TVSquad

I got a real stumper from a reader this week.

Stephen Bishop wrote..."In either the late 50s or early 60s there was a show set (I think I was very young!) in France in the 100 Years War, featuring a Robin Hood type character who was the master of the sling as his weapon of choice. What was the name of the show?"

Well, I had to do some digging but I was able to come up with the title of the show. It was called Thierry la Fronde and starred Jean-Claude Drouot in the title role.

One of the best things about being the King of TV is that many times people will ask me questions about shows I have never heard of.

Last week, a young man contacted me through my MySpace page to ask me if I knew the name of a certain TV show. He described it thusly, "I believe it may have been British and/or on PBS. It was not narrated but had an eclectic cast (one of whom was deaf). The show was various vignettes, mostly science based from the ones I remember. The one I really remember is the guy who was making bubbles with cigarette smoke. The biggest clue I can give you was the logo. At the beginning of the show they would show the name, then turn it on its side and reflect it in a mirror. It looked like a cricket, then it bounced off..."

Well, I racked my brain and googled into the early morning but to no avail. I had to admit defeat. Now here is the great part.

Despite the efforts of ColorOfChange.org and other black activists online, Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute will be co-sponsoring primary debates this fall. The CBC Institute, which includes members of the Congressional Black Caucus, decided that the reach of Fox News was worth it, despite allegations of the channel's "marginalization" of blacks, allegations I don't fully comprehend. I'm not sure how Fox News would benefit from making a conscious decision to show black politicians and pundits in a negative light, unless one's perspective is based on the dubious theory that all black people are liberal.

I couldn't care less about whatever bias guides Fox News, or any other news outlet for that matter, but it seems that any political party would be remiss if it didn't take advantage of this kind of exposure.

A few weeks ago Pope Benedict XVI had some good and bad things to say about today's mass media. On the one hand, he mentioned that media such as television have provided a great benefit to civilization with quality news services and wholesome entertainment. On the other, the Pope criticized much of the world's media as a destructive influence.

So, what better for the Vatican to counteract the pox that has fallen upon the media than to launch a television network of its own by the end of the year. Very few details have been released but, according to an article from the CBC, the proposed network will feature news and entertainment programming in seven languages. This new venture would be an addition to the existing satellite TV channels it operates which broadcast papal ceremonies and other events from the city state.

How's this for the premise to a sitcom - a young Muslim man abandons his burgeoning law career to become the new imam (Muslim prayer leader) of a small Canadian town called Mercy? When we meet said imam, he's in line at the airport talking on his cell. "If Dad thinks that's suicide, so be it. This is Allah's plan for me." Cue security.

And so begins Little Mosque on the Prairie, CBC's newest sitcom. Premiering in January and being pitched to US networks this month, the series has been forced to confront two big questions since its inception: 1. Can the post-9/11 world take humor about Muslims living in North America? 2. Will Muslims riot over the depiction of said funny Muslims?

Thomas Schlamme is creating an American version of a popular Canadian series called The Tournament. The comedy series is done mockumentary style (think: The Office) about a group of misfit youth hockey players and their quest to win the championship tournament. Actually, it sounds similar to the premise of Christopher Guest's Waiting for Guffman. Schlamme is Americanizing the show by making it about a youth baseball team instead of hockey. Three of the people behind the original Tournament will write and executive produce the Fox version. The Tournament had two seasons on CBC and so far Fox has given script commitment.

Schlamme is the executive producer of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and he also EP'd The West Wing and SportsNight. He's also married to actress Christine Lahti.

One of Canada's greatest TV exports, next to The Kids in the Hall, was Degrassi Junior High. If I've got my lineage straight, The Kids of Degrassi Street begat Degrassi Junior High begat Degrassi High begat Degrassi: The Next Generation.

The long-rumored Degrassi: The Next Generation graphic novel series, entitled Extra Credit, has hit bookstores in Canada, and while we can't be sure if national pride has taken over or not, Volume One of the series is earning raves from its young readers.

Well, I'm just shocked! I can't believe that we, the fine writers at TV Squad, did not catch this momentous season premiere. We were really sleeping at the switch. I'm surprised that you, the honorable TV Squad public, did not rise in outrage at this blatant misstep. So, as the new man on the totem pole, I am here to make the announcement and take the brunt of your anger.

The 2nd season of The Doodlebops has premiered on The Disney Channel.

See? I can't believe that this was missed!