DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
2012
Mar
4
 
 
ABC, 8 p.m. ET  - There’s a missing-persons case to solve this week – and since none of the residents is supposed to have the ability to leave this enchanted town, all signs point to foul play – and to plenty of possible suspects, with lots of evidence, photographic and otherwise.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
4
 
 
Last week on this night, Meryl Streep won her third Oscar. Tonight on The Good Wife, Streep’s daughter, Mamie Gummer (far left in the photo at left), makes a return appearance on this excellent legal series, playing an attorney who has a habit of getting in the way of Julianna Margulies’ Alicia – and quite effectively, too. Also seen: Anna Camp (at far right in the photo), in her recurring role as an associate foisted upon Alicia who is turning out to be surprisingly resourcefu
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
4
 
 
Shane has left the premises, but that doesn’t mean all is tranquil back on the farm. In fact, the wounded enemy that Rick brought back to the farm for medical attention now faces another type of attention. He’s healed enough to be taken to the barn to be dealt with before he can escape or contact his dangerous friends – but what, in this post-apocalyptic world, does “dealt with” really mean?
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
4
 
 
This is the episode in which Marty (Don Cheadle) finally learns who his enemies and friends really are, and battle lines are drawn accordingly. One obvious enemy: a shiny new prospect at the firm, a new recruit who intends to play his African-American heritage to the hilt – which Marty resents, because that’s one of the quivers in his bow. But he’s got plenty of others, and it’s not long at all before he takes aim.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
4
 
 
SERIES PREMIERE: This is not a recommendation. I wish it were, rather than a warning, because I adore many of this new ABC series’ leading ladies – Kristin Chenoweth and Annie Potts in particular – but the writing of these Southern “Bs” is just too broad. ABC’s sitcom Suburgatory covers the same ground, much better.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
4
 
 
The late, great Hollywood photographer Gene Trindl shot a lot of TV Guide covers -- over 200 in total. The shoot that kept on giving, he once told me, was the day he spent with The Monkees...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
3
 
 
(Check Local Listings) This new PBS pledge special pops up this weekend on most local public TV member stations, with a lot of them showing it late afternoon or in prime time tonight. Check local listings to find it in your area, and make a special effort to do so: Hosted by Peter Marshall (yes, of Hollywood Squares fame) and Nick Clooney (yes, George’s dad), this special is a compilation of movie clips and promotional film shorts highlighting big band headliners. It’s all vintage, a
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
3
 
 
(Antenna TV, 5 p.m. Saturday-10 p.m. Sunday ET) In tribute to Davy Jones, who died earlier this week, Antenna TV has cleared its decks to make this a Pleasant Valley Sunday – and Saturday, too. Beginning at 5 p.m. ET today, Antenna TV is replaying, in order, every episode of the 1966-68 NBC series The Monkees. And many times, the performance segments on the shows featured different vocal tracks than the ones on the singles and albums, so there are interesting variations to be found here. F
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
3
 
 
If you’re into NBC's Smash – and I wish more of you were, because I’m rooting for that ambitious series to succeed – this is the perfect time to catch this 1959 comedy, one of Marilyn Monroe’s career-best comedy roles. She stars as a member of an all-girl orchestra, which is infiltrated by a disguised Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, who are hiding from gangsters. (Who would have thought? Two references to all-girl orchestras in the same day's BEST BETS!)
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
3
 
 
On this season’s penultimate episode, Karl Pilkington travels to Japan, where he climbs Mount Fuji, tours Tokyo, encounters the world’s steepest roller coaster, and climbs in the ring with a Sumo wrestler. My money's on Karl... but only to be entertaining.