VIVA LAS ‘VEGAS’
Time to file a missing person report for the ‘CSI’ series?
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Do you know if or when “CSI: Vegas” is coming back?
A: The third season begins Feb. 18, on CBS. In the premiere, the network says, “With their respected colleague Josh Folsom (Matt Lauria) under arrest for the death of Kahn Schefter — the man responsible for killing Folsom’s mother — the CSI team combs through every crumb of forensic evidence to determine his innocence or guilt.” If you need to revisit the previous seasons, they’re on Paramount+.
Q: I wonder if you know why the recent version of “The Wonder Years” has disappeared and if it will return. A:
The revamping of the classic “The Wonder Years” (1988-93) to focus on a Black family in the 1960s had a lot to recommend it, including a fine cast and socially conscious stories. What it did not have was a large audience or, it seemed, much support from its network, ABC. Its 22-episode first season, which aired in 2021-22, was followed by a sadly shortened 10-episode second season in 2023. ABC dumped that second run into the summer, “a destination for broadcast scripted series that have either been canceled or are likely to be,” as one report put it. The series was indeed canceled after that second season ended. You can still see the two seasons on Hulu.
Q: I enjoy reruns of “Sea Hunt” with Lloyd Bridges. Was it popular when it ran? What was the channel? Did Bridges do his own stunts? Was it expensive? A:
The half-hour drama was “a major hit,” says one TV reference, airing for 156 episodes in 1958-61 and repeated for many years after. Some places you can still find episodes are streamers Pluto TV and the Roku Channel.
“Sea Hunt” was not a network show but a syndicated one, sold to individual stations around the country. Bridges did some of the underwater work, as did many of the actors. “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows” says the actors were used in scenes 20 to 40 feet underwater and stuntmen filled in at lower depths. The show moved to different locations so it could keep filming in warm water, and the director said that made it “one of the more expensive halfhour series of its day.”
There was an attempt to revive the series in 1987 with Ron Ely starring. It lasted one season.
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.