MeTV is quickly becoming the destination for classic TV lovers — adding “The Waltons,” “Adam-12” and the ’60s-era “Dragnet” to its already stacked-with-oldies lineup.
That’s quite a bonanza for fans of television from a certain era — and, yes, “Bonanza” is also on MeTV’s schedule, along with oldies-but-goodies “Have Gun, Will Travel,” “The Big Valley,” the original “Star Trek,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Highway Patrol,” “Barnaby Jones,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Mannix,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “Perry Mason” (among many others).
“The Waltons,” “Adam-12” and “Dragnet” are interesting additions, capturing different eras in American history and, in the case of “Dragnet,” unintentional campiness when viewed through the prism of 2020. The series, produced by Jack Webb, was a reboot of his trailblazing 1950s series that introduced stiff, no-nonsense, monosyllabic LAPD Detective Joe Friday to TV viewers. (Webb was already playing him on the radio.) In 1967, Webb brought Friday back to NBC, this time in color, where, still stiff and monosyllabic, he was paired with Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan, later to star on “M*A*S*H”). Friday and Gannon (who provided the occasional humor) often dealt with Webb’s cartoonish interpretation of America’s hippy/drug culture — watch the series and you’ll see what I mean — while at the same time portraying the detectives’ often mundane work, one of the show’s “Just the facts, ma’am” trademarks.
Webb was also responsible for creating “Adam-12” (1968-75), starring Martin Milner and Kent McCord as LAPD cop partners Pete Malloy and Jim Reed — whose relationship, throughout the show’s seven-season run, morphed into a true friendship (reflecting Milner and McCord’s off-screen friendship).
“The Waltons,” a Depression-era, multi-generational family drama, originally aired on CBS from 1972-81 and was an immediate hit, transforming Richard Thomas (oldest son John-Boy) into a star and ending each episode with family members saying “goodnight” to each other, which quickly became a jokey reference point.
While some of these shows can be found elsewhere, this is as close to one-stop shopping as you can get for classic TV lovers who might not subscribe to streaming networks such as Amazon, Hulu or Netflix but have MeTV on their cable or satellite system (it’s widely available on FiOS, Comcast, Time Warner/Spectrum, Optimum, Dish et al.)
I also like what the network is doing to promote its lineup: pairing episodes of “The Honeymooners” with “The Flintstones” — a clever programming move, since Jackie Gleason’s ’50-era sitcom inspired the Hanna-Barbera cartoon (Ralph and Alice Kramden morphed into Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Ed and Trixie Norton into Barney and Betty Rubble). Fun fact: “The Flintstones” was the first animated series to air in prime time when it premiered on ABC in 1960.
The headlines were all about Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies when they replaced Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on Season 3 of “The Crown” — but it’s virtual newcomer Erin Doherty, who plays the heretofore ignored Princess Anne, who, in my opinion, is the new season’s biggest revelation.
“The Crown” marks Doherty’s biggest TV role to date and she’s wasted no time portraying Anne as spunky, feisty, sassy and quick-witted and as a sensitive confidante to her older brother, Charles (Josh O’Connor, who’s also quite good). Who knew? We certainly didn’t — Princess Anne continues to keep a low profile, even now — but as “The Crown” heads into the mid-to-late 1960s, both Princess Anne and Charles are evolving as rebellious, flesh-and-blood characters entering their 20s and experiencing the monotony and emotional void of royal life. If only this Charles knew what was to come …
