Need a fix of fine TV? The Brilliant But Cancelled web site currently has some real treats unreeling. (Well, streaming anyway.)
Darren McGavin’s 1970s “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” goes after vampires and zombies. Gary Cole creeps us out in Shaun Cassidy’s mesmerizing “American Gothic.” Heath Ledger heats up ancient Ireland in ABC’s 1997 costume drama “Roar.” And there’s the two-part pilot of Fox’ parallel-universe trip “Sliders.”
Also at this BBC: pop culture news, bloggery, critics tips, “Make It Stop” rants, “Pop Autopsy” of dead shows, opinionated comment boards.
Too bad the rest of the site (which originated on-air as part of the late, lamented cable/satellite channel TRIO) is devoted to shilling for site owner Bravo’s less-than-brilliant reality slate. (“Shear Genius”? Pleeeeze.) Instead, why not bring back vintage TRIO faves like John Cassavetes’ 1950s jazz sleuth “Johnny Staccato” or the sly ’90s single-camera copcom “Bakersfield, P.D.” with Ron Eldard and Giancarlo Esposito? [Photo below.]
Another caveat: The video’s standard viewing window is tiny, though there’s also a full-screen mode (which tends to look crummy).
Comments (3)
Brilliant but cancelled? "Bakersfield, P.D," may have been adorable and funny, but for the perfect combination of Ron Eldard and Steven Bochco, my vote goes go to the 13 episodes of "Blind Justice" that ran on ABC starting in March of 2005. Gary Fleder directing the first 3 eps, great writing, and a problematic set-up -- a blinded cop reinstated -- which the creative team made work, and BRILLIANTLY. DVD release would be a Godsend, as would rerunning this groundbreaking and utterly different take on the hackneyed police procedural.
I'm pretty certain "Roar" was a FOX show as well.
Right you are, Toby. Sorry. Been watching tooooo much tube lately -- brain cells dwindling . . .