‘The Key to Rebecca’ (1985): Intrigue & suspense powers indie spy miniseries

Not-bad-at-all mid-80s indie miniseries, based on the international bestseller.

Continue reading “‘The Key to Rebecca’ (1985): Intrigue & suspense powers indie spy miniseries”

‘The Powers of Matthew Star’: A cute sci-fi/fantasy diversion

Enjoyably simple and light early 80s fantasy sci-fi fluff. It could have been better, but staggering competition at the other networks spelled low ratings and a mid-season thematic shift likely left casual viewers confused, leading to its first season also being its last. Continue reading “‘The Powers of Matthew Star’: A cute sci-fi/fantasy diversion”

‘The Love Boat’ (Season 4): 1980-81 docks highest-rated season

Welcome to the fourth DVD voyage of The Love Boat’s Pacific Princess, where the hook-ups are plentiful and the penicillin shots are always free! Continue reading “‘The Love Boat’ (Season 4): 1980-81 docks highest-rated season”

‘I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later’ (1985): 60s sitcom makes 80s appearance

Funny actor Bill Daily passed away in 2018. Pulling the rare trick of appearing in two iconic TV comedies–I Dream of Jeannie and The Bob Newhart Show–Daily was one of those actors lovers of vintage television took to their hearts like a cherished friend. In that spirit, let’s look at one of his later outings: I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later. Continue reading “‘I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later’ (1985): 60s sitcom makes 80s appearance”

‘The Jeffersons’: Norman Lear sitcom disrespected, but we love it!

The strangest thing: my younger kids think television coming over our old aerial—complete with commercials and limited choice of channels—is the coolest thing now (high tech burnout was inevitable). And one of their favorite digital channels is our local MeTV outlet, with its old timey sched of classic television fare (yes, they have taste, but of course, I’m shilling for a potential job offer, too…). So the upcoming “Summer of Me” programming change this Monday should be a lot of fun for them—and for you, too, particularly since The Jeffersons will be movin’ on up into the primo 6:30pm (Eastern) timeslot (now you don’t have to watch the fake news!). Continue reading “‘The Jeffersons’: Norman Lear sitcom disrespected, but we love it!”

‘The Transformers’ (Season 1): More than meets the eye

You thought it was a giant toy commercial, and it was. But there was more than meets the eye…especially if you were in the target audience. Continue reading “‘The Transformers’ (Season 1): More than meets the eye”

‘The Yellow Rose’: Primetime soap could have been a contender

All that talk in 2018 about the 40th anniversary of Dallas’s debut got me thinking about one of the many pretenders to its prime time network soap opera throne—NBC’s The Yellow Rose—right around the time I saw that actress Susan Anspach had passed away. She was quite good in this expensive, all-star outing from NBC, so in memory of Miss Anspach, let’s look back at The Yellow Rose. Continue reading “‘The Yellow Rose’: Primetime soap could have been a contender”

‘Crossbow’ (Season 1): William Tell legend comes to life

Sharply plotted, exciting and serialized(!) – exactly what you don’t expect from a throwback ’80s syndicated adventure series. Continue reading “‘Crossbow’ (Season 1): William Tell legend comes to life”