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It came as a revelation to me, many years ago, to see a reference in an old TV Guide to "Win" Martindale. At first I assumed it was a typo, but as we can see in this post from the Broadcast Archives, Wink Martindale was known, for a time, as Win. Either way you look at it, he was one of game show history's biggest winners.

At Comfort TV, David's journey through 1970s TV takes us to Monday nights, 1976. The highlight, of course, was Monday Night Football, but for every touchdown (Little House), there's an incomplete pass or two: The Captain and Tennille, All's Fair, Executive Suite. Stick to the movies and the game.

John returns to the world of the private detective at Cult TV Blog, with a look at the Shoestring episode "Find the Lady," with our heroic private "ear" on the trail of a murder—or is it? Check out an interesting story with a stellar guest cast.

At Captain Video's Secret Sanctum, we take a look at 2009's Spaceballs: The Animated Series, which ran for 13 episodes, and is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from an animated Mel Brooks project. I wonder what I was doing that I don't remember this?

Does a movie count as TV if you saw it on your television? It does in this case, as at Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddy reviews the top four performances from one of the all-time greats, Toshiro Mifune. I've seen all four of these movies, and I can't argue with a one of them; they're all superb.

Speaking of superb, at The View from the Junkyard, Roger reviews the concluding episode of The New Avengers, "Emily," which serves as a fitting end to the series, "a celebration of everything this show does best."

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence pays tribute to the legendary Brian Wilson, who died last week at 82. He was certainly a familiar face on television in the 1960s, given the prominence of the Beach Boys, and one of those tortured geniuses who accomplished so much, and paid a price for it.

Martin Grams is back with another selection of book reviews designed to appeal to the TV and film buff in you. I mention these not just because they sound interesting, but to remind me that I have a pile of books to review myself, all on hold while I finished my own book. Which is done, by the way.

And that leads to my reminder that if you'd like to sign up for updates on Darkness in Primetime: How Classic-Era TV Foresaw Modern Society's Descent into Hell, you can do so at this link. There's another reveal next week leading up to the August release date; why not take a moment to sign up? TV  

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We'll begin once again this week at bare-bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project takes us to the ninth-season "Night Caller," a very creepy story featuring Felicia Farr (Mrs. Jack Lemmon), David White, and Bruce Dern.

At Cult TV Blog, John combines two of our favorite topics here: the "Sylvia Coleridge Season" and The Avengers; it's Sylvia's appearance in the camp classic "The Girl from Auntie," which has a little something for everyone, including murder via knitting needle.

Speaking of The Avengers, let's take a trip to the world of The New Avengers over at The View from the Junkyard, where Roger reviews "Complex," which recovers from a very slow start to become, as Roger puts it, "worth waiting for."

We've all got favorites that fall into the category of "terrible show I like," right? At Comfort TV, David looks at one of his: The Charmings, the Snow White spoof from 1987 (can it be that long?) that proves to be a nice antidote to the disastrous Disney remake from earlier this year. 

At Reelweegiemidget, Gill revisits a Twilight Zone episode we rewatched a couple of months ago, "Once Upon a Time," which features a delightful performance from Buster Keaton. With "The Girl from Auntie," this makes two episodes this week that I've seen in the last two months.

Paul looks back at the recent Blu-ray release of the Hanna-Barbera animated sitcom Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, which I've not seen (thanks, World's Worst Town™) but Paul does a great job putting this it its cultural context of the time.

Paul's also at Mavis Movie Madness, where his Memorial Day entertainment consisted not only of recovering from being at death's door, but watching the TV-friendly movie Hell Boats, starring James Franciscus. I can easily see this as a made-for-TV flick!

Lastly, at The Hits Just Keep On Comin', JB travels back in time to the year 1980, with plenty of period details leading up to the Memorial Day weekend, including the premiere of The Empire Strikes Back, the season finale of Saturday Night Live (hosted by Buck Henry), and more. TV  

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Ah, but it seems as if we lead with the obituaries this week, beginning at A Shroud of Thoughts, where Terence salutes the late, great George Wendt, who died Tuesday at the age of 76, on the 32nd anniversary of the series finale of Cheers. We can double up on the farewell to Norm with this typically offbeat piece at Inner Toob.

Terence also notes the passing of Joe Don Baker, known for everything from Walking Tall to a pair of James Bond movies to a couple of appearances on Mystery Science Theater 3000, which, of course, are the important credits; he was 89. There's also a nice tribute to Baker from Paul at Mavis Movie Madness!

We next move on to RealWeegieMidget, where Gill offers up a tribute to Priscilla Pointer, the former soap actress who played Pam Ewing's mother on Dallas, but also did much more; she died last month, aged 100. We should always balance our sadness at such departures with a sense of gratitude for the great memories they left behind in their bodies of work; that helps keep it all in perspective, I think.

It is, however, nice to turn to something a little lighter, such as Garry Berman's tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Return of the Pink Panther, which certainly has to be one of the funniest movies ever made. It's the third entry in the Pink Panther series, and features some extraordinarly fine work by Herbert Lom as Clouseau's beleaguered boss, Chief Inspector Dreyfus.

At Television Obscurities, Robert passes along the news that NBC is planning a 100th anniversary tribute next year. Back in the day, Orson Welles hosted a 50th anniversary show that was quite good; why is it that I don't have similiar high hopes for this one?

Let's return to The New Avengers at A View from the Junkyard, where Roger reviews "K is for Kill," which is a great title (although I don't suppose you'll see it in those preschool alphabet tutorials), but does it make for a great episode? Well, you'll just have to find out.

Staying across the pond, John is staying with the Sylvia Coleridge Season at Cult TV Blog, and this week he offers "Silver Threads," an episode from the series Village Hall, an anthology in which each episode takes place in, well, a village hall. A quirky episode of an interesting series. TV  

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Let's kick off things at bare•bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project looks at the rare Hitchcock Western, "Outlaw in Town" by Michael Fessier, a wry, fun story with terrific performances from Ricardo Montalban, Constance Ford, Arch Johnson and Bernard Kates. 

I was living in the World's Worst Town™ when the landmark TV special "Free to Be. . . You and Me" aired, so my knowledge of it is limited to second-hand observations. Fortunately, David takes a measured look back at it in this week's Comfort TV essay, which I found quite illuminating.

At Cult TV Blog, John continues with the "Sylvia Coleridge Season" and "A Touch of Home" from the 1972-73 series The Lotus Eaters, about British expats living on Crete. It makes for uncomfortable viewing, John says, as it holds up a mirror to Brits with not necessarily flattering results.

F Troop Fridays is back at The Horn Section, and this time out, Hal looks at "How to Be F Troop Without Really Trying" from the show's second season. Seems they're going to be shipped out to Bloody Creek, with Agarn's staying behind to train their replacements. You know, I don't like that "Bloody" part.

Martin Grams shares an essay that he and Robert Tevis wrote on the 1957 Playhouse 90 episode "A Sound of Different Drummers." I devote a chapter in my upcoming Darkness in Primetime to that episode, and I'm so grateful to Martin and Robert for making it possible to see the episode at the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention a couple of years ago.

At Mavis Movie Madness, Paul takes a thoughtful look at hwo movies got to be such a popular part of television programming. As you'll know if you've read my TV Guide reviews, television used to be literally dominated by movies, and Paul's review is quite instructive.

Terence shares his frustrations about favorite shows being pre-empted in this piece from A Shroud of Thoughts, and even though I've never seen an episode of Wild Cards, the show in question, he has my profound sympathies. Now you know what it was like trying to watch TV in the aformentioned World's Worst Town™.

Roger's latest New Avengers review at The View from the Junkyard centers on the episode "Obsession," in which our heroine Purdey finds herself involved with a man obsessed with the idea of revenge. Roger's astute observation: "An obsession is like an addiction. He’s enslaved by it." TV 

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W

e begin the week with Jack's Hitchcock Project at bare-bones e-zine, and John T. Kelly's seventh-season drama "Apex," a nasty piece (but then, is there any other kind?) about adultery, double-dealing, and murder , featuring Patricia Breslin, Vivienne Segal, and Mark Miller. 

Meanwhile, at Cult TV Blog, John keeps going with the "Sylvia Coleridge Season" of performances, this time featuring her in the weird 1970s series Ace of Wands and the episode "Sisters Deadly." We seem to have gotten off to a real killer start today, haven't we?

Let's go to something more pleasant then, with David's piece at Comfort TV looking at actresses might not be the most familiar to you by name, yet their striking beauty made you sit up and take notice in their appearances in classic who really made an impact with their appearances in classic series. 

Gill remembers Val Kilmer this week at ReelWeegieMidget, with a look at the 2021 documentary Val, in which the late actor looks back at his life and career, discussing his "magical" life, his family, his love of acting, and his cancer diagnosis.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger takes a look at "Medium Rare," a second-season episode of The New Avengers that, frankly, he finds disappointing. Read on to find out how it falls short, and whether this says more about the high quality of previous episodes.

In addition to being one of the greatest movies of all time, Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon has been the inspiration of many an episode on television over the years. At Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddy looks at what makes it such a classic.

Martin Grams shares his thoughts on one of the classic westerns from the Golden Age of western television: Have Gun—Will Travel, starring Richard Boone as a most unusual hired gun. I appreciate Martin's insights as to why this series continues to hold up, decades later.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Tererence reviews one of television's great traditions: ABC's annual airing of the Biblical epid The Ten Commandments, which has aired almost exclusively during the pre-Easter season since 1973. It makes for a great investment in time.

For those of you checking out until Monday, here's hoping you have a blessed and peaceful Easter. Christus surréxit!—Surréxit vere, allelúja! TV  

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As you may have heard, after 20 years, the revival of Doctor Who is in a bit of a bind. It's possible, according to some sources, that Disney+ may not renew its option at the end of the current season, meaning that the BBC would probably need to find another partner to help finance the series. This YouGov poll purports to offer some insight into why the series is losing favor, but the figures don't tell much of a story. For instance, among those who've seen both the classic and modern versions, there's no indication as to why viewers may prefer one over the other; for those who've never seen either version (an alarmingly high number), why haven't they watched it? And there has to be a category of people like me who used to watch the new version but no longer do--after all, the ratings are down heavily from where they were. Why? Is it because of cord cutting, is it because the show's too woke, is it because it's not woke enough, is it that they don't like the actors who've played the Doctor more recently? You know the joke about lies, damned lies, and statistics? Well, guess which this is?

The "Sylvia Coleridge Season" continues apace at Cult TV Blog, and this week John travels back in time to The Tomorrow People and the story "A Rift in Time," which gives us a timeline in which Rome never lost rule over Britain. Interesting idea for today, hmm? 

At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project takes us to the ninth season episode "A Matter of Murder," written by Boris Sobelman, with Darren McGavin, Pat Crowley, and Telly Savalas. A black comedy follows, and does anyone do those better than Hitchcock?

The progression through 1970s TV has reached Friday, 1975 at Comfort TV where Dan looks at NBC's rare killer lineup: Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, The Rockford Files, and Police Woman. Oh, and then there are shows like Big Eddie and Mobile One, and the less said, the better.

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill recalls the career of Wings Hauser ("the biggest star you've never heard of") and his many television appearances, focusing on the season two episode "Just a Small Circle of Friends" from The Fall Guy.

This week's classic television obituary—I hate to put it this way, but it's true—is Richard Chamberlain, who certainly left his mark on TV history. Television Obscurities, Classic Film and TV Corner, A Shroud of Thoughts, and the brand-new Mavis Movie Madness! (from our Drunk TV friend Paul Mavis) all share their memories of his life and work. And one more; Travalanche recalls the career of Sian Barbara Allen, who appeared in so many television shows, especially in the 1970s. 

We wrap with "Angels of Death," the latest episode of The New Avengers at The View from the Junkyard, and as Steed sees another of his former friends bumped off, Purdey asks him the pertinent question: why must the show always go on? TV  

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You might recall me writing a couple of years ago about The Man in Room 17, a British show that I quite enjoyed watching, although I was only able to see the first season. You might even be familiar with it, if you enjoy British shows from the 1960s. If so, you'll be as glad as I was to hear about the first-ever guidbook to the first season, Behind Door 17: An Unofficial Guide to The Man in Room 17, by Martin Gregory. Beside being an episode guide, it includes essays, mini-bios, and insights into a show that I found both intelligent and entertaining, with a liberal dose of humor included. You can read more about it at Martin's Substack, and hopefully we'll be looking at a review of this in the future.

The lastest episode of Eventually Supertrain is now available, in which your erstwhile correspondent joins Dan for another around of Garrison's Gorillas, plus more neat stuff. Please do give it a listen when you have some time, and if you haven't already added Supertrain to your list of favorite podcasts, now's a great time to do so.

Love That Bob returns at The Horn Section, as Hal reviews the 1959 episode "Bob and the Ballerina." We're at a point in the fifth season where the series tries to get back on track after an unsuccessful attempt to domesticize our hero. Find out how successful it was.

The "Sylvia Coleridge Season" continues at Cult TV Blog, and this week John looks at her appearance in the supernatural 1981 movie Artemus 81, a movie that almost defies explanation. Well, almost, but John gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect if you decide to watch it here.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger's episode-by-episode recap of The New Avengers arrives at "Three Handed Game," the final episode of the first season, a story that blends mind-swapping, people with amazing memories, spies, and, of course, another great performance by Joanna Lumley as Purdy.

This doesn't really have anything to do with television, but Travalanche reviews Danny Fingeroth's book Jack Ruby: The Many Faces of Oswald's Assassin, and given that I've visited the topic of the Kennedy assassination many times here, you know why I'd be interested in this.

Television's New Frontier: The 1960s returns with the 1962 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which follows the successful formula that's kept the show going for seven successful seasons. Is the show in a rut, or is it following the maxim that you don't mess with success?

Speaking of Hitchcock (and isn't it too bad that Jack's Hitchcock Project isn't this week?), A Shroud of Thoughts reviews the fifth season episode "Arthur," starring Laurence Harvey, which Terence ranks as one of his favorites from the entire run of the series.

Television Obscurities has a note that the Paley Center in New York has now opened the Paley Archive at the Beverly Hills Public Library. It's no more likely I'll make it there than I would get to NYC, but I can always hope that they digitize their archives someday.

At The Lucky Strike Papers, Andrew uses the upcoming 24th anniversary of the death of his mother, Sue Bennett, looking back at her career in New York and Boston television. By the way, if you haven't read The Lucky Strike Papers, you should; it's an excellent book about family, television, and the 1950s. TV  

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Let's get right to it, starting at bare-bones e-zine, where Jack's Hitchcock Project looks at Robert Gould's ninth-season episode "How to Get Rid of Your Wife," which, despite the title, is a "lighthearted look" at psychological warfare within an unhappy marriage. Bob Newhart, Jane Withers, and Joyce Jameson star.

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill recalls Gena Rowlands and her small but multifaceted role as the wife of the murderous Oskar Werner in the 1975 Columbo episode "Playback," an episode which star Peter Falk (a longtime friend and collaborator of Rowlands' husband, John Cassavetes) called the series' best.

The Sylvia Coleridge "season" continues at Cult TV Blog, and this week John takes a look at her magnificent performance in the Armchair Thriller six-parter "Quiet as a Nun," based on the novel by Lady Antonia Fraser, in which Coleridge plays—what else?—a nun. 

At Comfort TV, David reviews six episodes from The Twilight Zone's exceptional first season: three that rank as classics (including the all-time "A Stop at Willoughby"), and three that, well, don't quite measure up. For what it's worth, I concur on all six.

Roger continues his episode-by-episode review of The New Avengers at A View from the Junkyard, and this week we're up to "Sleeper," a game of tag that's played for the highest possible stakes: if you get tagged, you die.

In case you weren't aware of it, the television world has been up in arms over the last few days over the move by Warner Bros. to remove their classic theatrical cartoons—Looney Tunes—from WB's streaming service, Max. Terence has his take on it at A Shroud of Thoughts.

I've never liked the "amateur detectives" that the British are so fond of; on the other hand, I have great respect for many of their police dramas, especially the older ones. Cult TV Lounge takes us back to season one of Van Der Valk, starring Barry Foster, based on the characters created by Nicolas Freeling. TV  

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Let's start this week at Comfort TV, where, in the wake of Gene Hackman's death, David wonders what would have happened had Sherwood Schwartz gotten his way and cast Hackman as Mike Brady in The Brady Bunch.

At Cult TV Blog, John returns to the idea of devoting a series of posts to a single actor in different roles. In this case, it's the actress Sylvia Coleridge, with many Brit TV credits to her name. For this first piece, we look at her in Who Dares Win from 1983.

In other Brit TV, it's back to The View from the Junkyard and Roger's latest New Avengers review. This week, it's the episode "Dirtier by the Dozen," and if you're tempted to think of the movie with a similar name, it's no accident: it's a grim look at war, violence, and the "just following orders" mentality.

At Travalanche, it's a look back at the life and times of the legendary Willard Scott, best known as the weatherman on The Today Show, but with many more credits to his name, from Bozo the Clown to the original Ronald McDonald. You'll find he's quite a character.

If you're in the market for Adam West's Batman Utility Belt, you're in luck! It's just one of the many TV props up for bids at the Los Angeles Spring 2025 Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, and you can read all about them over at Television Obscurities.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence plays tribute to a pair of actresses with considerable credits in classic television: Jan Shepard, who died in January aged 96; and Olive Sturgess, who died last month aged 91. Read more about them, and learn about their legacy.

Martin Grams has a quartet of reviews of the latest entertainment books from Bear Manor Media, including biographies of Cary Grant, Boris Karloff, Joe E. Brown, and James Cagney. Their inventory is always worth looking at; I have a book from them myself that I'll be reviewing shortly.

 

At Drunk TV, Paul is back with a look at season one of the 1950s series Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, starring Richard Simmons (no, not that one( as the stouthearted Mountie sergeant. It's good fun, and also an example of an early all-color series. 

Finally, at Classic Film and TV Corner, Maddie takes a fond trip down memory lane to the third Doctor Who, Jon Pertwee. Pertwee played the Doctor with style and elan, and led the show into the modern, color era. It's a perfect example of the show the way it was meant to be. TV  

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We start the week at RealWeegieMidget with Gill and hubby's monthly review of movies, including teleflicks with killer bees, Playboy bunnies, 80s aerobics instructors, murder mysteries, and fashionistas. What more could you ask for?

Over at The Horn Section, Hal appears on Dan Schneider's Cosmoetica podcast (home to yours truly's American TV history series) to discuss The White Shadow with Dan and Harv Aronson of Abstract Sports. Take a listen to an enjoyable hour.

David's journey through 1970s TV continues at Comfort TV, where we're up to Thursday nights in 1975: The Waltons continues to dominate, NBC continues to fall short, and ABC gives us Barney Miller, The Streets of San Francisco, and Harry-O. Not bad at all.

At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Brian looks at "Ninety Years Without Slumbering," starring Ed Wynn, written (partly) by George Clayton Johnson, with a score by Bernard Herrmann, and a backstory that's almost as interesting as what appears on the screen. 

The Hitchcock Project continues at bare•bones e-zine with Michael Hogan's story "The Safe Place," starring the ubiquitous Robert H. Harris (you'd recognize him if you saw him) and Joanne Linville in a story of greed, murder, and a crook who's a little too clever for his own good.

At Cult TV Blog, John returns to his series on television "tales of unease" with "Superstitious Ignorance," a story of the house-hunting trip from Hell involving some very unpleasant people, and a sense of unease that increases throughout the episode.

Roger's episode-by-episode review of The New Avengers continues at The View from the Junkyard, with this week's story, "Gnaws," which features a giant rat in the sewers of London, and—for better or worse—hearkens back to the fantastical stories of the original series.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence marks the 40th anniversary of Moonlighting, one of the most ground-breaking and influential shows of the 1980s. It starred Cybill Shepherd, whom I don't like, and Bruce Willis, whom I do, and featured as much drama off-screen as it did on. TV  

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Last week I was interviewed by Mark Atley, where we talked not only about what I write, but the writing process itself. It was a nice change of pace, to talk not just as a classic TV historian, but as a writer. You can read it here; by the way, I'd encourage you to subscribe to Mark's Substack while you're there.

There are many tributes to Gene Hackman, whose death (along with his wife and dog) was reported yesterday. Amongst our cohort here, you can find recollections from Maddy at Classic Film and TV Corner and Trav at Travalanche. 

Sportscaster Al Trautwig also died during the week, and while his primary fame may have been from his coverage of New York-based sports teams, he was also a familiar face on broadcast and cable TV as well, covering everything from the NHL to the Olympics, with a lot in-between. Inner Toob has an appropriate, typically quirky tribute.

At Cult TV Blog, John has a post on the Interlude films, short films that were presented as interludes during live drama broadcasts to give the actors a breather; they were also used to fill the time between the end of the time period between children's programming and adult broadcasting. It's a wonderful, eccentric little piece of TV history, as well as what the interludes say about how British television was run in the 1950s. (There's a little inside joke there.)

At Comfort TV, David has some thoughts on that Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary montage of skits that wouldn't be considered "acceptable" today. What does it say about the future of comedy when you're forced to justify it to future generations?

The View from the Junkyard returns to the world of The New Avengers, as Roger looks at the episode "Faces," a thrilling story involving doppelgangers that puts our three heroes into a state of constant doubt, and overcomes any disbelief we might have in the concept to begin with.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence offers a tribute to the 75th anniversary of Your Show of Shows, the legendary comedy variety show that made icons of Sid Casesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris, and continues to be considered one of the great shows of all time. TV  

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Now that's my kind of car!

We lead off the week at Comfort TV, where David reviews the TV career of the late Tony Roberts, who first came to my attention as one-half of the legal series Rosetti and Ryan, co-starring with Squire Fridell; I was a captive viewer from back in the days of the one-station in the World's Worst Town™. 

RealWeegieMidget is back on the TV-movie circuit with the 1984 teleflick Obsessive Love, which stars Yvette Mimieux and Simon MacCorkindale and carries with it more than a whiff of Fatal Attraction. It's part of the "So Bad It's Good" Blogathon, which perhaps tells you all you need to know. 

At bare•bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues apace with the seventh-season story "The Children of Alda Nuova," Robert Wallsten's adaptation of his own short story, with Jack Carson starring as a criminal who makes a wrong turn into a wrong town.

Let's continue with crime, as John wraps up his "Private Detective Season" at Cult TV Blog with 1967's The Big M, with all the requisite sleaze that P.I.s thrive on. John also looks at some additional series, including the very good Philip Marlowe, Private Eye, with Powers Boothe.

At The Saturday Evening Post, Bob Sassone's "News of the Week" includes two pertinent questions about the TV ratings system: is it accurate, and does it even matter? Read the story, and stick around for this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees.

Travalanche has an excellent look back at the ubiquitqious John Charles Daly, urbane moderator of What's My Line?, anchor of ABC's evening news program, and one of my absolute favorite television persons ever. I may be coming up on 65, but I still say that I want to be like him when I grow up.

It's only tangentially related to classic TV, but unless you've been under a rock for the last couple of years, you know about the disintegration of cable television. Variety has an in-depth look at the future of Comcast, including USA Network (which produced many an original show in the day), and what it may bode for the industry as a whole.

Speaking of, it looks as if the long relationship between ESPN and Major League Baseball is over at the end of the upcoming season. Did MLB undervalue its product? And what could this mean for a new television partner? Sports Media Watch has all the details, including what happens to ESPN.

Wrapping things up with The View from the Junkyard, Roger continues his episode-by-episode review of The New Avengers, with "The Tale of the Big Why," an example of how the series handles comedy with a deft touch—unlike, perhaps, the original. TV  

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A Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. In the spirit of the season, so to speak, the picture above personifies me spending quality time with my first love. And where has it gotten me, you ask? Of course, if you're reading these words, you already know the answer.

Onward to Cult TV Blog, where John continues "Private Detective Season" with the mid-80s British series Bulman, and the episode "Pandora's Many Boxes." Bulman's one of those maverick P.I.s who don't follow the rules, which is just fine with me, and it provides an excellent snapshot of its time, which the best shows always do.

Garry Berman returns with the third in a series of stars who've gone "from hits to flops," and there are more than you might think. Of course, you don't get to be a star unless you take chances, and some of them don't work out. How many of these failed series do you remember?

Roger continues his recap of The New Avengers at A View from the Junkyard with "To Catch a Rat," another quality episode in the series revival. In addition to being a thriller revolving around amnesia, it's a philosophical reminder of just how important one's memory is to their own identity.

There was a time when Susan Oliver seemed to be on just about every television show you tuned in to, and Travalanche looks back at her road to success, including some of her more memorable roles (including, of course, the "Green Chick" in Star Trek).

One of the great things about the Criterion Channel is the access it gives you to movies and genres you might never have known about, let alone watched. For me, the great revelation was Japanese Noir, and Maddy writes at Classic Film and TV Corner about one of the best, Akira Kurosawa's Stray Dog, with the great Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura.

On the subject of movies, at Classic Film & TV Cafe, Rick looks at Buchanan Rides Alone, one of the six "Ranown Cycle" Westerns made by Randolph Scott, directed by Budd Boetticher, and written by Burt Kennedy. Merits of the movie aside, I'm reminded of the night of the 1992 New Hampshire Presidental Primary, when Pat Buchanan was running against Bush Sr. and the GOP establishment. TNT was airing this movie, and I wondered then if they appreciated the irony of the title. TV  

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We'll start off the week with a twin bill from the "American TV" series I do with Dan Schneider: episode #1 is a look at the history of ABC and its reputation as a network willing to take chances, while episode #2 is a fun change-of-pace, in which we answer questions about how our series started, some of our favorite shows, early TV crushes, and more! 

My friend Alan Hayes has some exciting news on the horizon: Escapades: An Exploration of Avengers Curiosities, a new book co-authored with J.Z. Ferguson, which takes a deep dive into aspects of the classic series that haven't been previously covered, such as the London stage play, the South African radio series, a couple of unmade TV scripts, and a Mexican wrestling film—and that's just for starters! The book is available for pre-order here, and I'd encourage all you Avengers fans to look into it. And stay tuned to this space over the next few weeks, for an interview with Alan and a review of the book.

Let's work it a little more, as Roger's review of The New Avengers continues at A View from the Junkyard, with the latest episode being "Target!" He sees it as "another superb episode in a season that hasn’t put a foot wrong yet," and even ventures that it's better than the original series. What do you think?

The Broadcast Archives has several classic TV stories this week, covering everything from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me to the first made-for-TV movie. They're all fun, but why not start out with the single-season series Mr. Lucky, a Blake Edwards creation starring John Vivyan. 

At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's Hitchcock Project continues with "Total Loss," a fourth-season episode by J.E. Selby that is most assuredly a product of its times. Nancy Olson and Ralph Meeker star; find out if the bad guy gets away with it.

The Rose Medallion is the next series in line in John's continuing "private detective season" at Cult TV Blog. John says that we have to watch this 1981 series about an uncovered skeleton and the quest to find out the rest of the story, and he's a pretty good judge of shows.uuu

The Globe and Mail has this essay on ditching streaming in favor of DVDs. I've been in this camp for quite awhile; aside from the fact that it's difficult to find some of the more obscure programs on streaming, it's too often a case of "here today, gone tomorrow." I'll always be a believer in physical media.

David's journey through 1970s TV at Comfort TV has now come to Wednesday, 1975, and if we can't remember When Things Were Rotten, Kate McShane, and Doctors' Hospital, we can certainly recall Little House on the Prairie, Starsky & Hutch, Cannon, and more.

At RealWeegieMidget, Gill (and Darlin' Husband) take a look at movie recommendations from January, including a miniseries with Barry Bostwick and Stefanie Powers, a movie with brothers Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, and Gary Coleman as a pint-size arsonist!

Do we ever get tired of the latest schemes cooked up by Sgt. O'Rourke and Corporal Agarn at F Troop? Not if we're Hal at The Horn Section, and the latest sure-to-fail scam, "The West Goes Ghost," involves ghosts, the railroad, and the two passing themselves off as medical men, for starters.

At Drunk TV, Paul reviews the second season of Simon & Simon, one of the quintessentially '80s series of, well, the '80s, with Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as the brothers running the Simon & Simon detective agency. Thrilling cases and beautiful women galore!

Martin Grams, who wrote one of the definitive books on The Twilight Zone, looks at books containing adaptations of Rod Serling's TZ scripts (done by Serling himself), as well as adaptations and original stories written by Walter Gibson, all of which were quite successful.

I've written before about Turn On, the legendary one-episode ABC series that was virtually cancelled before that one episode was done. But was it really as bad as history says? Not so fast, says Travalanche, who believes it was far from the worst show of all time. TV  

Around the dial

We'll begin the week with couple of blog updates. First, if you read Wednesday's article on Combat!, you'll notice that I've added the series to my Top Ten favorites. With this, the revised Top Ten is now complete; you can view the list here, or through the link on the sidebar.

Speaking of updates, I've also updated the links to my podcast appearances, which you can find on the "Video and Podcasts" tab on the top; they're also available on the It's About TV YouTube playlists page. I'm hoping to add more material to that in the future, by the way.

Finally, I've been pleased to publish several excellent guest essays here over the nearly fourteen years, of this blog. If you have something you'd like to share, please email me, and we'll talk. As I get closer to completing my latest book, your contribution not only entertains our readers, it helps me devote more time to the book.

Now, on to something more interesting, beginning with the latest look at private detective series from John at Cult TV Blog. The series is The View from Daniel Pike (a series that sounds like it's right up my alley), and the episode is "The Manufactured Clue." Try it; I think you'll like it.

At The Horn Section, Hal is back on the F Troop route, with "The West Goes Ghost," Am I giving anything away by saying that it involves another scheme courtesy of O'Rourke Enterprises? And that said scheme is doomed to failure? Probably not.

A week or two ago I mentioned the passing of baseball "legend" Bob Uecker; this week, Inner Toob takes a look at some of the Ueck's more memorable TV appearances, both as himself and as an actor. I'm not sure there was much of a difference; what you see is what you get, and it's always funny.

Roger is back at A View from the Junkyard with another in his continuing series of reviews of The New Avengers, and this time it's "Cat Amongst the Pigeons," which plays very much like an episode from the Emma Peel era, but done in the style of the new series. 

At The Hits Just Keep On Comin', JB has a nice remembrance of the famed NBC radio program Monitor; if you're not familiar with it, I urge you to check out the links JB provided, or to read my review of the definitive book on the program, Dennis Hart's Monitor.  

At Television's New Frontier: The 1960s, it's the 1960 episodes from the single-season sitcom Angel, with Marshall Thompson and Annie Fargé. It comes off somewhat as an imitation of I Love Lucy, but with somewhat less success. However, thanks to Classic Flix, it's out on DVD; take advantage of it. TV  

Around the dial

In case you missed it, I appeared in back-to-back episodes of "American TV" with Dan Schneider, both featuring staples of 1960s and '70s Saturday morning television; the first is about Sid and Marty Krofft, the second looks at the work of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Fun to do and, I hope, fun to watch. 

At Bob Crane: Life and Legacy, the authors provide evidence to refute some of the many false claims about Bob's life, particularly his marriage to Patricia Olson (Sigrid Valdis); it's all part of their continuing efforts to tell the true story.

Jack's Hitchcock Project at bare-bones e-zine continues with "The Motive," a third-season story written by Rose Simon Kohn, featuring Skip Homeier, William Redfield, Carl Betz, Carmen Phillips, and an extremely effectve ending.

At Cult TV Blog, John's private detective "season" continues as well, and for once it's a show I've actually watched! It's the gritty series Public Eye, with Alfred Burke outstanding as a Rockford-type P.I. just trying to make a living; this week, it's the excellent episode "The Bankrupt." 

David's countdown of his 50 favorite classic TV characters proceeds at Comfort TV, and this week he turns his attention to Maxwell Smart, played so memorably by Don Adams; could you even imagine anyone else plausibly in this role?

Jordan's in-depth review of The Twilight Zone Magazine returns at The Twilight Zone Vortex, with Volume 3, Number 6, from January/February 1984. Included is an interview with Stephen King, a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, looks at TZ and The Outer Limits, and more!

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence looks back at the sitcom The Jeffersons on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the show's debut. After an 11-season run on CBS, it's maintained a comfortable home in syndication, and remains one of television's groundbreaking sitcoms.

Travalanche commemorates the birthday of Ernie Kovacs with something I certainly wasn't aware of, not that I'm any kind of Kovacs scholar. It's about the time Ernie and Buster Keaton formed a comedy team, and it's well worth checking out.

Roger's review of The New Avengers continues apace at The View from the Junkyard, with the third episode of the series, "The Midas Touch," which has to do with a contagious disease threatening society, and features another outstanding performance by Joanna Lumley as Purdy. TV  

Around the dial

At bare-bones e-zine, Jack's first Hitchcock Project of the new year is "Make My Death Bed," a sixth-season episode by "Henry A. Cogge," dealing with a nasty suburban triangle that invariably involves murder.

The "Ann Way Season" continues apace at Cult TV Blog, and this week John visits the British detective series Shoestring and the episode "The Farmer Had a Wife," which features Ann as an informant who triggers a murder investigation.

At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terence takes note of the 70th anniversary of The Bob Cummings Show, which we know from Hal Horn as Love That Bob. You'll pardon me if I still have difficulty accepting that some of my favorite shows are that old, because it means I'm getting close to being that old myself.

Those Were the Days takes a look back at the career of character actor Hal Smith, whom we probably know best as Otis, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show. It shouldn't surprise us that his body of work encompassed many more roles in television, the movies, and voice work.

It's quite possible that you only remember Betty Furness as the commercial spokeswoman for Westinghouse on Studio One, but as Travalanche reminds us, she had a very successful career in movies and television, and did a stint as LBJ's Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs.

At The View from the Junkyard, Roger takes on "House of Cards," the second episode of The New Avengers, in which we find Steed in a precarious position, with Purdy needing to stay one step ahead in order to save him.

Finally, it's impossible not to think about the fires currently ravaging the Los Angeles area. I don't know how many of our readers are affected by them, but it warrents a moment or two of consideration. The losses suffered by these poor people is unimaginable—and yes, while it's true that many of them are wealthy, many of them aren't, and most of them have lost everything they have; in a few cases, even their lives. There's every reason to believe that certain officials and their policies bear a responsibility for what is happening, but there's not much most of us can do about that. What we can do, and should do, is pray for the safety of all concerned, and that the fires will be brought under control. It might also be a good idea for us all to take a moment and be grateful for our blessings, for the fact that our lives, regardless of whatever challenges we face, might not be so bad after all. TV