David Bianculli

Three shows, all with ties to Britain, premiere Jan. 9. TV critic David Bianculli says all three -- a period drama on PBS and two comedic adaptations on Showtime -- are clever, well-acted and pleasures to watch.

Fresh Air's TV critic rounds up the hottest and the hottest of the year that was. Worth watching? A BBC America import about a choir director teaching people to sing. Jersey Shore? Makes Bianculli want to shower.

Decades after he died, rock icon Jim Morrison has been pardoned for a 1969 incident in which he was accused of indecent exposure. In 1998, Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek recalled what he saw happen that night in Miami.

100 years after his death, Mark Twain's autobiography was published the way Twain himself wished. Fresh Air's David Bianculli talks with Robert Hirst, of the Mark Twain Project, about editing and publishing Twain's work.

After a lengthy hiatus, Conan O'Brien made his return to TV last night as the host of Conan, his new talk show on TBS. David Bianculli says that a guy who had months to prepare should have had a better and funnier opening night.

On Halloween, a new show about a sudden infestation of zombies premieres on AMC. TV critic David Bianculli says the spooky series works because it's "beautiful and foreboding all at once."

Evening Primrose, Stephen Sondheim's made-for-TV musical about a poet and the girl he discovers living after hours in a department store hasn't been been televised since its 1966 premiere. David Bianculli says the musical, out Tuesday on DVD for the first time, showcases Sondheim's "early brilliance."

On Oct. 24, a TV drama featuring a modernized Sherlock Holmes is set to debut on the PBS series Masterpiece Mystery. David Bianculli says the newest incarnation of the iconic detective is "terrific and inspired."

But the article does. TV critic David Bianculli shares his thoughts on the season finales of AMC's Mad Men and Rubicon -- and wonders whether he should be talking about this at all. Obviously: Spoilers ahead.

In the late 1960s, Tommy and Dick Smothers challenged those who tried to tame their wildly popular show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. TV critic David Bianculli joins host Terry Gross to talk about the legendary comedy duo who tackled political issues and censorship.

This interview was originally broadcast on Nov. 30, 2009. Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour is now out in paperback.