The second night of the Lonesome Dove miniseries was 6 February, 1989. William D. Wittliff’s adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s novel continued chronicling the journey of the Hat Creek outfit’s cattle drive to Montana. And it picks up exactly where the previous episode closed out, with the vicious water moccasin attack. Beginning with this death, we…
Tag: joe
Taken (2002) – Jacob and Jesse
The second feature-length episode of Taken, presented by Steven Spielberg, first debuted on 3 December, 2002. It was written by series creator Leslie Bohem. The story opens during the winter of ’57 and guides us through 1958. Russel Keys (Steve Burton) has left his wife, Kate (Julie Benz), who has remarried, in an effort to…
Family Ties (1989) – The Wrecker’s Ball, My Best Friend’s Girl, and ‘Til Her Daddy Takes the T-Bird Away
While Mallory (Justine Bateman) discovers a new passion for massage, Elyse (Meredith Baxter) is troubled to learn that the first building she ever designed is scheduled to be torn down. It’s the Keatons versus City Hall in The Wrecker’s Ball. Written by Douglas Wyman and first aired on 12 February, 1989. Even as the family…
Family Ties (1988) – The Boys Next Door, Sign of the Times, Return of the Native, and Father, Can You Spare a Dime?
Elyse (Meredith Baxter) and Steven (Michael Gross) are getting ready for their high school reunion, in The Boys Next Door. Written by Trish Vrandenburg, it first debuted on 6 March, 1988. Alex (Michael J. Fox) is wowed to find out that Elyse went to school with Roger Erdman (Robert Klein). He’s a multi-millionaire whose company…
Starman (1986) – Fatal Flaw, and Blue Lights
Paul (Robert Hays) and Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) are still on the hunt for Jenny Hayden in Fatal Flaw and end up helping a female pilot, Jessica (Patricia McPherson) and her father, Conrad (Kenneth Tobey). Written by Mike Gray and John Mason, this episode was first broadcast on 3 October, 1986. After an incident at…
Hill Street Blues (1986) – I Want My Hill Street Blues, and Remembrance of Hits Past
The precinct is taken over by a music video shoot that Renko (Charles Haid) wants to be part of, and Hunter’s (James Sikking) dog gets abducted for, thanks to LaRue (Kiel Martin). Written by John Mankiewicz and Russ Woody from a story by Mankiewicz, I Want My Hill Street Blues first aired on 6 February,…
Hill Street Blues (1982) – Stan the Man, and Little Boil Blue
David Milch penned Stan the Man, which had an original airdate of 4 November, 1982. Joyce (Veronica Hamel) is assaulted at the precinct by a perp who gets away from his arresting officer, landing her in the hospital after Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) takes the suspect down. And that is just the tip of the…
Hill Street Blues (1982) – Domestic Beef, and Heat Rash
Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) has his hands full this week in Domestic Beef. Written by Anthony Yerkovich, Jeffrey Lewis and Michael Wagner, it first debuted on 7 October, 1982. Furillo is involved in a review board for Captain Lou Hogan (Robert Hogan), whose precinct has been accused of a number of dirty cops. Furillo…
Empire Records (1995) – Allan Moyle
Empire Records was one of those films that gained cult status in the video store I worked in when the film was released to, yup, VHS. My staff loved it, and it would go into high rotation as something played in the store. Set in a music store, the film is set over the course…
Hill Street Blues (1982) – The Young, the Beautiful, and the Degraded, and Some Like It Hot-Wired
The Hill is inundated with phone calls, thanks to the promise of a reward, with false and potential witnesses and leads for the investigation into the murder of DA Pam Gilliam, whose suspect is protected by red tape, and chains of evidence, laws protecting the innocent. Goldblume (Joe Spano), however, thinks he has a good…
The Mind Reels 