Great Moments In Television History #22: Steve Martin’s Saturday Night Live Holiday Wish

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

As Lisa already posted, today is Steve Martin’s birthday.

I think everyone who loves comedy has a favorite Steve Martin moment. A lot of people would cite his performance of King Tut on Saturday Night Live or maybe one of the many skits where he played a wild and crazy guy with Dan Aykroyd. Other remember him as The Jerk or playing Cyrano in Roxanne. I’ve always liked his performance in Bowfinger, in which both he and Eddie Murphy were in top form.

However, if I had to pick my favorite Steve Martin moment, it would be his holiday wish from SNL‘s Christmas ’86 episode. Even though it’s rare that anyone has anything nice to say about Saturday Night Live’s 1986 season, Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish is such a classic that it’s been included in almost every SNL holiday special since it originally aired. Is it too early to share a Christmas wish list? Not when Steve Martin is the one doing the wishing and it’s a great moment in television history!

Previous Moments In Television History:

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 8/7/22 — 8/13/22

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Being up at the lake this week, I haven’t watched a lot but here’s a few thoughts nonetheless.

Allo Allo (Sunday Night, PBS)

Allo Allo was a bit weird this week and I think it’s because Sunday’s episode was the first episode of the show’s final season. Watching it, it was pretty obvious that the show’s writers and directors had run out of new ways to hide the painting and, for the first time, the show felt like it was kind of going through the motions. Apparently, the show’s star, Gorden Kaye, was in a very serious car accident before the 9th series was filmed and, when the episode started with Rene’s traditional recap, I couldn’t help but notice the very prominent scar on his forehead.

As for the episode, everyone in Nouvion knows that the Allies will be invading at any minute. The Resistance is awaiting liberation. The Germans are making plans to flee. (And, because Richard Gibson declined to return to the role, Herr Flick has had plastic surgery.) Officer Crabtree still cannot speak French. And Rene has been abducted by the communist resistance.

The Bachelorette (Monday Night, ABC)

The dates in Bruges were wonderfully romantic and I loved the fireworks display that ended Aven and Rachel’s date. But then it was time for the Rose Ceremony and …. Boooooo! Meatball did not get a rose. I’m over this season.

Better Call Saul (Monday Night, AMC)

This week, Bob Odenkirk and Carol Burnett proved themselves to be dramatic powerhouses. With Kim telling Jimmy to turn himself in and Howard’s wife now having the true details of Howard’s downfall, it’s slightly frightening to think of where this is all going to end up leading. There’s only one episode left and I’ve pretty much given up on Jimmy/Saul/Gene getting a happy ending out of this.

Big Brother (All Week, CBS and Paramount+)

Seeing Daniel, one of the most annoying houseguests in the history of the show, get voted out really made my week. For those of us who are still angry over the way the show catered to bullies like Paul during season 19 and Jackson during season 21, this latest season of Big Brother has been cathartic. I’ve actually been enjoying writing about it over at the Big Brother Blog.

The Challenge (Wednesday Night, CBS)

Derek X. became the latest cast member of Big Brother 23 to get eliminated from the show. For all the talk about how strong the cast of Big Brother 23 was, they kind of suck at The Challenge.

Full House (Sunday Evening, MeTV)

The first episode featured Michelle graduating from preschool. Jesse took it upon himself to turn Michelle and her classmates into a band called …. I am not kidding — Jesse’s Little Rippers. They performed a horrific rendition of Twist and Shout. Could no one tell Jesse that not everything was about him and his lameass band? The second episode featured Aunt Becky discovering she was pregnant and worrying that this might make it difficult for Jesse to go on tour with the Rippers and …. well, I’m not going to repeat myself. Seriously, everyone deserved better.

Inspector Lewis (YouTube)

A gossip website led to multiple murders in Oxford. Lewis was stunned to discover the Internet could be such a dangerous place. Hathaway towered over everyone else on the show.

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butthead (Paramount Plus)

Beavis and Butthead nearly died twice in the latest episode of their show. First, they got trapped on a roof. Then they got trapped on a piece of wood that sailed out to sea. Actually, they were still stranded when the show ended so they might be dead now. That’d be a shame. They really don’t seem to mean as much harm as they cause.

Open All Hours (Sunday Night, PBS)

Granville painted something silly on the window of the shop so Arkwright beat him up in the stockroom. Then the milk delivery came by and Nurse Gladys Emmanuel pulled up in a hearse or something. I don’t know, it was a weird episode.

Two Looks at the Office: The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History by Andy Greene and Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office by Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The American version of The Office was so good that it has led to not one but two oral histories! And I’m such a fan that I’ve got both of them.

The first oral history that I read was Andy Greene’s The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s. First published in 2020, Greene’s book was full of interesting facts and anecdotes, though a careful reading revealed that a lot of the “oral” part of the oral history was lifted from old interviews, DVD commentaries, and an article that Greene had previously written. The book was notable for 1) establishing that Steve Carell is one of the nicest guys in show business, 2) putting the blame squarely on Jeff Zuker for Carell not returning after Season 7, and 3) getting some of the behind-the-scenes people to talk about why seasons 8 and, to a lesser extent, season 9 were so uneven.

The other oral history, which was published earlier this year, was Welcome to Dunder Mifflin. It was written by Brian Baumgartner (who played Kevin Malone on the show) and Ben Silverman, one of the show’s producers. Probably because Baumgartner and Silverman were both involved in the show, they apparently were able to get a lot more people to talk to them personally. Unlike Greene’s book, which relied heavily on previously published interviews, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin features recent interviews with people like Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Craig Robinson, Ed Helms, Amy Ryan and many others. In fact, nearly the entire cast seems to have been interviewed for Welcome to Dunder Mifflin. Presumably because their schedules wouldn’t allow it, neither BJ Novak or Mindy Kaling are interviewed and their absence is definitely felt. Also not interviewed is James Spader but that’s not really a surprise. (Spader played Robert California during the season of The Office that everyone seems to agree was the worst, Season 8.) While everyone in both of the oral histories is quick to compliment Spader as an actor and a person, there’s a general agreement that the show never figured out what to do with the Robert California character and that Spader’s vibe didn’t quite meld with the show. One gets the feeling that his time on The Office is something that Spader is more than happy to put behind him.

(Personally, of all the celebrities who were brought in to “interview” for the management position after Steve Carell left the show, I thought Ray Romano was the one who seemed like he would best fit in with the show’s ensemble. Then again, I always felt that the best solution would have been to cast some total unknown for as Michael’s replacement and then keep him off-screen as much as possible. But I’m getting distracted. Someday, I’ll post my big ‘What the Office Should Have Done’ screed. Of course, it’ll be like 20 years too late but whatever….)

The books are both full of love for The Office but they each take a somewhat different approach. The Untold Story takes a very structured and very chronological look at the show and focuses a lot on what went on behind the scenes, both on set and with the network. (If you didn’t already dislike Jeff Zucker, you will after reading Greene’s book.) Welcome to Dunder Mifflin takes a far looser approach to the material and focuses more on what it was like to be a part of television’s funniest ensemble. Welcome to Dunder Mifflin is full of interviews of people gushing about how much they loved working together and how proud they were to work on The Office and what’s interesting is that, even though you’re just reading their words on the printed page, you never doubt that they’re totally telling the truth. Perhaps because it was Baumgartner who was doing the interview, the cast seems to let down their guard in a way that you really don’t see very often when it comes to performers talking about their time on a classic show.

Welcome to Dunder Mifflin focuses on the positive aspects of being on the show. Whereas The Untold Story spends a lot of times on Seasons 8 and 9 and on the difficulty of integrating James Spader and Catherine Tate into the main cast, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin devotes only a few pages to those seasons and instead focuses on the Carell years. One thing that both of these oral histories have in common is that Steve Carell comes across as being the nicest guy who ever lived. How nice is Steve Carell? I’d rather live next door to him than Tom Hanks. Actually, I take that back. I would want Carell next door and Tom Hanks living across the street. It’s a big neighborhood.

Both of these oral histories nicely compliment each other. If you want a chronological history of the show, Greene’s book is for you. If you want a book that focuses on what it felt like to be a member of The Office crew, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin has you covered. I would recommend buying both and getting the full Office experience.

And remember, there’s no party like a Scranton party.

Book Review: “My Ox is Broken!” Roadblocks, Detours, Fast Forwards and Other Great Moments from Tv’s ‘the Amazing Race’ by Adam-Troy Castro

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I will be the first to admit that I probably watch too much reality television.

Of course, I will also defend myself by saying that I don’t watch as much as I used to. I limit myself now. The Bachelor, the Bachelorette, and Bachelor In Paradise are the only dating shows that I still watch and I have to admit that I find them less and less interesting with each passing season. (Some of that, to be honest, is because I cringe whenever I see people talking about the “Bachelor Nation.” Just because I watch the same show as you doesn’t mean that I want to come over to your house and watch you get drunk on box wine.) I still watch Survivor but I have yet to watch any episodes of the Hulu Kardashian show. The only reason that I recently watched Selling Sunset was because I was checking out the shows that had been submitted to the Emmys. I haven’t really been emotionally involved with Big Brother for a while now, though I do still write about it because I love my readers.

That said, I still absolutely love The Amazing Race and I make no apologies for that.

The premise behind The Amazing Race has always been a simple one. Teams of two are sent on a race around the world. During each leg of the race, they have to complete tasks before they can continue on their journey. At the end of each leg is a pit stop. Finish first and you’ll get a prize. Finish last and you’ll probably be eliminated from the race. Each season has featured little tweaks to the formula but the basics have always remained the same, which is one reason why The Amazing Race‘s fans have remained loyal to it for over 22 years.

What is the appeal of The Amazing Race? It’s more than just seeing who wins and who loses. It’s seeing how the teams, who always start out very confident, handle being outside of their comfort zone. I’ve lost track of how many athletic, cocky teams were eliminated from the race because they failed to properly communicate with their taxi driver. How many teams have gone from being in first place to being dead last just because their flight was delayed? The most recent season of the Amazing Race was actually put on hold due to COVID quarantines. Filming stopped in 2020 and then resumed over a year later, with the remaining teams returning to their last pit stop. The Amazing Race is unpredictable and it takes exactly the right mix of athleticism, intelligence, confidence, and luck to survive it. The Amazing Race is about skill and communicating and seeing the world and I absolutely love it. A good deal of the Race’s popularity is also due to host Phil Keoghan, who actually seems to be sincerely invested in the racers and their journey. That’s quiet a contrast to most reality competition hosts. Just as snarky Jeff Probst was the perfect host for Survivor (or, at least, he was before he decided to get all weepy and sincere these past few seasons), Phil Keoghan is the perfect host for The Amazing Race.

My Ox is Broken! is a perfect companion to The Amazing Race. Admittedly, the book was published in 2006 and, as a result, it only covers the first 9 seasons of the Race. But those were some truly great seasons and reading the book today is a wonderful way to relive the excitement of Rob and Amber going from dominating Survivor to nearly winning The Amazing Race, Colin and Christie narrowly losing the fifth season, and the dysfunctional couples who made up the sixth season. Author Adam-Troy Castro takes a look at everything that made those first 9 seasons so much fun and he’s also honest about the show’s occasional missteps. Full of recaps, interviews, and lists (you know how much I love lists!), this book is an essential for anyone who loves the Race.

Homicide: The Movie (2001, directed by Jean de Segoznac)

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

Before The Wire, there was Homicide: Life On The Streets.

Based on a non-fiction book by the Baltimore Sun’s David Simon, Homicide: Life on the Streets aired for seven seasons on NBC, from 1993 to 1999. For five of those seasons, Homicide was the best show on television. Produced and occasionally directed by Barry Levinson, Homicide was filmed on location in Baltimore and it followed a group of Homicide detectives as they went about their job. From the start, the show had a strong and diverse ensemble, made up of actors like Andre Braugher, Ned Beatty, Jon Polito, Melissa Leo, Kyle Secor, Clark Johnson, Richard Belzer, Daniel Baldwin, and Yaphet Kotto. When Polito’s character committed suicide at the start of the third season (in a storyline that few other shows would have had the courage to try), he was replaced in the squad by Reed Diamond.

Homicide was a show that was willing to challenge the assumptions of its audiences. The murders were not always solved. The detectives didn’t always get along. Some of them, like Clark Johnson’s Meldrick Lewis, had such bad luck at their job that it was cause for alarm whenever they picked up the ringing phone. As played by Andre Braugher, Frank Pembleton may have been the most brilliant detective in Baltimore but his brilliance came with a price and his non-stop intensity even led to him having a stroke while interrogating a prisoner. Kyle Secor played Pembleton’s partner, Tim Bayliss. Bayliss went from being an idealistic rookie to a mentally unstable veteran murder cop in record time, spending seven seasons obsessing on his first unsolved case. Homicide dealt with big issues and, much like its spiritual successor The Wire, it refused to offer up easy solutions.

Despite the critical acclaim and a much hyped second season appearance by Robin Williams (playing a father who was outraged to hear the detectives joking about the murder of his family), Homicide was never a ratings success. After five seasons of perennially being on the verge of cancellation, the producers of Homicide finally caved into NBC’s demands. The storylines became more soapy and the cases went form being random and tragic to being what the detectives had previously dismissively called “stone cold whodunits.” New detectives joined the squad and the focus shifted away from the more complex veterans. Not only did this not improve ratings but also those who had been watching the show from the start were not happy to see Pembleton and Bayliss being pushed to the side for new characters like Paul Falsone (Jon Seda) and Laura Ballard (Callie Thorne). Falsone, in particular, was so disliked that there was even an “I Hate Falsone” website. At the end of the sixth season, Andre Braugher left the show and that was the end. The seventh season limped along, with Bayliss growing increasingly unstable. The show ended with the implication of Bayliss turning into a vigilante and resigning from the Baltimore PD. It was not a satisfying ending. Richard Belzer’s John Munch moved to New York and became a regular on Law & Order: SVU but the rest of the detectives and their fates were left in limbo.

Fortunately, on February 13th, 2000, NBC gave Homicide another chance to have a proper conclusion with Homicide: The Movie.

Homicide: The Movie opens with a montage of Baltimore at its best and its worst, a reminder that Homicide never abandoned the city that had supported it for seven years. While other shows recreated New York or Chicago on a soundstage, Homicide was always an authentic product of Baltimore. Lt. Al Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) is now running for mayor on a platform calling for drug legalization. When Giardello is shot at a campaign stop, all of the current and former members of the Homicide Unit come together to investigate the case. While Giardello fights for his life, Pembleton and Bayliss partner up for one final time.

Homicide: The Movie fixes the main mistake that was made by the final two seasons of the show. Though all of the detectives get their moment in the spotlight (and all true Homicide fans will be happy to see Richard Belzer and Ned Beatty acting opposite each other for one final time), the focus is firmly on Pembleton and Bayliss. It doesn’t take long for these two former detectives, both of whom left the unit for their own different reasons, to start picking up on each other’s rhythms. Soon, they’re talking, arguing, and sometimes joking as if absolutely no time has passed since they were last partnered up together. But, one thing has changed. Bayliss now has a secret and if anyone can figure it out, it will be Frank Pembleton. What will Pembleton, the moral crusader, do when he finds out that Bayliss is now a killer himself?

The movie follows the detectives as they search for clues, interview suspects, and complain about the state of the world. However, in the best Homicide tradition, the investigation is just a launching point to investigate what it means to be right or wrong in a city as troubled as Baltimore. In the movie’s final half, it becomes more than just a reunion movie of a show that had a small but fervent group of fans. It becomes an extended debate about guilt, morality, and what it means to take responsibility for one’s actions. The final few scenes even take on the supernatural, allowing Jon Polito and Daniel Baldwin a chance to appear in the reunion despite the previous deaths of their characters.

Despite being one the best shows in the history of television, Homicide: Life on the Streets is not currently streaming anywhere, not even on Peacock. (Considering how many Homicide people later went on to work on both Oz and The Wire, it would seem like it should be a natural fit for HBOMax.) From what I understand, this is because of the show’s signature use of popular music would make it prohibitively expensive to pay for the streaming rights. Fortunately, every season has been released on home video. Homicide: The Movie is on YouTube, with the music removed. The movie’s final montage is actually more effective when viewed in complete silence.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 7/31/22 — 8/6/22

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yes, I watched a lot of old TV shows this week. I was doing some work around the office and the retro channels always seem to keep me focused.

Here are this week’s thoughts on what I saw!

Allo Allo (Sunday Night, PBS)

Fortunately, the attempted execution of Rene and Edith failed and they were safely returned to Nouvion. Unfortunately, before they got back to their café, the Resistance attempted to run the business and thoroughly screwed things up. Meanwhile, realizing that the war not going particularly well for them, the German occupiers made plans to leave France and perhaps relocate some place with a warmer climate. While all of this went on, Officer Crabtree continued to wish everyone a “Good Moaning,” because Officer Crabtree was a professional.

The Bachelorette (Monday Night, ABC)

This week’s episode was extremely awkward to watch, with Rachel feeling insecure when compared to Gabby and the bachelors themselves not being particularly sensitive about the situation, but at least Meatball was given a second chance. Seriously, this entire franchise will be redeemed if Rachel ends up getting engaged, even if it’s just temporarily, to Meatball.

Better Call Saul (Monday Night, AMC)

I am so worried about what’s going to happen to Jimmy/Saul/Gene! During this week’s episode, we flashed back to Saul first meeting Walt and Jesse and then we flash forwarded to Gene treating Buddy and Jeff in much the same way that Walt used to treat Jesse. Especially after Gene’s phone call to Kim, I’m starting to worry that Gene is becoming just as self-destructive as Walt was at the end of Breaking Bad. Considering that there’s only a few episodes left before this show ends, that’s not a good development for those of us who are hoping that Jimmy/Saul/Gene gets some sort of a happy ending.

Big Brother 24 (Everyday, CBS and Paramount+)

I’m writing about the latest, surprisingly entertaining season of Big Brother at the Big Brother Blog! This week, Nicole was voted out and proved to be as delusional on her way out and she was on her way in. Even after Julie Chen explained to her why she had been targeted and voted out, Nicole still didn’t get it.

The Challenge (Wednesday Night, CBS)

This week, yet another former member of Big Brother 23‘s Cookout was eliminated. Azah is out of the game, leaving Kyland as the last member of the Cookout standing. Considering what happened when Kyland was voted out of the Big Brother House, it somehow seems cosmically appropriate that he’s managed to survive the Challenge while the other members of his former alliance have been eliminated. That said, I hope Derek X. wins the show.

CHiPs (Weekday Afternoons, Charge TV)

I watched two episodes of this 70s motorcycle cop show on Monday. Both episodes were pretty much the same. There was a big accident on the freeway. There was a lot of motorcycle cop action. There was some pretty California scenery. The bass-driven theme song is the main thing that I remember about the two episodes. The show was bland but the music was great.

Diff’Rent Strokes (Weekday Afternoons, Rewind TV)

Diff’Rent Strokes is one of those old sitcoms that I’ve heard a lot about but I’ve never really watched, just because everything I’ve ever heard about it just made it sound like a pretty stupid viewing experience. That said, I did need some background noise on Monday so, when I saw that the show was now on Rewind TV, I decided to catch two episodes.

In the first episode, old Mr. Drummond attempted to go camping with his new stepson but things got complicated when his stepson’s biological father also decided to tag along. In the second episode, Mr. Drummond decided to do the Undercover Boss thing by working in one of his factories. He discovered that he wasn’t popular with his workers and that he needed to pay them more. Surprisingly, no one saw through his disguise, despite the fact that it only consisted of a fake mustache that didn’t even match his hair color. It was all pretty dumb. For a rich man, Mr. Drummond lived in a really boring penthouse. Like seriously, if you’re that rich, update your décor.

Family Ties (Weekday Afternoons, Rewind TV)

I used two episodes of this very 80s sitcom for background noise on Monday. On the first episode, Elyse (the mother of the family at the center of the show) was struggling with her conscience about whether or not she should fire a recently divorced but extremely annoying employee. It was kind of obvious that Elyse needed to fire her but Elysa was a former hippie and, as a result, had no idea how to wield authority. On the second episode, an impossibly young Michael J. Fox had to babysit his bratty younger sister. He took her to a poker game. She got annoyed with being treated like an afterthought and wandered off. Luckily, everything worked out in the end and lessons were learned all around.

Fantasy Island (Monday Morning, GetTV)

I watched two episodes of the original Fantasy Island on Monday morning but I have to admit that I was half-asleep during both of them.

The first episode featured two fantasies. In the serious fantasy, a jazz trumpeter went back in time to New Orleans so that he could play with his idols. In the comedic fantasy, a woman and the two men who were in love with her got stranded on an island in the Bermuda Triangle. The goofier of the two men was played by football player Joe Namath. His performance here was better than his performance in C.C. and Company but not by much.

In the second episode, the main fantasy dealt with a private detective who wanted to solve a case with Humphrey Bogart. The guy playing Bogart did a passable imitation. The other fantasy featured Michelle Phillips as a woman who wanted to be “the most famous equestrian in history.” She thought this would mean that she would be famous but instead, the Island took her words literally and she was transformed into Lady Godiva. First off, why did the island take her words literally when it didn’t do that for anyone else? And secondly, is Lady Godiva really the most famous equestrian in history? Oh well, the important thing is that everyone learned a lesson.

Full House (Sunday Evening, MeTV)

I watched two episodes of this show on Sunday and I’m sure I lost at least two brain cells as a result. The first episode featured Uncle Joey auditioning to be the voice of a cartoon chipmunk or something like that. Frankie Avalon was the episode’s special guest star. Remember Frankie’s cameo in Casino? “I have 8 children. It was my pleasure.” This was followed by an episode in which Aunt Becky told Danny that DJ was sneaking out of the house to hook up with her boyfriend. DJ got mad and said, “I thought you were my friend!” Poor DJ. I don’t blame her for wanting to escape the Full House.

Ghost Whisperer (Weekday Mornings, Start TV)

I watched an episode on Monday. Melinda was (understandably) concerned that Aiden was now seeing and talking to ghosts. When the ghost of a girl who had recently died of Leukemia insisted on taking Aiden on a journey through town, Melinda had to track them down and find out what the girl wanted. Fortunately, since this was Ghost Whisperer and not Medium, things worked themselves out.

Hart to Hart (Monday Morning, GetTV)

In this very 80s detective show, a fabulously rich married couple (played by Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers) traveled the world, spent a lot of money, and occasionally solved mysteries. Their loyal chauffer was Max, played by the gravelly voiced Lionel Stander.

I watched two episodes of Monday morning. In the first episode, the Harts were taking part in a car race in Greece. A Greek tycoon wanted to kill off Jonathan Hart so that he could take over Jonathan Hart Industries. Fortunately, he didn’t succeed. If he had, I imagine they would have had to change the title of the show. The second episode featured a mysterious woman who claimed to Jennifer Hart’s half-sister. Needless to say, Jonathan did some investigating and it turned out that there was more to the story.

Anyway, the two episodes that I saw were kind of dull plotwise but I did enjoy the show’s shameless celebration of money and glamour. It was all very 80s.

Inspector Lewis (YouTube)

I watched an episode with my TV Mysteries friends on Tuesday night. A buried body was discovered. Hathaway and Lewis investigated. Lewis was in a notably cranky mood in this episode and even dismissively referred to one woman as being “Miss Marple.” My theory is that Lewis had a drinking problem. Usually, Hathaway was able to cover for him but this week, Lewis just lost control.

King of the Hill (Hubi)

Early Friday morning, I watched the episode in which Hank and his undefeated softball team took an exhibition game against the Ace of Diamonds and His Jewels just a bit too seriously. “Believe to achieve.”

Kojak (Monday Morning, GetTV)

Kojak is a show from the 70s, about a bald homicide detective who calls people baby and who sucks on lollipops. Kojak was played by Telly Savalas, who was also Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and the Devil in Lisa and the Devil.

The episode that I watched on Monday morning was the first episode that I had ever actually seen of this show, though I had read about it in the past. In this episode, Ruth Gordon played a psychic who had been having dreams in which she saw women being murdered. Luckily, Kojak was there to eventually capture the killer. Neither Gordon nor Savalas were particularly subtle performers and, in this episode, they both seemed to enjoy competing to see who could best steal every scene that they shared. Add to that, the killer was played by Andy Robinson, who also played Scorpio in Dirty Harry. It was kind of entertaining to watch.

Magnum P.I. (Weekday Mornings, Charge TV)

On Monday, I watched an episode of the original 80s Magnum, P.I. Magnum’s friend T.C. was in a coma. Magnum had to figure out why T.C.’s helicopter crashed. Luckily, the mystery was solved and everyone survived. The Hawaiian scenery was lovely.

Medium (Weekday Morning, Start TV)

On Monday’s episode, Allison had a dream about a courtroom shooting and also discovered that she wasn’t the only psychic offering up her abilities to the legal system.

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head (Paramount+)

I watched the first two episodes of this show on Thursday night, immediately after the Nicole eviction on Big Brother. I laughed and I cringed. Beavis and Butt-Head don’t look like they use deodorant so that worries me. You can read Jeff’s review of the show here!

Open All Hours (Sunday Night, PBS)

It’s been a few months since I last watched Open All Hours. I checked it out this week. Arkwright was cheating his customers and Granville was consumed with resentment.

Traffik (DVD)

I watched Traffik on Wednesday and Thursday and I wrote about it here.

Miniseries Review: Traffik (dir by Alistair Reid)

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

First aired in 1989 and running a total of six episodes, Traffik is a British miniseries that takes a look at the War on Drugs.

British minister Jack Lithgow (Bill Paterson) has negotiated a treaty with Pakistan. The UK will send increased aide to Pakistan if the government will crack down on the heroin trade. In theory, it sounds like a good idea. Pakistan will get extra cash while joining the effort to stop the flow of heroin into Europe. In reality, it harms the poor farmers in Pakistan. After soldiers destroy his village’s poppy fields, Fazal (Jamal Shah) is left with no way to support his family. He travels to the city, where he gets a job with drug lord Tariq Butt (Talat Hussain). It’s a job that Fazal has to take in order to feed his family but it’s also a job that puts his family’s safety at risk.

After the heroin in processed in Pakistan, it is smuggled into Europe by men like Karl Rosshalde (Juraj Kukura), a German businessman whose company is a front for his operations. When two German police detectives (Fritz Müller-Scherz and Tilo Prückner) arrest Jacques (Peter Lakenmacher), one of Karl’s couriers, it looks like Karl might finally being going to prison. However, Karl’s British wife, Helen (Lindsay Duncan), proves herself to be just a ruthless as he was when it comes to running his operations.

Even with Karl on trial, the drug trade continues. The heroin that is processed in Pakistan and smuggled through Germany eventually ends up in the UK, where it is used to by Caroline (a very young Julia Ormond), the teenage daughter of Jack Lithgow. When Caroline runs away from home, Jack searches the streets and back alleys of London and, for the first time, he starts to understand the futility of Europe’s war on drugs.

If Traffik sounds familiar, that’s because it served as the basis for Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 film, Traffic. When I watched Traffik this week, I was actually surprised to see how closely Soderbergh’s film stuck to the plot of the miniseries. The only difference, beyond shifting the action from Europe to North America, is that Soderbergh replaced the farmer’s storyline with a story involving Benicio del Toro as a Mexican policeman. That’s a bit of shame, actually. Traffic is one of my favorite Soderbergh films but it is a bit cop-heavy. The people who actually do the day-to-day work in the drug trade, as opposed to the drug lords, aren’t really represented in Soderbergh’s film. As the British miniseries shows, people like Fazal end up working in the drug trade not because they’re evil but because they literally have no other choice. It’s either work for someone like Tariq or starve to death.

As I mentioned earlier, Traffic is one of my favorite Soderbergh films. Considering that I usually find Soderbergh’s films to be hit-or-miss, it’s actually kind of remarkable just how effective Traffic is. The original miniseries, however, is superior to the film in every way. Some of that is because the miniseries has six hours to explore its world whereas Soderbergh had to cram a lot of incidents into 147 minutes. Beyond that, the miniseries succeeds because director Alistair Reid takes a straight-foward, no frills approach to telling his story. Even at his best, Soderbergh has a tendency to be a bit pretentious. Even though Traffic deals with real-life issues, it never allows you to forget that you’re watching a film. Traffik, on the other hand, tells its story with an almost documentary-style immediacy. One need only compare the scenes where Bill Paterson searches for Julia Ormond in Traffik to the scenes where Michael Douglas searches for Erika Christensen in Traffic to see not only the differences between Reid and Soderbergh’s style but also to see why Reid’s more gritty style works better for the story that’s being told. Whereas Soderbergh can’t resist framing Christensen with a blonde halo when she’s finally rescued by Douglas, Traffik leaves little doubt that Ormond has been through Hell and that, even if she does eventually beat her addictions, she’ll be carrying the scars of her experience for the rest of her life. Whereas Traffic ended on a note of hope, Traffik ends with the realization that there is no perfect solution.

Traffic and Traffik are both good looks at the destructiveness of both drug abuse and the efforts to treat drug addiction as a crime. Both are worth watching.

The Boys are Back In Town: Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head Episodes 1 & 2

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Jedadiah Leland

Having done both America and the universe, Beavis and Butt-Head are back where they belong!

I just watched the first two episodes of Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head on Paramount+. The boys are once again spending their days sitting on the couch and watching videos. They’ve got a flat screen now and, like the rest of the world, they’ve abandoned MTV for TikTok and YouTube. Judging by these two episode, they’re a little smarter now than they were during their original run. Butt-Head can now read (if he puts some effort into it) and Beavis knows how to use a drill. Of course, smart is a relative term when it comes to Beavis and Butt-Head. They haven’t changed that much. They’re still getting trapped in boxes and they still can’t score. Beavis still loves fire but, as he discovers during the first episode, Fire can be a tough taskmaster.

Beavis and Butt-Had aren’t the only ones to return. Mr. Van Driessen and Mr. Anderson return in the second episode. Mr. Van Driessen tells the boys that people will buy fresh honey. Mr. Anderson tries to warn the boys about a giant wasp’s nest. You see where it’s going but it doesn’t make it any less funny. Unfortunately, Stewart hasn’t returned yet. Is he still wearing his Winger t-shirt in 2022?

Each episode features two separate stories, along with cut-away scenes of Beavis and Butt-Head watching and commenting on videos. The first episode started with Beavis and Butt-Head wrecking havoc at an escape room and it ended with Beavis talking to a dumpster fire. The Escape Room story wasn’t anything special but it did serve to reintroduce Beavis and Butt-Head so it served its purpose. The Dumpster Fire segment was better and it featured a rare solo turn for Beavis. I loved that Fire’s instructions to Beavis were not what you would expect. Get some exercise. Recycle. Think about college. Fire cares!

The first episode was all about reintroducing Beavis and Butt-Head but the second episode showed the series settling into its groove. The first story featured Beavis and Butt-Head getting trapped in a box. Beavis, always the optimist, thought that maybe they should just get used to living in the box and that maybe some chicks would show up. When they realized they were running out of air, Butt-Head started taking deep breaths to try to get as much of the air as possible before Beavis could get it. The second story was a stone cold Beavis and Butt-Head classic, featuring farmer’s markets, wasps, shampoo, and of course, Mr. Van Driessen and Mr. Anderson. Everyone knows that Beavis and Butt-Head never score and never will score. The second episode reminded us that Mr. Van Driessen never score either and it’s usually Beavis and Butt-Head’s fault. After years of being humiliated and often grievously injured by Beavis and Butt-Head, Mr. Van Driessen still hasn’t given up on them. Maybe he should.

Of the videos that the boys critiqued, the highlight was Beavis revealing his love for BTS but I also liked their commentary on a creepy Cale Dobbs video. Their TikTok commentaries seem like they’ll be more uneven but I did enjoy their reaction to the man explaining how to do a prison tattoo. That will be a good skill to have when the boys inevitably end up in prison.

The most important thing about, though, is that Beavis and Butt-Head are back! Just in time, too. The world is finally stupid enough to benefit from their insight.

Here’s The Trailer For Cars On The Road

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Cars is the only PIXAR franchise that has never made me cry. This is largely because it’s about talking cars. It’s easy for me to get emotionally worked up over toys fearing that they’ll be forgotten or WALL-E losing its personality and returning to collecting trash. Don’t even get me started on some of the emotional trauma that I suffered from UP and Inside Out. But Cars …. I mean, I know that cars don’t talk to each other so it’s difficult for me to get too emotionally involved in their issues. In PIXAR’s defense, though, the Cars films have always been pretty honest about the fact that they’re just meant to be silly fun. No one is going to mistake Cars for Toy Story but then again, PIXAR has never asked anyone to.

Cars on the Road is the latest entry in the franchise. This original series will be premiering on Disney Plus on September 8th. Here’s the trailer:

Here’s The Trailer for Star Wars: Andor

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The upcoming Disney+ original series, Star Wars: Andor, is a prequel to Rogue One, which was itself the fourth prequel to Star Wars: A New Hope. If Andor is a success, I’m sure it will lead to another prequel and then a prequel to that and then a prequel to that and eventually, we’ll have a Star Wars series that takes place right before the Big Bang.

(As you may have guessed from the tone of that last paragraph, I’m a bit skeptical of prequels in general. It’s rare that they’re ever worth the trouble. Better Call Saul is really the only prequel that I can I think of that actually enriches the experience of watching the show from which it was spun off.)

Anyway, Star Wars: Andor will be available to stream on September 21st. Here’s the trailer: