Classic TV fans will no doubt want to cut a slice of birthday cake today for Stephen J. Cannell, the prolific creator of such muscular, iconic tube fare as The Rockford Files, Baretta, Baa Baa Black Sheep, The A-Team, Riptide, and 21 Jump Street. For a birthday treat, let’s look at the first season of Cannell’s critically acclaimed cop/mob series, Wiseguy.
Continue reading ‘Wiseguy’ (Season 1): Stephen J. Cannell gets edgy, serious, & serializedTag Archives: Paul Mavis
‘Payback’ (1997): Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner reunite
Good ‘ol Mare. I had to poke around all the way up into the 1990s to find a TV movie where Mary Tyler Moore is menaced (apparently she was too good to do cheap actioners during her series’ heyday…): ABC’s Payback, from 1997, with Fredric Lehne, Adam Scott, and guess who? ‘Ol Lou Grant!
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‘Night Terror’ (1977): Valerie Harper shifts gears in tense suspenser
Next up on our hit list is Rhoda! Now, you can find Valerie Harper’s 1977 NBC made-for-TV movie, Night Terror, for sale on various public domain discs, but make sure you type in Night Drive, because somehow, somewhere, this spiffy, creepy little actioner was re-titled. Or, snag a copy of the 2021 Blu-ray release from Scorpion Releasing and Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
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Killing the ladies of ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’
You like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, right?
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‘It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!’ (2012): Modern holiday special is a hit!
Classic stop-motion Christmas fun, SpongeBob-style!
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‘Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever’ (2014): Crappy Lifetime movie still making the rounds
Hey, who doesn’t like their Lifetime Christmas cat movies with child rape jokes thrown in?!
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‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’ (2006): Nominee for worst-ever Christmas movie
During this Christmas season, if you want your child to believe that the world is coming to an end from greed and indifference, and for him or her (or god forbid “ze” or “hir”) to think that Santa is an aggressive, violent, psychotic rageaholic with possible suicidal tendencies…then by all means, give them the gift of love and put 2006’s made-for-cable movie The Year Without a Santa Claus under the tree: certainly in the running for the worst Christmas movie ever made.
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‘Peyton Place’ (Part 1): A look back at Shout!’s glorious DVD experiment
“Peyton Place is more complicated than you think.”
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‘Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.’ (Season 1): R.I.P. Jim Nabors
2017 continues to be a terrible year for vintage TV lovers: talented comedian and singer Jim Nabors died today at the age of 87. In honor of this iconic performer, we here at Drunk TV look back at the first season of his beloved 1960s sitcom, Gomer Pyle.
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‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ (1973): A fun warm-up to better Peanuts specials
In the Midwest, the chilly arrival of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas creates the perfect environment to draw the drapes and hunker down to watch some television.
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‘The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn’t’ (1972): The forgotten tradition of holiday specials
Since you’re not watching the NFL this Thanksgiving…how about some vintage Hanna-Barbera holiday fun?
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‘Magnum, P.I.’ (Season 5): Quintessential 80s detective show still delivers
Sad news: versatile character actor John Hillerman passed away the other day, so we thought we’d dig out a Magnum, P.I. season five review, featuring Hillerman in his most recognizable role as the indomitable Higgins.
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‘The Legend of Lizzie Borden’ (1975): Brilliant made-for-TV splatter shocker
Haunting, dreamy, crazy nightmare thrills. There’s a reason I and several million other people my age and older remember so well The Legend of Lizzie Borden, the 1975 ABC made-for-TV splatter shocker: it’s flat-out brilliant.
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‘The Possessed’ (1977): Pre-superstar Harrison Ford does TV horror
Not being able to decide whether or not I was going to catch the new Harrison Ford Blade Runner 2049 sci-fi opus this month (the original was such a revelatory experience for me when I saw it in a deserted theater back in ’82, I can’t help but feel I’m going to sully that memory in some weird way if I see this new one), I descended into my DVD dungeon and prowled through the catacombs for something equally Harrison Fordy, and re-discovered The Possessed.
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‘Dynasty’ (Season 1): A soap in search of a villain
As we await the CW’s way more Hispanic, way more gay Dynasty reboot this October, why don’t we go back to the all-white, just a tad gay original ABC primetime soap opera that debuted in 1981.
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‘Petrocelli’ (Season 2): The final courtroom battle
A continuance has been granted, pursuant to improved ratings, for Petrocelli’s second season. Too bad about Starsky and Hutch, though….
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‘Petrocelli’ (Season 1): From the big screen to weekly TV
Your Honor, now that the jury has seen the exhibits concerning Petrocelli’s inception—specifically the big-screen The Lawyer and the made-for-TV movie Night Games, let us proceed to Petrocelli’s first season.
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‘Night Games’ (1974): Petrocelli returns…on TV
In anticipation of reviewing the recent DVD release of the cult 70s TV courtroom mystery, Petrocelli, starring Vanishing Point’s Barry Newman, we thought we’d first look at the two movies that directly led to the creation of that fondly-remembered NBC series, this time with a look at the TV film, Night Games, from 1974.
Continue reading ‘Night Games’ (1974): Petrocelli returns…on TV
‘The Lawyer’ (1970): Petrocelli on the big screen
In anticipation of reviewing the recent DVD release of the cult 70s TV courtroom mystery, Petrocelli, starring Vanishing Point’s Barry Newman, we thought we’d first look at the two movies that directly led to the creation of that fondly-remembered NBC series, beginning with director Sidney J. Furie’s big-screen The Lawyer, from 1970.
Continue reading ‘The Lawyer’ (1970): Petrocelli on the big screen
‘The Love Boat’ (Season 3): Everything that’s great & terrible about escapist TV
Anchors aweigh and get another bottle of bleach: they don’t call it “The Love Boat” for nothing!
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