David Bianculli
Stories
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Two new 'SNL' documentaries celebrate 50 years of music, laughs and insights
In Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, Questlove mines the archive of musical performances, while the four-part series SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night dives into the show's creative process.
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Remembering Oscar-nominated filmmaker David Lynch
We listen back to a 1994 interview with Lynch, who died Jan. 14. His credits include Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. Plus, Isabella Rossellini and Nicolas Cage remember the director.
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'American Primeval' offers a gritty, heartfelt take on the Wild West
Set in the lawless Utah territory of 1857, Netflix's six-part series features chaotic violence, endearing characters and some sights and performances you'll not soon forget.
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'Laid' is a hilarious, high-concept new series; 'Going Dutch' is less a sure thing
Stephanie Hsu plays a woman whose ex-boyfriends keep dying on the Peacock series Laid. Going Dutch features Denis Leary as a military colonel who's assigned to run a service base in the Netherland.
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In 2024, our TV critic was grateful for fantastic shows and familiar faces
Fresh Air critic David Bianculli watches more TV than anyone he knows. He found it impossible to come up with a top 10 list this year — and is reveling in the abundance of exceptional shows.
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'The Sticky' is a delicious take on one of the biggest crimes in Canadian history
Inspired by the real-life theft of $18 million worth of government-stored maple syrup, Amazon Prime's six-episode series is loaded with wonderful characters, performances, music and surprises.
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'Beatles '64' revisits an intense two-week period in musical and cultural history
A new Disney+ documentary chronicles the Beatles' first trip to America. By combining footage, stories and songs, Beatles '64 makes it clear why the group, and its music, continue to be revered.
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'A Man on the Inside' is one of the sweetest TV series since 'Ted Lasso'
Ted Danson stars as a retired professor who goes undercover at a retirement community in a charming new Netflix series that's both entertaining and surprisingly philosophical.
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Remembering actor Teri Garr, of 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Tootsie' fame
Garr, who died Oct. 29, started out as a dancer in Elvis films, and was later nominated for an Oscar for Tootsie. David Bianculli offers an appreciation, and we listen back to a 2005 interview.
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What's new this season on network TV? Not much
So many of the network's new prime-time series are like cafeteria casseroles: aggressively and intentionally bland. But late-night shows continue to offer spice in the form of biting humor.
