TVSquad

I'm not referring to Emma Peel and John Steed. Apparently there's a new cartoon heading to television based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Is it just me, or are the characters' shapes reminiscent of the excellent Batman, Superman and Justice League cartoons from recent years?

Obviously, this is crossover marketing with the Marvel-financed movies that are coming out using the "shared universe" approach that was popular in their comics. Movies like Iron Man, Thor, and The First Avenger: Captain America (while I understand the marketing behind "The First Avenger" tag, I don't really like its use) are leading up to The Avengers movie in which all the aforementioned superheroes appear on the same screen.

Television has often been a benchmark of current popular culture. Whether it's clothes, cars or furniture, people have always looked to TV to help them decide how to look and how to live. Here are ten great examples of how TV characters have "helped" us look our best.

Daisy Duke's Daisy Dukes (The Dukes of Hazzard)
No one knew it at the time, but when Catherine Bach slipped on those ultra-short denims, she was making an impression on more than the teenage boys who were watching. Years later, a brand new and very different generation embraced the Daisy Dukes, much to the delight of those teenage boys who were now old enough to know better.

... Four Small Screen to Big Screen flops.

It had to be bad movies, because I couldn't think of four TV shows that have been made into good movies. The bar was set pretty high with The Brady Bunch Movie when they decided to go full-on campy. Sure, there have been some decent efforts like Starsky & Hutch and the dark and brooding Miami Vice. But this is the time for my inner Grinch to let loose and call out the bad ones, and there are a lot of them. It's too bad I can't take the TV Squad crystal ball and write about the ones still in the pipeline, like Wilder Valderrama in the CHiPs movie, or 2008's The A-Team movie. I pity the fool who tries to displace Mr. T.

Since the TV show adaptations were a bit thin this year (and I have a love/hate thing with Miami Vice. Love Michael Mann, hated the flick ... so I've decided that those cancel each other out for me, leaving a neutral effort on the floor), we're going back through the annals of the past few years and singling out some stinkers.

Every Tuesday here on TV Squad , we will highlight the week's TV-on-DVD releases. Some noteworthy releases today, April 25, 2006:

• American Dad - Volume 1
• The Avengers - '62 Set
• Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Canada only)
• Bizarre - Best of Bizarre Vol. 3; Best of Bizarre Vol. 4
• The Cousteau Odyssey - River Explorations Collection
• Inspector Gadget - Volume 1
• The Last Detective - Series 1
• Law & Order: Trial by Jury - The Complete Series
• Odyssey 5 - The Complete Series
• Reba - Season 3
• The Rifleman - Set 5
• Tommy Lee Goes To College
• A Touch of Frost - Seasons 9 & 10
• The Waltons - The Complete 3rd Season
• Wild Kingdom - Australia's Awesome Animals; Mammals Of North America Vol 2

Every Tuesday here on TV Squad , we will highlight the week's TV-on-DVD releases. Some noteworthy releases today, February 28, 2006:

• The Avengers - Emma Peel Collector's Edition
• Beast Machines: Transformers - The Complete Series
• The Beverly Hillbillies - Ultimate Collection Volume 2
• Bleak House - Bleak House
• C.O.P.S. - Volume 1
• Charmed - The Complete 4th Season
• Combat! - Best Of Hanley; Best Of Saunders
• The Drew Carey Show - Television Favorites
• Ellen - The Complete Season 3
• House Party - Kids Say the Darndest Things: Vol. 2
• The Lawless Years - Season 1
• Monty Python's Flying Circus - Graham Chapman's Personal Best; John Cleese's Personal Best; Terry Gilliam's Personal Best; Terry Jones' Personal Best
• NewsRadio - Season 3
• Night Court - Television Favorites
• The Real Ghostbusters - Vol 1: Creatures Of The Night; Vol 2: Spooky Spirits; Vol 3: Slimefighters
• Rosemary & Thyme - Season 2
• Rumpole of the Bailey - Megaset
• Weird U.S. - Vol 1: Strange But True / Road To Weirdsville; Vol 2: Weird Worship / Weirdly Departed; Vol 3: Rebels And Traitors / Crimes And Punishment
• Welcome Back, Kotter - Television Favorites