During the decade of the 1970s one of the busiest and most-watched actors on television was John Amos. Not a bad trick considering the New Jersey native did not start out in television as an actor. He was writing for a local news show when singer-actress Leslie Uggams started working on her variety show. She

Few shows in TV history are more associated with geriatric viewing than the 1986-95 lawyer drama Matlock. It starred folksy Andy Griffith as a lawyer whose down-home mannerism hides a brilliant legal mind. Or at least, that’s how I understand it; I’ve never seen an episode. The fact that anyone under 60 knows anything about

The first scene of the new Fox and Global series Murder in a Small Town is set at that most sacred of Canadian television landmarks: the diner from The Beachcombers, Mollys Reach.  Seated inside, shooting a first date scene, are two actors representing several generations of Canadian acting royalty: Kristin Kreuk, the Vancouver lass who went from Edgemont to Smallville to Beauty and

We’d seen the clips and read the hype. Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan would play Vice President Kamala Harris and V.P. hopeful Tim Walz when Saturday Night Live returned for its 50th season. Anticipation was high that the series, five weeks before an election, would hit it out of the park. It did not. A

“If scandal is to your taste, Miss MacKay,” I shall give you a feast!” Over the years I have heard Maggie Smith’s memorable line from “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” proclaimed regularly in our house. This quote is a particular favourite of Sandra’s, especially as Sunday brunch is served. Smith, of course, had a

During the decade of the 1970s one of the busiest and most-watched actors on television was John Amos. Not a bad trick considering the New Jersey native did not start out in television as an actor. He was writing for a local news show when singer-actress Leslie Uggams started working on her variety show. She

“If scandal is to your taste, Miss MacKay,” I shall give you a feast!” Over the years I have heard Maggie Smith’s memorable line from “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” proclaimed regularly in our house. This quote is a particular favourite of Sandra’s, especially as Sunday brunch is served. Smith, of course, had a

For about as long as I’ve been opening emails I’ve faithfully checked one on-line source for daily dives into the culture of television — Marc Berman’s The Programming Insider. Marc, also a long-time member of the Television Critics Association, just has never lost his zest for television, especially for the shows that many of us

The issue of Canada’s all-time favourite TV shows has risen again thanks to Canadian History EHx, a podcast from Craig Baird. Mr. Baird, a Canadian history enthusiast living on Treaty 6 land, has over 53,000 followers on Twitter. He set up a playoff format where shows went head-to-head over a number of weeks. There were