Around the dial

We'll begin this week at Comfort TV, where David asks a question that's both practical and existential: how much TV is too much? It speaks to not only the quantity but the quality of what's available out there nowadays, and leads to another question: what has television become, and (not rhetorically) what purpose does it serve? I think this could well be the beginning of an important discussion that's going to have to take place at some time or other, before the industry winds up consuming itself. As so many revolutions do.

And now, on to a lighter note: the bottle from which Barbara Eden pops out in I Dream of Jeannie is currently on display at the Smithsonian Museum's National Museum of American History, and Smithsonian Magazine uses the occasion to look at the history contained in Jeannie, as well as its legacy.

Travalanche celebrates the Peggy Cass Centennial. For those of you my age, you'll remember her as a staple of the Goodson-Todman shows, especially To Tell the Truth (where she appeared over one thousand times), but you'll see that there was more to her than just playing games.

You'll recall how Coronet Blue ended without answering the main question of what the phrase "Coronet Blue" actually meant, but that's not the only series to leave viewers hanging. At Television Obscurities, the creator of the cancelled series So Help Me Todd tells us how that series would have ended.

Terence pays tribute to the late Dabney Coleman at A Shroud of Thoughts. Coleman, who died last week aged 92, was known for playing characters you loved to hate, and as we all know, it takes a lot of talent to do that for as long as he does.

At A View from the Junkyard, Roger and Mike compare notes on "The Interrogators," a Steed/Tara episode of The Avengers, and while we all know how fantastic some of the plots for this show can be (especially at this point), this is a surprisingly tense one that holds together well.

Rutland Weekend Television is the latest review from John at Cult TV Blog. It ran from 1975-76, parodying television of the time, and if you like Monty Python, you'll like this. Furthermore, if you like the shows that John writes about, you'll like this. I can't think of a better recommendation. TV  

Around the dial.

I think we'll start this week with something we see far too little of these days, longform journalism, and a kind of remarkable piece by Andy Greene at Rolling Stone. He'd come to know the late Michael Nesmith fairly well over the last few years, and in A Final Visit With Michael Nesmith, he sheds some light on the former Monkee, his relationship with his costars, and some surprising insights as to how he really felt about his most famous role.

At Comfort TV, David reviews one of the classic sitcom tropes: two dates on the same night. In a comedy, it can be a cause of charming discomfort; in a drama, it usually results in a double homicide.

Cult TV Blog returns with another entry in the "orphaned episodes" series, in which John looks at shows from the past with only a handful of surviving episodes. As he points out, the pleasure of finding these assorted fragments is somewhat offset by "a genuine sense of sadness at how much no longer exists."

The always-interesting Inner Toob is back with a trip through the three miniseries in which Hal Holbrook portrayed President Abraham Lincoln. Appropriate for February, don't you think? 

At Drunk TV, Paul reviews the first season of I Dream of Jeannie, a series that never failed to please its fans. He also has a well-placed word or two about those who might love to "cancel" a show that's so obviously oppressive to women. Well played, Paul!

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence leads the way with remembering the career of Howard Hesseman, who died last week, the latest in an apparent non-stop passing of classic TV icons. And from someone in the business, JB offers his own tribute to Johnny Fever at The Hits Just Keep on Comin'.

Finally, Television's New Frontier: the 1960s goes in-depth on calendar year 1962 for Bonanza, television's top-rated program, with reviews, guest stars, and a recounting of how physically demanding the show was for its stars. Glad I chose a more sedate occupation. TV