TV shows ... after the original run, etc.

[knightfan26917]

Have you become a fan of a TV show AFTER its original run?  Or, have you started watching a TV show after a few seasons have already been aired?

For me ... in some cases, I've missed TV shows because I watch something else in that time slot.  In others, it is because the show originally ran when I was "too young".  Most-recently it is because I'm tired of giving shows a chance only for them to quickly disappear, like ABC's "Eli Stone".


The newest "old" show I've started watching is former FOX staple "That '70s Show".  I started watching because reruns are on late weeknights here in Chicagoland AND seeing Kurtwood Smith (Red Foreman on "That '70s Show") on CBS' new comedy "Worst Week" as Dick Clayton.  Worst Weeks' Dick Clayton and That '70s Show's Red Foreman are similar and, imho, Smith is PERFECT for both roles.  The two characters are different, mainly because Red Foreman's humor is verbal; Dick Clayton's humor is visual.

I recently read that Chuck Norris was the actor who had been originally "envisioned" as Red Foreman.  Just think how different Red Foreman would've been with Chuck Norris as the actor behind that character....


The most-recent TV shows I started watching after a few seasons had been aired include ABC's "Boston Legal" (now gone, of course), CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and "Friday Night Lights" (close to the chopping block, but given a reprieve by DirectTV).



Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker ...RT 66 drive = Sept '09
WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"We'd drive around" ... Cheap Trick ... 'In The Street (That '70s Show)'

[Otto Puzzell]

I like a lot of the much older show on syndication networks. However, I grow weary of TV Land's relentless promotion of their 'reality' shows - the antithesis of why people watch their network in the first place.

The competing "Retro Network" runs The Rockford Files (often featuring Jim's Firebird chasing, or being chased by, Monte Carlos, BTW  ), Black Sheep Squadron, and other Stephen J. Cannell-produced shows. Shows for guys, by guys.

[ImpishGrin]

I've recently discovered 70s British criminal tv series, like The Sweeney or The Professionals. I was born a few years after those series finished, not to mention that we never got them in Poland. I must admit that my favourite part of those shows is watching all the cars on the streets as I'm an avid fan of british vehicles from the 50s, 60s and 70s. For that reason I also like the recent "Life on Mars" which is set in the 70s.

I have also recently started watching all the shows I remember from my childhood, like Miami Vice, Dempsey & Makepeace, Kojak. Back then I liked them but didn't understand all there was to them. Now it's like discovering a whole new world but with familiar parts.

[Ultra]

In the past two months I have torrented the following Cable shows in their entirety:

The Wire
Entourage
Big Love
Dexter
Six Feet Under
Top Gear
Oz
Deadwood
Sopranos
Weeds
True Blood

Those and movies have been where my entertainment hour has been spent of late.

[knightfan26917]

The competing "Retro Network" runs The Rockford Files (often featuring Jim's Firebird chasing, or being chased by, Monte Carlos, BTW  ),

*grins*

I know ... I love The Rockford Files!  Jim even drove a Monte Carlo a time or 2 as well .  he he



Now, I'm not the only one to watch a new TV show, see an actor or actress, and think, 'I remember that person on...' ... am I?

I had reduced my TV watching in the late-1990s because most shows I started watching from the beginning ... and liked ... found themselves on the chopping block very quickly.  Most recently, this happened to "Eli Stone" (featured Loretta Devine, "Boston Public"; Victor Garber, "Alias" and "Justice"; and Natasha Henstridge, "Commander In Chief") and "Pushing Daisies" (featured Chi McBride, "Boston Public", with the character crossing over to "The Practice" and "Boston Legal"; and Swoosie Kurtz, "Sisters").

But, since I hooked up my DTV converter box (received for Christmas), I've found myself watching MORE TV ... new AND older shows (mainly the older ones, though) because it is cool to see some actors and actresses "now" and "then" ... especially when actors/actresses are reunited, as was the case when Scott Bakula guest-starred on "Boston Legal".  Previously, he appeared on "Designing Women" and "Quantum Leap", but the appearance on "Boston Legal" re-united him with Candace Bergen; both were previously on "Murphy Brown".


Other "connecting the dots":

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" ... Dick Van Dyke also starred in "Diagnosis Murder"

"Mary Tyler Moore" ... featured several stars including Cloris Leachman ("Facts Of Life", "Dancing With The Stars", etc.) and Betty White ("Golden Girls", "Boston Legal", etc.)

"The Bob Newhart Show" ... which many years later provided the absolute BEST sitcom ending in history (imho, anyway) when "Newhart" ended with him waking up in "The Bob Newhart Show"....

"Cheers" ... Who can forget NORM!!!?  Also, Ted Danson (Sam) later starred in sitcoms on CBS ("Becker") and ABC.

"Frasier" ... "Cheers" spinoff, which included Jane Leeves (formerly of "Murphy Brown"), Jean Smart (formerly of "Designing Women", now on "Samantha Who?") and Felicity Huffman (formerly of "Sports Nite", now on "Desperate Housewives")

"Taxi" ... including Judd Hirsch (now on "NUMB3RS"), Danny DeVito (who's girlfriend became Carla on "Cheers"), Tony Danza (Tony Missele on "Who's The Boss" and also starred on "Family Law" opposite Dixie Carter, formerly of "Designing Women"), and, of course, Christopher Lloyd (who teamed with Michael J Fox on the "Back to the Future" movies...)

"Family Ties" ... 3 stars of which were on ABC shows in the last few years, Michael Gross and Michael J Fox guest-starring on "Boston Legal", Michael J Fox on "Spin City", and Justine Bateman on "Men In Trees"; Meredith Baxter-Birney guest-starred on "Cold Case" recently; and, of course, Courtney Cox moved from "Family Ties" to "Friends" ~5 years later

"Bensen" ... featured Rene Auberjonois, who was most-recently on "Boston Legal"

"Happy Days" ... Among others, Tom Bosley later starred in "Father Dowling Mysteries"....

Judi Dench ... BBC's "As Time Goes By" to the role of M in "007" movies.

Annie Potts ... CBS' "Designing Women" to ABC's "Dangerous Minds" to most-recently ABC's "Men In Trees".

Sally Field ... "Smokey and The Bandit" to ABC's "Brothers and Sisters"

Teri Hatcher ... ABC's "Lois and Clark" to ABC's "Desperate Housewives"

Peter MacNicol ... FOX's "Ally McBeal" to CBS' "NUMB3RS" to FOX's "24" back to "NUMB3RS"

Kyle Chandler ... CBS' "Early Edition" to ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" to NBC's "Friday Night Lights"

Connie Britton ... ABC's "Spin City" to FOX's "24" to NBC's "Friday Night Lights"

Tamara Tunie ... CBS' "As The World Turns" to ABC's "NYPD Blue" to FOX's "24" to NBC's "Law & Order: SVU"

Courtney Thorne-Smith ... NBC's "LA Law" to FOX's "Melrose Place" to FOX's "Ally McBeal" to ABC's "According To Jim"

Dennis Franz ... NBC's "Hill Street Blues" to ABC's "NYPD Blue"

Rob Morrow ... CBS' "Northern Exposure" to CBS' "NUMB3RS"

Kaley Cuoco ... ABC's "8 Simple Rules" to WB's "Charmed" to CBS' "The Big Bang Theory"

Christina Applegate ... FOX's "Married, With Children" to ABC's "Samantha Who?"



Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker ...W Grill meal = 02/28/09
WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"We can take anything that comes our way" ... BJ Thomas ... 'As Long As We Got Each Other (Growing Pains)'

[GRAYWOLF]

I recently picked up on Burn Notice on USA.

Deadwood is my all time favorite TV series. I wish HBO had continued with the final season to wrap up the show.

Another "connect the dots" tie for you:
The chick on "Numb3rs" was on "Sports Night"
The main character on "Six Feet Under" played an anchor on "Sports Night"

[knightfan26917]

Another "connect the dots" tie for you:
The chick on "Numb3rs" was on "Sports Night"
The main character on "Six Feet Under" played an anchor on "Sports Night"

Heh, did not know about the SFU connection, but the chick on NUMB3RS that was on "Sport Night" was only on the first season of NUMB3RS.  Diane Farr (sp?) replaced her in the second season, iirc.  And, now, Diane is gone, too....



Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker ...MidW Event = 04/04/09
WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"We missed a page or 2 somehow" ... Suzy Boggus ... 'Cinderella'

[GRAYWOLF]

Shows you how long it has been since I watched NUMB3RS....(that was Sabrina Lloyd)

Other Sports Night alum:
Joshua Malina was on both shows as well as West Wing with Jeff Mooring and Timothy Davis-Reed.
Of course Felicity Huffman moved on to desperate Housewives
Benson's Robert Guillaume.
Peter Krause was the SFU dude.

[knightfan26917]

Shows you how long it has been since I watched NUMB3RS....(that was Sabrina Lloyd)

Ah, yes, Sabrina!  I don't remember, though, how they explained her departure....

Other Sports Night alum:
Joshua Malina was on both shows as well as West Wing with Jeff Mooring and Timothy Davis-Reed.
Of course Felicity Huffman moved on to desperate Housewives
Benson's Robert Guillaume.
Peter Krause was the SFU dude.

Holy crap ... forgot about Robert G on SportsNight!  My goodness.....

Peter Krause was also on the now-defunct "Dirty Sexy Money".....



Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker ...MidW Event = 04/04/09
WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"Don't you remember?" ... Starship ... 'We Built This City'

[Boxer2500]

I completely missed the boat on The Sopranos while it was airing, but I torrented all six seasons last year. If there's a better TV show out there... I want to watch it. It's a commercialized TV drama, yet it has the "feel" of a good indie flick. Whatever that means.

The 1st season of Deadwood is on the to-do list as well.

[Ultra]

I completely missed the boat on The Sopranos while it was airing, but I torrented all six seasons last year. If there's a better TV show out there... I want to watch it. It's a commercialized TV drama, yet it has the "feel" of a good indie flick. Whatever that means.

The 1st season of Deadwood is on the to-do list as well.

Deadwood and The Wire are superb.

[@re]

I'm a big fan of 'Lost' myself. Season 1 - great, season 2 - still great, season 3 - downhill, season 4 - wonder where this is heading?, season 5 - back on track.

Loved the first season of 'Heroes'. It lost the plot completely, though, some time during season 2. Haven't had time to catch up on season 3 yet.

Top Gear is great. Clarkson can be a bit much, but Captain Slow is hilarious. Watching the latest season these days. Great fun.