This new episode has Martin Freeman’s increasingly desperate character even more desperate than ever, as he finds himself locked in the same cell as the duo of hired killers who just tried to murder him. Meanwhile, Billy Bob Thornton, as yet another killer roaming the icy landscape of this entertainingly twisted new series, gets to deliver at least one classic line in his equally classic deadpan drawl: “Do I look like I want a pink police scanner?”

2014

May

24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY By David Bianculli

Last week’s miniseries relaunch hit all the right notes. It brought back the best characters (Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer and Mary Lynn Rajskub’s Chloe), established power figures (William Devane as the new President) and female leads (the returning Kim Raver and the new-to-24 Yvonne Strahovski), and made smartly relevant plot points involving drone strikes and Internet spreaders of government secrets. The momentum is strong, too, so here comes hour number three of Jack&rsqu

2014

May

THE (DEAD MOTHERS) CLUB By David Bianculli

This new documentary presents mostly everyday people who talk of losing their mothers at a young age – hence the show’s title – and how that affected them. There are some celebrities, too, who speak candidly and movingly of their own private early losses: Jane Fonda, Rosie O’Donnell, Molly Shannon. But there are very few male voices here, which is a missed opportunity. Perhaps I expected more from this particular program, in both context and impact, because my own mother

2014

May

INDEPENDENT LENS: "LET THE FIRE BURN" By David Bianculli

This new documentary by Jason Osder is an archival study of a literally incendiary moment in Philadelphia history. It’s the moment when Philadelphia police, in a standoff with members of the radical urban group MOVE, surrounded the group’s West Philly townhouse to evict them – and when the MOVE members refused, the police dropped an “incendiary device” on the roof by helicopter and, as was admitted afterward, “let the fire burn,” resulting in 11 deaths,

2014

May

LOUIE By David Bianculli

Last week’s double dose of Louie should have erased any fears that Louis C.K. may have lost some edge during his long hiatus. If anything, he’s returned more refreshed, and refreshing, than ever. (Who else would have concocted the plot twist in last week’s second episode that turned a one-night stand into an emergency room visit?) So strap in and enjoy the ride, because two more fresh episodes are shown tonight.

2014

May

THE BLACKLIST By David Bianculli

SEASON FINALE: We now know that Berlin, in the context of this show, is a person, not a place – and specifically, is the person who has had Red [James Spader] in his sights for a while. All the people on “the Blacklist,” as well as some of the people around Liz (Megan Boone), Red’s off-again, on-again agency handler, are stuck somehow in Berlin’s spider web. Tonight, series producer Jon Bokenkamp promises “a game changer,” but the series already has chan

2014

May

NBC’S NEW FALL 2014 SHOWS: FIRST CLIPS, FIRST IMPRESSIONS By David Bianculli

Once again this year, TVWW offers quick, bite-sized video samples of the new fall TV offerings, along with our own very first impressions. We start with NBC…

2014

May

ONCE UPON A TIME By David Bianculli

SEASON FINALE: The ending of Season 3 is full of colliding subplots, including Snow White’s new baby, the Wicked Witch’s new evil plan, and a spell that sends Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) back in time, with full awareness of their “present” selves, to what looks like a royal gala. And lately, on TV, royal galas seem to be cause for anything but celebration.

2014

May

THE GOOD WIFE By David Bianculli

It’s amazing to watch Alan Cumming, as political guru Eli Gold, inhabit that role so authoritatively, knowing that at the same time, he’s now starring on Broadway as the decadent emcee in Cabaret. Also amazing: watching Michael J. Fox, returning as canny lawyer Louis Canning, imbue his character with wit and even sympathy, despite Machiavellian moves that get more sinister in every episode.

2014

May

GAME OF THRONES By David Bianculli

We know that Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is innocent of the murder of his nephew, King Joffrey, and so do many of the rulers and subjects in his kingdom. But that doesn’t prevent him from being put on trial tonight. The tribunal judging him is stacked with his relatives, which sounds like good news. But with father Twyin (Charles Dance) and sister Cersei (Lena Headey) as two-thirds of said tribunal, the deck seems stacked against him, and not at all in his favor.

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