What Was the Last Television Episode You Watched?

[Victoria Silverwolf]

We went to a library book sale that also had some CD's and DVD's. Very cheap stuff. Among the DVD's was one that had a one episode of The Jack Benny Hour and two episodes of the half-hour The Jack Benny Program.

Former was a variety show, with guests Bob Hope, Elke Sommer, the Beach Boys, and Walt Disney. Notable were a couple of skits. One combined popular TV shows of the time -- The Munsters, The Addams Family, My Mother the Car (except the guy's mother was a lamp), The Fugitive, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., by my count. The other combined Disney's Mary Poppins and an Italian film, to result in the very German Sommer as a sexy, scantily clad Italian governess. The song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (I can't believe I spelled that correctly on the first try) was parodied by combining the names of four Italian cheeses. The other skit, with Benny and Hope as would-be surfers meeting the Beach Boys, wasn't anywhere near as weird.

The first episode of the half-hour show was pure sitcom, as Benny is awakened at 4 am by a disc jockey and spends the rest of the episode dead tired. The second episode was a variety show, with singer Julie London and a twelve-year-old violin prodigy (Toni Marcus, who went on to be a composer as well) performing brilliantly on the instrument, while also engaging in comedy with Benny. She was great.

 

[KGeo777]

THE WILD WILD WEST - The Night of the Death Masks-- Jim West wakes up in an abandoned town as part of a revenge scheme against him by an escaped convict. It covers familiar territory but I thought it was decent if not in the better camp.

PETROCELLI - The Gamblers --saccharine is the way to describe this one which has a return appearance by Mark Hamill--once again playing the true murderer part for the courtroom reveal. I am guessing Star Wars wasn't too far after this.

 

[JunkMonkey]

Agent Carter: Season 1 Episode 1 - in which I discover I really dislike 21st Century American TV editing. With simple two people sat in the front of a car dialogue sequences frantically cut! cut! cut! cut! on every line - close up to tight close up and back out again for no reason related to the dialogue - just because the director doesn't think the audience has the patience to watch for more than three seconds without something different on the screen to stop them getting bored.

Hayley Atwell has an interesting face and a distracting bust but I can't say I was overwhelmed.

 

[KGeo777]

IRONSIDE - Ring of Prayer - Barbara Rush is a witch who is able to cause two people to die by suggestion--and Ironside has to beat her at her own game. The regular characters act differently from previous seasons. The tone of season 5 is really bizarre.

McMILLAN & WIFE - The Devil You Say -- Sally gets a warning that she is in danger (again) and it leads to a satanic cult where the members run around in Boris Karloff masks. There's a pretty good portrait sculpture of her in the show too. John Fielder plays a police scientist named Simpson but in the credits is listed as Sykes (the role John Astin played). Premiered 50 years ago tonight.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Another super-cheap DVD we got at the library book store had four random episodes of the old sitcom Life With Elizabeth (1953 to 1955) with Betty White in the title role. (The DVD called it The Betty White Show on the cover.) It had a very odd structure. Each episode started with an on-screen host, then went into three unrelated incidents involving the characters (often just Betty White and the guy playing her husband.) It was like three episodes lasting under ten minutes each.

 

[Parson]

Another super-cheap DVD we got at the library book store had four random episodes of the old sitcom Life With Elizabeth (1953 to 1955) with Betty White in the title role. (The DVD called it The Betty White Show on the cover.) It had a very odd structure. Each episode started with an on-screen host, then went into three unrelated incidents involving the characters (often just Betty White and the guy playing her husband.) It was like three episodes lasting under ten minutes each.

That's Wow, as in weird.

 

[KGeo777]

NIGHT GALLERY - Class of '99 - Vincent Price as professor of a class of graduates being given a final exam. The exterior for the futuristic school was Simon Fraser University--a place I have been. Sure is weird to see it in an episode of an old tv show.

 

[BAYLOR]

NIGHT GALLERY - Class of '99 - Vincent Price as professor of a class of graduates being given a final exam. The exterior for the futuristic school was Simon Fraser University--a place I have been. Sure is weird to see it in an episode of an old tv show.

Randolph Mantooth played the unfortunate student who rebelled.

 

[CupofJoe]

The Reckoning [2023] (or how Jimmy Saville got away with everything - my unofficial subtitle)
4 hours of not easy to watch, but very well made, television.
It covers his rise from small time DJ and Club manager to "national treasure" and then fading into near obscurity.
At at every turn Saville is using his fame and connections to manage events to his own advantage.
From having met Elvis Presley [to impress teenage girls] to meeting the Pope and having meals at Chequers with Margaret Thatcher to make himself untouchable and get him what he wants.
Steve Coogan is chillingly and worryingly believable as Jimmy Saville from his 30s to his death. A mix of the benign and affable edged with cohesion and force.
The whole cast is great including an almost unrecognisable Neil Pearson as Eric Morley.
I am assuming it is true enough to the facts.
One personally chilling moment is when as part of Jim'll fix it a cub troop has a giant ribbon and badge draped around them. I remember watching that as a child and now knowing what happed after the show to one young boy...
There are real people affect by Saville talking at parts in the show, but most of it is a drama [documentary].
The irony is that of course, there was no reckoning for Saville before his death. Just lots rumours and hints...

 

[KGeo777]

Randolph Mantooth played the unfortunate student who rebelled.

I thought it was Richard Hatch.
He looked familiar but couldn't place where I had seen him.

 

[BAYLOR]

I thought it was Richard Hatch.
He looked familiar but couldn't place where I had seen him.

He was in an pisddoe Battle Star Galactica with Richard Hatch . Greeting From Earth




Even when I saw that Night Gallery episode back when , I found it a bit disturbing that these machines learned to emulated the worst traits in mankind and not the best.

 

[Rodders]

I’m watching The Last of Us.

very enjoyable, although I’m not a great fan of Pedro Pascale, his acting style suits the character of Joel. Bella Ramsey is really good as Ellie and I’m enjoying watching the two of them bond.

The episode with Nick Offerman as the survivalist was really lovely.

I’m only on episode 7 and I hope to finish the series tonight.

 

[hitmouse]

Shetland episode 1 of the new series, which was broadcast last night. BBC1/iplayer.
Looks like this is going to be another compelling series. Good setup, compelling new characters, decent script, camerawork, pace, and you get the distinct impression that the plot is going to thicken in unpredictable ways.
I cannot remember how many series there have already been of this terrific detective series. This one can be watched without reference to earlier series ( but also recommended, prob available on iplayer.)

 

[alexvss]

The Worst of Evil. A DJ (who knows how to fight) working nights in Seoul’s legendary nightlife district of Gangnam is hired by a crime syndicate to run nightclubs, and he starts adding drug trafficking to the mix.

Great Korean crime thriller, with lots of action. It's from Disney+, and it's last thing I'd expect them to produce. (Well, on second thought, they streamed Heavenly Delusion).

We care about the characters. There’s a hard-boiled failed cop from a traditional family of cops, and there’s the DJ, who loses a friend early on in the story.

I didn’t recognise any of the actors but I could have sworn that the ex-DJ was the boxer from Bloodhounds (it is not).

For some reason, it takes place in the 90’s. I don’t know if it’s based on real-life events, or if drug crimes in Gangnam were rampant at that time. Apart from that, it doesn’t add much to the story.

Recommended.

 

[JunkMonkey]

Star Trek: TNG Season something episode 8 (or thereabouts) Rascals - what started out as an 'oh dear they're starting hit the bottom of the ideas barrel' episode (several members of the crew including Picard get turned into 12 year olds) turned out to be quite a fun episode with some nice gags and, I thought, some nicely done acting from the child actors.

And hot walk-on babe from last season gets to drive the ship:

 

[paranoid marvin]

Uncanny. I've been a fan of Danny Robins through The Batrersea Poltergeist and 2.5 seasons of the radio version of Uncanny. Now it's on tv, and it's the first mainstream show of its kind that I can remember in a very long time; certainly on the Beeb or ITV. I think the last was probably Arthur C Clarkes show in the 80s that investigated paranormal activity.

The tv series is okay, but in all honesty I actually prefer the radio series (all available on BBC Sounds player). Well worth checking out for anyone with an interest in ghosts, aliens and mysterious happenings.

 

[KGeo777]

MANNIX - The Man Outside -- Joe is hired by a Korean War buddy to get some indiscreet photos from a blackmailing photographer (Kathie Browne) and gets beat up and almost killed.

CANNON - Murder for Murder - Frank is hired by the daughter of a photographer (Dick Van Patton) to help him nail a couple of rich guys for the death of her sister.


IRONSIDE - House of Terror - Freaky Halloween episode from 50 years ago where the chief gets zapped into a haunted house and is nagged by a floating cackling ghost who is more pathetic than scary.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

At home we've been binge watching Lark Rise to Candleford (2008 to 2011), a BBC production based loosely on the trilogy of the same name by Flora Thompson. (See the "November Reading" thread for more information.) Drama about the folks in a hamlet (Lark Rise) and a town (Candleford) in the late 19th century, centering around the post office in the latter place. Through American eyes, it features fine acting and lush production values compared to stuff over here. Pretty much a classy soap opera (although it does venture into things like a ghost story now and then.)

 

[KGeo777]

COLUMBO - Candidate for Crime - Jackie Cooper is a politician who murders his campaign manager. He tries to smoothtalk Columbo every step of the way. Premiered 50 years ago today.

 

[BAYLOR]

COLUMBO - Candidate for Crime - Jackie Cooper is a politician who murders his campaign manager. He tries to smoothtalk Columbo every step of the way. Premiered 50 years ago today.

Ive seen that episode several times.

Perry Mason The Case of the Midnight Howler with a young Daniel J Travanti future lead in the Steve Bochco series Hill Street Blues .