainly shows a lot of effort and enthusiasm.

2016

Nov

HEAD By David Bianculli

This rarely televised 1968 Monkees movie is shown late at night on TCM tonight, but you might want to record it for viewing later. It catches the Monkees when they had tired of both their image as pre-fab Beatles ripoffs and musical hacks, yet at a time when they still had enough clout to record and play their own music, and make a psychedelic movie surrounding themselves with friends and allies. And those friends are what make Head so… weird. The movie is co-written by Jack Nicholson. Th

2016

Nov

SEASON 3 OF 'THE AFFAIR' CONTINUES WITH FRACTURED POINTS OF VIEW By David Hinckley

If you’re wondering exactly what really happened at the end of last season on Showtime’s The Affair, here’s a tip: Keep wondering...

2016

Nov

PBS FALL ARTS FESTIVAL: “ALAN CUMMING SINGS SAPPY SONGS” By David Bianculli

Alan Cumming was nothing short of amazing as the emcee in the Broadway revivals of Cabaret, which he performed, then reprised, decades apart. And after that stunning set of achievements, and while playing Eli Gold on CBS’s The Good Wife, Cumming managed to put together a one-man show, eventually launching it at New York’s fabled Cafe Carlyle. That review, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, received rave reviews, and includes Cumming working his way through everything from Stephen Sondhe

2016

Nov

CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND By David Bianculli

It didn’t seem possible, but this unusual musical comedy series has gotten even more bold and outrageous in its second season. And having Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) reeling from unrequited love actually makes for even better production numbers.

2016

Nov

THE EXORCIST By David Bianculli

This series already has served up a major surprise or two, including the true identity of the character played by Geena Davis And tonight, this very religious-themed show presents a very special guest star: the Pope. Well, not a guest star, really – but a featured character.

2016

Nov

SOUNDBREAKING: STORIES FROM THE CUTTING EDGE OF RECORDED MUSIC By David Bianculli

SERIES FINALE: This five-part series concludes tonight, wrapping up its story of the history of recorded music. For a full review, see David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower. Check local listings.

2016

Nov

ALL DEF COMEDY By David Bianculli

When this new HBO series premiered last week, I initially, and fearfully, misread its title as Alt Def Comedy. What a relief, then, to realize it was, instead, the latest series from Russell Simmons, who first enlivened HBO’s comedy landscape in the Nineties with the groundbreaking, talent-launching Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam. That series brought to prominence so many folks, including the producer, that Simmons no longer feels the need to put his own name in the title of his new

2016

Nov

THE BIG BANG THEORY By David Bianculli

Given the mental acuity of most of the characters on this clever sitcom, it’s no surprise that one of them, in tonight’s episode, is awarded a MacArthur Genius Fellowship. What’s surprising, perhaps, is the identity of the recipient. Also surprising, and delightful: a guest star appearance by Stephen Hawking, again showing up on this sitcom to play himself.

2016

Nov

UNDERCOVER By David Bianculli

MINISERIES CONCLUSION: Parts 4-6. Last night’s three episodes took us deep into the past of these characters, and deep into their respective rabbit holes. It’s clear, by now, that some of these people are less, or more, than what they seem – and tonight’s concluding episodes make the most of those realizations. I neglected to mention yesterday, by the way, that Undercover is written by Peter Moffat, who also wrote Criminal Justice, the original British miniseries on which

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