South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Is ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ returning?
Q: I just heard that “Riverdale” will be back with a new season. What about “Roswell, New Mexico”?
A: That will be a midseason offering on the CW, which in this case means around March or April 2021, or possibly later. Because of the pandemic’s effect on production, the network delayed launching what would have been its fall lineup most years until early 2021. For example, among returning shows: “Batwoman,” with new star Javicia Leslie, will be on Jan. 17; “All American” on Jan. 18, “Riverdale” and “Nancy Drew” on Jan. 20, “Legacies” on Jan. 21, “Charmed” on Jan. 24, “Black Lightning” on Feb. 8, and “The Flash” on Feb. 23.
Q: CBS preempted the last two episodes of “Manhunt” (about the Atlanta Olympics bombing in 1996) recently for an election special. Are they going to finish showing these last two episodes in the miniseries?
A: The coverage preempted CBS’ primetime programming in just part of the country, with “Manhunt” still airing on the West Coast. As a result, the network has not so far announced plans to reshow the episodes. It has made them available online at CBS.com and streaming at the CBS All Access site.
Q: One Memorial Day in the ’80s, a program about the building of the Vietnam War Memorial was shown on one of the major networks. It began with someone’s idea that something should be done to honor the Vietnam War dead and then followed with the contest to pick the type of memorial, on to the actual building of it. I was so moved by the whole story and I would love to see that film again. Can you identify the name and let me know where I might be able to see it or buy a copy?
A: After we talked about this some more, the movie proved to be “To Heal a Nation,” a 1988 TV film starring Eric Roberts as Jan Scruggs, a Vietnam veteran whose efforts led to the building of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It was released on VHS, and you can find it on YouTube and on DVD. But, unfortunately, the DVD I saw on Amazon appears to be an import that will not work in many U.S. players.
Q: I love watching “The Untouchables” on H&I. I wonder if the stories are based on factual events, and if Eliot Ness and the Untouchables were real characters or made up by Hollywood.
A: There really was a federal agent named Eliot Ness, and a squad called the Untouchables, whose pop-culture appeal inspired novels, TV series and the Kevin Costner movie. But there was a lot of fiction in the various works.
Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfels@gmail.com. Letters may be edited. Individual replies are not guaranteed.