TVSquad

Police stories make for some of the best stories either in real life or on television. I've been lucky enough to know cops over the years (not in a criminal sense, mind you) and find that it's sometimes a mutual macabre or jaded sense of humor we share. There are the by-the-book cops, the hot-doggers, the idealists, the cynical, the naive, the jaded, the good, the bad, and the "I want to get through my twenty and retire" kind of cops.

My favorite cop television shows over the years often reflect those characters and it's sometimes a bit surprising how close they come to actual police I know ... or how far they stray from the reality of police work.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Lonny Chapman: He was a veteran stage and screen actor/director who appeared on several TV shows over the years, including Murder, She Wrote, NYPD Blue, Matlock, Jake and the Fatman, Riptide, Hotel, Knight Rider, Trapper John, M.D., Simon & Simon, Vegas, Quincy, M.E., Charlies Angels, Kojak, McCloud, and many, many others. He also starred in several Broadway plays, including Come Back Little Sheba, and served in World War II. He died of heart disease at age 87.

I got a great question from a reader named Paul this week...

"I am looking (for) the name (of) a series on very early Nickelodeon? 83 or 84. It featured a young group of kids who would solve mysteries and other such problems and they wore teleportation belts. It was science fictiony and reminded me of BBC programs, but I can't remember the name of the show. Please help!"

Well, Paul, as most of the readers know, the show you're referring to was, indeed a BBC show called The Tomorrow People. It aired on BBC in the '70s but Nickelodeon ran episodes in the 80's for American viewers. The show was remade in the '90s and ran for a few seasons but failed to catch on like the original.

Now on to this week's question...

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

A few days ago I wrote a piece about the 10 worst movies based on TV shows and I got quite a few responses. One reader asked if there were any good movies based on shows, so I decided to come up with another list. Please keep in mind, this is only my opinion, albeit an expert one.

1. The Untouchables: The script by David Mamet deserves much of the credit, but the casting is phenomenal, also. Sean Connery and Kevin Costner make the perfect team and Robert De Niro's plucked hairline makes his Capone a pleasure to watch. Like the show, the film pays close attention to detail and isn't afraid to show the good guys doing whatever it takes.

2. The Fugitive: This is exactly what a big screen version should be...BIG! Terrific action sequences and great locations. Ford's updated Richard Kimble does exactly what he should and Tommy Lee Jones is dead-on as the cop who has to do his job, but knows something is "hinkey." Just like the show, the movie keeps us on the edge of our seat and rooting for the good guy, while we can't wait to see the bad guy.

I haven't a lot of time to really delve into Shokus Radio, but I've heard enough to recommend it to anyone with an interest in the early days of television. Besides interviews with folks in the TV industry, the internet radio show also replays classic radio programs that later became TV shows, featuring the likes of Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen. Also, episodes of Dragnet, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and You Bet Your Life. Every episode also includes the original commercials. You can see a schedule here.

There's also big band music, rock music, and some hip-hop show hosted by an eight year old girl. You know, if you like that sort of thing along with your Jack Benny Hour.

[via Mark Evanier]

Eva Longoria says she's moving on to movies after her run on Desperate Housewives ends. She's just not saying when that will be and it sounds like it won't be anytime soon. The revelation came in an interview with the Associated Press, but this article neglects to mention why she's done with television. I can only imagine it's because she got her first taste of big time movies last year in The Sentinel with Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland, and realized the schedule is a lot less hectic than a weekly television series.

Longoria, who is only 31 years old, has pretty much always worked in television. Her first big break came on The Young and the Restless where she played Isabella Brana Williams from 2001 to 2003. She had a couple of modeling gigs and a cancelled show, Dragnet, before Desperate Housewives made her a mega-mega-mega star in 2004.

The TV Addict picked up on some cool news this morning. The WB has added a handful of shows to iTunes for your downloading pleasure, including classic cartoons like The Flintstones and The Jetsons, as well as live-action shows including Friends, Babylon 5, MadTV, and the unaired pilot of Aquaman. In addition, the Sleuth Channel has added Miami Vice, The A-Team, Dragnet, and Knight Rider. Last but not least, you can watch the entire first episode of Tabloid Wars for free, just in case you missed the premiere on Bravo last night. I think shows like Friends and MadTV are probably in heavy enough rotation in syndication, but it would be nice to see more "retro" shows and old cartoons pop up in the future.

iWatchNow, a new Web-based video-on-demand service, launched recently. Normally I don't get too excited about these things because I don't enjoy watching shows on my computer and I don't own a Video iPod. However, the company is offering some cool classic shows, including Dragnet, Bonanza, Jack Benny, and others. What I found personally appealing was the offering of classic cartoons like Popeye and Felix the Cat. Of course, most of these shows you can catch on cable anyway, but then you wouldn't be paying $0.99 to watch them, would you? See what I mean? Because I sure don't?