Retro TV – Guilty Pleasure

Tuesdays are not going to be a “highly productive” day for me. It is a result of my roughly 20 hour workday I have on Mondays. So I am “low level energy” on Tuesdays. It is not a good day to write and sometimes it is hard to keep the eyes focused on reading.

However, I need something to fill not only the time but the head too. And I found something for the time being. I decided to watch an old TV show from the beginning. I needed one that had all the episode available via on-line. I needed to be able to watch the shows in sequence. I want to watch how a show develops not only character but style over time. I want to see a show through its creative “ups and downs” over time. I may have seen the shows before but I am trying to see what I missed. And how I view the show now.

And I choose Magnum P.I. I was looking for some detective type show to watch. I also liked the Tom Selleck character. I think too many of the “detective style” shows on TV right focus too much on procedurals of the evidence. I think they use too many CGI recreations of the evidence.  I was looking for a character who uses “guts and instincts” to solve the mystery. A person willing to go with a “hunch” on the evidence and go against it in spite of it all.

Tom Selleck protrayal of the role seems to me to be “Anti David Caruso”. CSI Miami was a show that made how the main character “took off  or put on his sunglasses” its selling point. Along with cheesy lines and rapid camera edits. Really? How that show lasted as long as it did is a mystery the original CSI series should investigate.  Magnum was more than just his Hawaiian shirts, Detroit Tigers cap and the infamous moustache. There was two memorable things his character did in the show. He narrated the story at times. Which is considered “cheating” by some writers as means of storytelling in TV or the movies. However, in this case “that little voice” of his was adding to the story. This method was also effective used in the series Spenser: For Hire (Another 80’s classic for some unknown reason is NOT available streaming or even on DVD). The other thing was his character from time to time broke “the fourth wall” and acknowledged that audience was there. I wish shows would be a little more “playful” from time to time with themselves.

Also whatever happen to the Mike Post Theme Songs?

TV shows really do not have good theme songs anymore.

 

 

Personal TV Guide Update. I am going to finish up the last 2 seasons of Rescue Me. And then start on Breaking Bad. And to further complicate matters the next book in Game of Thrones series comes out soon in paperback.

There is always something

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