Around the dial

It's Friday, which means it's also time for us to take a spin around some of the classic TV blogs. Remember, you can find most of these over at the sidebar, and I'd encourage you to check them out weekly; even when I don't link to them, they have some great reading material.

I was a little young for Superman; I wasn't unfamiliar with the George Reeves version when I was growing up, but Underdog was probably more my speed back then, and it's a show I've never really gotten into. Which is why it's good for me to read an article like Rick's at Classic Film and TV Café on seven things to know about The Adventures of Superman.

Being a sucker for Christmas, I've always enjoyed Joanna's Christmas TV History blog, and now you can catch up on her activity from last year with this review of her 2019 podcasts, radio, and press appearances. I can't think of a better way to get back in the Christmas spirit.

For a show that lasted only one season, Jonny Quest has done pretty well at achieving iconic status. Martin Grams has always been a big fan of the 1964-65 series, so it's appropriate that this week he brings us a review of the BluRay release. Hint: if you like the show, you'll love the BluRay.

One of the simple pleasures of The Rockford Files was Noah Beery's memorable portrayal of Rockford's father, Rocky, but Those Were the Days reminds us that his resume includes a lot more than that. (I did not know, by the way, that Beery's paternal uncle was Wallace Beery. Where have I been?)

We keep hearing about how streaming has changed television forever, and certainly the TV landscape has evolved radically over a very short period of time, but The Wall Street Journal's John Jurgensen reminds us how old-school TV tactics helped make The Mandalorian a hit.

Finally, Buck Henry died this week, and it's a testament to his success and longevity that almost everyone has a different memory of him based on how old they are and when they started watching TV. (I always think, not of Get Smart, but of his samurai bits on SNL.) The Land of Whatever brings us one of the more recent memories, from 30 Rock. TV