I grew up watching a lot of television. I’ve seen every episode of Gilligan’s Island, M*A*S*H*, The Brady Bunch, and several others, multiple times.
We live in the country, a few miles out of the city limits. For the last two years, we’ve only had satellite internet with limited download. It was not enough to stream videos from Netflix.
Then one magical day, our street became part of a service area for Clear. Suddenly we have unlimited download for half the price! We can stream videos. And there was great rejoicing.
In the midst of all the wonderful movie titles now available to us, I found a few of my old favorite television series. Magnum P.I., Quantum Leap, Night Court, and more are right there in my living room once again. I thought about how fun it would be to share these shows with my boys.
Then I worried just a little that maybe my memories had somehow transformed these sitcoms, mysteries, and dramas into something better than what they really were. Do you know what I mean? Perhaps the idea of the series was better than the actual show itself.
With a hint of trepidation, we began Quantum Leap. My family loves time travel adventures and Scott Bakula. I figured this was a safe bet. I was not disappointed. Yes, there may be a few cheesy 80’s references, and Al’s wardrobe is completely over the top, but that’s completely within character.
The story holds up. The main characters are deep and loveable. We have a blast seeing who the “guest star” characters will be with each new episode. We watched “Play It Again, Seymour” (season 1, episode 9) and, to our delight, found Willie Garson, Mozzie of White Collar, playing the endearingSeymour.
With the plethora of less than interesting television series available, I was happy to discover that the shows that made me smile all those years ago still held their energy. Wit and charm never goes out of style. Good actors are good actors.
If you haven’t seen any Quantum Leap, it’s worth the watch. It’s fun TV with a good message that every person is important, and one courageous action can change the future.
That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema. Thanks for reading!
Oh Boy………