NBC's 'Smash': A Musical Treat, A Dramatic Triumph... And a Gift

There are lots of professional reasons I can give you to watch Monday's premiere of Smash, NBC's new drama series about the making of a Broadway musical -- starting with its creators, its cast, its premise, its clever twists, and its equally clever music and lyrics. But there's also a personal reason, which I'll save for last... (more)

	PUPPY BOWL VIII Animal Planet, 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11 p.m. ET It’s Concentrated Cute. Unadulterated Adorable. Consummate Cuddly. It’s the eighth annual Puppy Bowl – and if you haven’t seen it, you owe it to yourself to tune in. Animal Planet makes it easy, by repeating the event every two hours this afternoon and tonight. Watch the puppies frolic, and drink water, and battle for chew toys, and nap. And don’t forget about the halftime show. There’s no Madonna, but there are lots and lots of kittens.
	SUPER BOWL XLVI NBC, 6 p.m. ET The spectacle includes hours and hours of pre-game hype and commentary, and a halftime show by Madonna. The game is a rematch featuring the New England Patriots and the New York Giants – and there’s a definite grudge-game feeling as we approach the big day. When these teams last faced each other in the Super Bowl, Giants receiver David Tyree caught a do-or-die pass – on his helmet – and snared both the victory, and an undefeated season, from the jaws of the stunned Patriots. For a Boston fan’s still-bruised perspective, read TVWW contributor Eric Gould’s latest Cold Light Reader column HERE.
	MASTERPIECE CLASSIC: "DOWNTON ABBEY" PBS, 9 p.m. ET (Check local listings) In this episode, we get to enjoy Downton Abbey in the background – and, in the foreground, a private moment between Mary and Matthew. Matthew’s back from the war, which is good news – but the news, good and bad, doesn’t end there. This is the only first-run offering presented by any broadcast network against tonight’s Super Bowl, so give it credit for trying. And for more on this series, read TVWW contributor Noel Holston’s latest Grassy Noel column HERE.
	LUCK HBO, 9 p.m. ET Last week, in this show’s complex premiere, we witnessed one example of good luck at the track. This week, we begin examining the ramifications of that luck – and, at the same time, following two more horses, and their owners and trainers, around the track. And elsewhere. Stay with this show – it knows where it wants to go.
	THE VOICE NBC, 10 p.m. ET (Time approximate) SEASON PREMIERE: NBC is rolling the dice on this one, giving the post-Super Bowl slot to the first half of a Season 2 premiere of last year’s surprise, sole NBC hit. For more on post-Super Bowl TV strategies, read my recent BIANCULLI’S BLOG.

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Traveling the 'Downton Abbey' Road: Where It Came From, and Why Viewers Are Watching

Noel Holston

When you're alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go... Down-tonnnn! Okay, I've gotten that out of the way, my worst pun of the year. So far. But let's do talk about Downton Abbey, the most watched and talked-about series PBS has had since, oh, The Civil War...(more)

Win or Lose Sunday, New England Knows Both Very Well

Eric Gould

BOSTON -- Make a casual check into the all-time most watched television broadcasts, and you'll quickly find that about half of them are Super Bowls. And the focus is, once again, on the Boys from Boston. This modern American spectacle has it all: brute force, high-flying athletic ability, luxury sports palaces, dolled-up cheerleaders and, this year, Madonna. The only thing left out are the caged, lip-smacking lions. This year, the New England Patriots go for their fourth title of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, and the buzz here in Boston has been double-edged, even a little ambivalent...(more)

Get Happy! (Via Television)

Theresa Corigliano

The last few weeks have made reminded me that when television is good, it just makes you happy. Enchanting characters, indelible performances, memorable moments that resonate, stories about make-believe circumstances that touch your real life. And, more surprising, shows that grab you even if you're not sure why . . . (more)

The Most Human Moments at the Most Unexpected Times

Theresa Corigliano

Mad Men and Downton Abbey -- I know. It seems odd to talk about these two shows in the same paragraph. But both shows hold up mirrors to their times. Both of them have persuaded me that . . . (more)

HOT SPOTS: Super Bowl Ads!

Are you getting psyched about the Super Bowl? Or are you getting psyched about Super Bowl commercials? The NFL's big clash sometimes seems less about pigskin than about advertising, as sponsors fight to stand out among the fusillade of spots coming at viewers on the most-watched program of the year. Here's some ratings perspective . . . (more)

FLICK PICKS: Bela Says 'Pull the String!'

If I tout a triple feature of Bela films, nobody's going to ask "Bela who?" Eighty years after his first Hollywood splash, Bela Lugosi remains an icon, whether it's from Martin Landau's delirious tribute in Tim Burton's Ed Wood or Lugosi's eerie work in films like the three '30s chillers . . . (more)

SUPER BOWL DVDs

What do you need to see? Last year's Packers victory? The first Giants-Patriots match? Official digests of all the Super Bowls? Look at the discounts here! (Box set of Super Bowls I-XXX - now 75 percent off!) .

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