Here are five television series that I'm watching after they originally aired. I'm limiting this list to American television shows, because foreign television shows I like to watch is a separate list for a future post.
1. Limitless was on CBS (watching on Netflix streaming)
This television show picks up with a new character and the same premise as the movie: a wonder drug that renders users super-smart and super-resourceful. There may be hideous consequences to using the drug. Uh-oh. This show is silly, requiring suspension of disbelief about how the FBI operates. This show is also suspenseful fun. I look forward to season two, so somebody better pick up this great show after CBS cancelled it. Amazon, Netflix, Hulu... anybody?
2. Hart to Hart was on ABC (watching on DVD)
This television show from the 1980s featured a wealthy couple, their butler and their cute mutt-dog as amateur sleuths involved in increasingly ridiculous mysteries. Hart to Hart aired after my bedtime, but sometimes if my dad was out of town, as he was frequently for work, I got to stay up past bedtime to watch. I thought the Harts were the height of glamour as a kid. As an adult, this show is pure brain-candy.
3. Charlie's Angels was on ABC (watching on DVD)
I watched this television show from the 1970s in syndication as a kid in the 1980s/90s. I wasn't able to watch the episodes in order until they came out on DVD. This show was ridiculous even when I watched as a child. As an adult, watching three female detectives do all the work for their male boss, who remains elusive... seems about right. Just kidding! The show is still ridiculous, but in a fun, kitschy manner. Any reason for the characters to don a bikini, revealing evening gown or short-shorts was written into almost every script. I loathe that those awful high-waisted, flared leg pants they wore on the show are back in style. (I politely rebuff this fashion trend, but you do you.)
4. Mr. Belvedere was on ABC (watching on DVD)
Mr. Belvedere came on Friday nights when I was a young kid. I loved this reassuring show in which a posh, British butler with a storied history of regal employment took care of a suburban family in Pittsburgh. I didn't watch all the seasons as a kid. Some episodes are totally new to me now. In an increasingly frightening world, I wish Mr. Belvedere would care for my household while imparting pithy and valuable life lessons. Alas, I don't have an extra bedroom for Mr. Belvedere. I'm not sure how amenable he would be to my multitude of pets or my mostly vegan dietary preferences.
5. The Mysteries of Laura was on NBC (watching on Netflix streaming)
I'm sad this series was canceled after only two seasons. What a fun mystery series meets police procedural! This show had heart and likability. Again, there is much suspension of disbelief. How does Detective Laura Diamond solve crime in the gritty city, meet her fellow detectives for celebratory drinks and still make it home to tuck in her twin boys for bedtime? Because no real human being can accomplish all of that in one day, or even two days, especially not while driving a Volvo station wagon.
Have a great weekend! Maybe you can find time to watch something good, or fun, or fun and good.
