TUESDAY
JUNE 16
2020

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Movies On Demand, 3:00 a.m. ET

MOVIE PREMIERE: This documentary is about one of the premier film critics at a time when the movies arguably were at their most expressive and experimental. Pauline Kael had a bestselling collection of essays and reviews of films, and wrote from her powerful perch at The New Yorker for a generation, rhapsodizing and arguing at length about Bonnie and Clyde, Last Tango in Paris, and Nashville, to name just a few of her influential reviews from the 1960s and 1970s. I was impressed and influenced by her when I was a young reader and writer, but never knew anything about her personal history at the time. And hardly any of it, really, until now, which makes this new documentary particularly appealing to me. But even if you’re not interested in critics (Hey! Be nice!) or Kael, the movies covered in What She Said are worth the time here, in this nonfiction film by Rob Garver.
 
  
 
 

PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

This new American Masters documentary could be a few notches more insightful – anyone watching the documentary, in this current age, may well ask some questions this program never does, about whether Mae West’s predatory sexual on-screen persona is any more laudable for being a gender-reversal on typical bedroom and boardroom lotharios. But as a stage and screen pioneer, especially in the days just prior to the stifling Hollywood production code, West stands alone, and confident – as quotable and irreverent, in her way, as Groucho Marx. Dirty Blonde examines that evolution, and revolution, in a way that should be eye-opening to younger viewers who are relatively unfamiliar with her work and legacy. Check local listings. For full reviews, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower, and Mike Hughes' Open Mike.
 
  
 
 

PBS, 9:30 p.m. ET

A lot. And this new Frontline documentary deconstructs the history to answer that question. It’s a question Frontline poses in the past tense, but the going wrong is still very much with us – which makes this particular era, like this particular documentary, a present tense experience. Check local listings. For a full review, see Alex Strachan's TV That Matters
 
  
 
 

Pop, 9:30 p.m. ET

SPECIAL PREMIERE: What to do when you have a finished script for a show, but can’t gather the cast, in this socially distanced period in time, to film it? Some shows have staged remote, Zoom-meeting-type table reads, letting actors recite their lines as though performing in a radio play. Tonight’s One Day At a Time Animated Special takes another approach: It has the cast of One Day recording its scripted lines, as in a radio play, but then fleshes out that soundtrack by animating it and presenting the episode as a special cartoon. Well, “fleshing out” is the wrong term. A more accurate one, since it’s animated, would be “Cel-ing out”… but that sounds worse, at least if said aloud. For more on this and animation in general in the time of social distancing, see Mike Hughes' Open Mike
 
  
 
 
 
 
Read and add comments HERE for today's Best Bets!
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
FFSXS
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 196  | Go to page: 
3918 Comments
 
 
You have a good point here! I totally agree with what you have said !! Thanks for sharing your views. hope more people will read this article !!
May 25, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Extremely decent blog and articles. I am realy extremely glad to visit your blog. Presently I am discovered which I really need. I check your blog regular and attempt to take in something from your blog. Much obliged to you and sitting tight for your new post
May 25, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
I'm amazed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that's both educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you've hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which too few people are speaking intelligently abou
May 25, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Very rapidly this site will be famous among all blogging and site-building users, due to it's good articles
May 25, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Pretty good post. I have just stumbled upon your blog and enjoyed reading your blog posts very much. I am looking for new posts to get more precious info. Big thanks for the useful info.
May 24, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
Excellent post. I want to thank you for this informative read, I really appreciate sharing this great post. Keep up your work
May 24, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
this is really good website, coolest I have ever visit thank you so much, i will follow and stay tuned much appriciated
May 24, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????. ?? ?????
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????. ?? ?????
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
?? ??? ????? !! ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????. ?? ?????
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
????? ??, ?? ?????! ?? ???? ??? ???? ? ? ???? ????! ??, ???? ? ???
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
???? ?? ?????. ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?????. ? ???? ??? ??? ?????. ??? ???? ???? ????. ? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????. ?? ???? ?? ??????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
???? ?? ?????. ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?????. ? ???? ??? ??? ?????. ??? ???? ???? ????. ? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????. ?? ???? ?? ??????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
? ?? ??????. ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ??? ?????. ?? ? ??? ??? ???? ? ?? ?? ? ??? ????. ??? ??? ??????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?? ????????. ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ?????. ?? ?????. ?? ??? ?? ? ????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?? ????????. ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ?????. ?? ?????. ?? ??? ?? ? ????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
???? ?? ?????. ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?????. ? ???? ??? ??? ?????. ??? ???? ???? ????. ? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????. ?? ???? ?? ??????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?? ????????. ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ?????. ?? ?????. ?? ??? ?? ? ????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
??? ??? ?? ????????. ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ?????. ?? ?????. ?? ??? ?? ? ????.
May 23, 2026   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 196  | Go to page: 
 
 

David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.