Espying the plot of a 1960s show
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: In the ’70s, I think, there was a show called “Coronet Blue.” I think it ended after one season (maybe two) and I never found out the ending, leaving me wondering all of these years what the show was about. Do you know?
A: “Coronet Blue” was a 1967 drama on CBS, consisting of 13 episodes, which still has a following (although it has not aged well). It starred Frank Converse as a man who, after an unsuccessful attempt to kill him, could not remember anything about himself other than the phrase “Coronet Blue.” On the DVD of the series, writer Larry Cohen said that Converse’s character was in fact a Russian spy, part of a team called Coronet Blue; when he wanted to defect, the spy ring tried to kill him, causing his amnesia. But Cohen, who did not control the show, said others modified the approach; that and its short run kept it from ever explaining its mystery on the air.
Q: Please tell me there will be a second season of “Reservation Dogs.”
A: There will be a second season of the drama about four teens in Oklahoma who are Indigenous (a term one dictionary defines as “of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place and especially of a place that was colonized by a now-dominant group”). The first season was much acclaimed, both for its content and for its cast, writers and directors all being Indigenous. The second season begins on Hulu on Aug. 3.
Q: Back in the late 1980s, there was a show that was set in Chicago, primarily at a bar-restaurant, a romcom of sorts. The show didn’t last long, The show’s name was a play on the fact that the woman had a nickname that could be either male or female, I believe. I ask if you can recall this show because it was part of my impetus for agreeing, when I married my husband in 1988, to move to Chicago as the city was portrayed as such a friendly neighborhood place – and it is. Does this ring any bells for you?
A: You are remembering “Jack and Mike,” a comedy-drama that originally aired on ABC for one season in 1986-87. It starred Shelley Hack and Tom Mason as a married couple: newspaper columnist Jackie Shea (also called Jack) and restaurant owner Mike Brennan. Filmed on location in Chicago, the series was “one of several attempts by ABC to produce another young, trendy, romantic drama to follow its established Tuesday night hit ‘Moonlighting,’” says “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows.” But it did not click with audiences.
Q: I just finished watching all six episodes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and I was wondering if they will make more. The last episode looked like a finale of the series.
A: As of this writing nothing has been made official about the series getting a second season, but fans – myself included – are hoping. Although it was announced as a limited series, plenty of “limited” shows have then gone on to make more episodes. And there are ongoing conversations pro and con, with some participants wanting to do more (the star, Ewan McGregor, is reportedly very enthusiastic) and others feeling it is a completed series.