I'm one of those nerds who are convinced that William Shatner will show up in the final minutes of J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie to, I don't know, shag a green hooker or give Eric Bana a judo chop to the neck. Why? Because William Shatner is awesome. Shatner's best known for zipping through the galaxy as Star Trek's Captain Kirk, but as this Topless Robot list points out, the man has done many awesome things outside of Star Trek.
In TV Land, one only has to remember his years as the prostitute-loving, cigar chomping Denny Crane on Boston Legal for proof of Shatner's awesomeness. Then there's that Twilight Zone ep, T.J. Hooker, that old Saturday Night Live sketch, those Priceline commercials and his overblown, self-mocking turn as The Big Giant Head on 3rd Rock from the Sun.
But Shatner can be serious too. On BIO's Shatner's Raw Nerve, a refreshingly laid-back chat show, Shatner sits down with friends and celebs he finds interesting and really gets them to open up about their personal lives. TR points us to the following clip with Shatner interviewing Kelsey Grammer, who talks about his grandfather's death and the short time he spent with his father before he was murdered. I love watching Raw Nerve, and this has to be one of my favorite non-scripted William Shatner TV moments.
What's your favorite non-Star Trek-related William Shatner TV moment?















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-10-2009 @ 1:34PM
Scott said...
How about his OTHER "Twilight Zone" episode, where he's not screaming about a creature on a plane wing, but becoming obsessed with a little fortune-telling machine in a diner? He's a lot more subtle in that, in a really good performance.
Second place: his guest spot as "Detective Lucerne", or the actor playing him, in "Columbo". I also liked his take on a Rush Limbaugh-like character in one of the 90's-era "Columbo" movies.
Reply
4-10-2009 @ 2:22PM
bsgfan2003 said...
Indeed, he is awesome.
Reply
4-10-2009 @ 3:58PM
Usama said...
Wow I had never even heard of that SNL skit, I wasn't even born, and as a fan of Shatner and Trek, I loved it!
Reply
4-10-2009 @ 5:22PM
DaveD said...
Since I don't think he's *that* awesome, I'll mention my favorite non-Trek moment:
Rocketman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvQwXOCKNLY
Reply
4-10-2009 @ 7:24PM
Danny Smith said...
Kingdom Of The Spiders! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
4-11-2009 @ 8:09AM
Becky said...
Boston Legal! Denny Crain is that show.
Reply
4-11-2009 @ 10:36AM
been there done that said...
Whale sounds record, 1980, maybe 81. No kidding.
Reply