Around the dial

On this day before Independence Day, let's see if we can find some fireworks in the world of classic television.

One of the hallmarks of this country is, at least in theory, free speech, so it's appropriate that we begin at Cult TV Blog, where John looks at the Play for Today, and "Speech Day," a story which, as John says, explores "who benefits and how the structures of society and state aren’t quite real." Very appropriate for today.

Free speech is also a key component of CBS's Lou Grant, with our beloved hero from Mary Tyler Moore running a newspaper. Why do I bring that up? Because David's on to Mondays in 1978 at Comfort TV, which for me meant Monday Night Football, but there's also Little House, WKRP, Kotter, and plenty else to keep us busy.

Whenever I start to worry about a week with light content, I can rest assured tha Roger's going to bail me out at The View from the Junkyard with another A-Team summary, and this week is no exception, with the episode "Incident at Crystal Lake," which does, in fact, occur at a lake, and has plenty to keep us going.

Character actor David Sheiner died last month, age 98, and if the name doesn't mean anything to you, the face likely will, as well as a very impressive list of television and movie credits. At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence talks about his long career, and you're sure to find shows you'll recognize on the list.

It is, I think, appropriate, that we wrap up a light week with a heavyweight miniseries, Centennial, which, as Paul says at Drunk TV, was NBC's "ambitious" 1978 attempt to explore the history of the United States. Based on James Michener's similarly epic novel, the miniseries failed on many levels, as Paul details, but what a cast! It's hard to imagine that there were many unemployed actors left while this was being shot.

I've never cared for holidays like the 4th of July falling on a weekend; it seems to make it too much like a regular day off (of course, when you're retired, every day is like that), but that doesn't mean that it's not still a reason to celebrate, so I'd suggest you go out tomorrow and do just that. And remember to be careful and not go out there and shoot your eye out, as Ralphie's mother might say. TV

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