‘Doctor Who’ hard at work
Q. I have been a devoted “Doctor Who” fan since Tom Baker was the Doctor in 1974. I would like to know if new shows are on the horizon.
A. There are. The annual holiday special, “The Return of Doctor Mysterio,” aired on BBC America on Christmas Day, with Peter Capaldi back as the Doctor. Then 2017 will bring a new season starring Capaldi, along with a spin-off series, “Class.” That is built around Coal Hill School, which has been part of “Doctor Who” since its debut in 1963, when William Hartnell was the Doctor.
Q. Please tell me what happened to “Grimm,” “Bones” and “The Amazing Race.”
A. They are all coming back, and I have air dates. “Grimm” begins its final season for NBC on Jan. 6. “Bones” begins its final season on Fox on Jan. 3. And “The Amazing Race” returns on CBS on April 21.
Q. In about 1980, Karl Malden starred in a show called “Skag,” launched from a TV movie of the same name. Are you aware of any authorized releases of the initial TV movie, the series or both, on either VHS or DVD?
A. The series, in which Malden played a foreman at a Pittsburgh steel mill, was praised for grappling with social and family issues but did not keep a large audience during its short run in 1980. As for finding it now, the only authorized release I have seen is a VHS of the series pilot — and, on Amazon.com at least, that will cost you about $100.
Q. Recently I was flipping around channels and I came upon “The Lone Ranger.” It listed John Hart as the Lone Ranger. I always thought he was played by Clayton Moore.
A. For those of us who remember the television series that originally ran from 1949 to 1957, Clayton Moore was “the” Lone Ranger up until his death in 1999; he even battled to keep making appearances as the character when the show’s owner — pushing a new movie and actor — stopped him for a time.
But Hart, a versatile actor for decades, was known as “the other Lone Ranger,” as his 2009 obituary in the Los Angeles Times put it. He wore the mask for 52 episodes in the early ’50s after Moore left, reportedly over a contract dispute.
Moore later returned to the series, appearing in about 169 episodes over all. But Hart maintained some ties. According to the Times, Hart “played a newspaper editor in the 1981 movie ‘The Legend of the Lone Ranger,’ starring Klinton Spilsbury as the Masked Man. Hart also played the Lone Ranger in a 1981 episode of ‘The Greatest American Hero’ and in a 1982 episode of ‘Happy Days.’ ”
Q. I watched “Game of Silence” when it debuted until the season ended. It was an awesome show. Made you think as well as root for the characters. But, it left us hanging. Will it be picked up and finished any time soon?
A. No. NBC decided not to order another season of the drama.