Will new investigations add to ‘Bosch: Legacy’?
Q: I’m a Michael Connelly fan, both with his books and his TV series. Is there a chance that Harry Bosch will return on “Bosch” or “Bosch: Legacy”?
A: A third season of “Bosch: Legacy” began production in January for telecast on Amazon Freevee, which also has the first seasons as well as the seven seasons of “Bosch.” All are based on the characters in Connelly’s novels about troubled investigator Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver. The cast also includes Madison Lintz and Mimi Rogers.
And as long as we’re talking about Connelly adaptations, production has begun on a third season of “The Lincoln Lawyer” for Netflix.
Q: I am surprised that “The Real McCoys” does not have a higher place in America’s collective memory of TV shows. I don’t think it’s even shown on any of the nostalgia cable channels. At the time I thought it was pretty popular.
A: The comedy about a rural family in California was popular during its six-season run on ABC and then CBS in 1957-63. And it has not been forgotten. Peacock, Tubi and the Roku Channel are some of the streaming services carrying the program. There have also been DVD sets, including a complete-series package.
Q: In all the obits of Carl Weathers, no mention was made of his stint as Police Chief Hampton Forbes on “In the Heat of the Night.” Just curious why.
A: Weathers, who died on Feb. 1, reportedly after a long battle with heart disease, had an extensive and storied career for decades. Of course, there was Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies. There’s also “Predator” and “Happy Gilmore” and “The Mandalorian,” and a “Toy Story” voice — and still other memorable roles, as well as ones that proved short-lived. (I met him briefly when he was starring in “Fortune Dane,” a 1986 series that lasted just a few months.) Some of his obituaries did mention “In the Heat of the Night.” Still, sorting through a resume like this, people pick and choose (as I did recently with Lee Marvin, prompting some readers to bring up movies they loved but I didn’t list). And there was a lot to choose from.
Q: I think the original “Hawaii Five-0” has the best introductory scenes and music of any program of any time. I sometimes watch just to see that perfect introduction. How many years was the show on? I believe James MacArthur, who played Danno, left before the show ended. Do you know why?
A: First, about that opening: In his must-read book “Music for Prime Time,” Jon Burlingame says that montage “is still one of television’s most impressive,” a triumphant fusion of music (by Morton Stevens) and visuals, with images “cut in precise time to the beat.” There’s even more about the music and the images in the book.
As for the original “Five-0,” it first aired from 1968 to 1980. MacArthur left at the end of the 1978-79 season. “I grew bored,” he said. “The stories became more bland and predictable and presented less and less challenge to me as an actor.”