David Bianculli

A new documentary on PBS about the making of the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour features outtakes from the original and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. TV critic David Bianculli call the film "wonderfully thorough."

It's holiday box-set season, and Fresh Air critic David Bianculli shares some favorites for the TV-lover on your list. "Giving someone a gift of a TV show," he says, "is somehow very personal. You're giving something that your love, and that, in many cases, will occupy many hours ... of their time."

Showtime's Homeland, which swept this year's Emmy Awards, returns this weekend -- as does another Showtime drama, Dexter. Critic David Bianculli says there's a rich bounty of returning series -- and Homeland is the "most topical and meaningful drama on television."

Critic David Bianculli says of all the new programs premiering this fall, there isn't on you have to add to your weekly viewing lists. The best new show, he says, is Emily Owens, M.D., which is just like Ally McBeal if she were a doctor instead of a lawyer -- but it's graded on a curve.

Monday night on PBS, American Masters presents a two-hour biography of Johnny Carson. Carson retired 20 year ago this month, and vacated a throne that TV critic David Bianculli says no one has managed to claim since.

TV writer and producer Steven Moffat specializes in injecting new life into old, familiar characters and stories. He first worked his magic on the revived edition of Doctor Who. Now, he's responsible for bringing back to life the critically acclaimed series Sherlock.

I, Claudius is loaded with bloody violence, graphic sex, tales of epic battles and intrigue and characters who are in danger of being killed at any time. The British miniseries has now been remastered and is available in a 35th anniversary edition DVD.

This Sunday, HBO premieres Girls, a new comedy series written and directed by 25-year-old Lena Dunham, who first grabbed the media spotlight with her film Tiny Furniture in 2010. David Bianculli says the series is a cross between Sex and the City and Louie.

Both Game of Thrones and The Killing drew a lot of attention during their first seasons, and both are back Sunday night to start a second year -- one hoping to build on the momentum from some positive late-season buzz, the other hoping to overcome some negative buzz from last year's cliffhanger.

The AMC series Mad Men -- winner of the Best Drama Series Emmy for each of its four seasons to date -- returns March 25 after a 17-month hiatus. TV critic David Bianculli determines whether it was worth the wait?