This past spring, I spent some time at the home of my parents in upstate New York. Which generally means that the Mets will be on TV more often than not.
As it turned out, however, there was one show the seventysomething folks watched even more often than the Mets - "Diagnosis Murder," that CBS whodunnit in which a doctor (played by Dick Van Dyke) catches killers every week.In addition to the weekly CBS airing, my parents tended to watch "Diagnosis Murder" reruns on the then-Family Channel just about every night. (The reruns have since moved to PAX TV.) And the fact that they like this show didn't exactly surprise me. This is a show that "skews old," as they say in the biz. Meaning that the majority of the viewers are over the age of 50.
What did surprise me somewhat was the fact that "Diagnosis Murder" turned out to be a much better show than I thought it was. And not just for viewers who are also members of AARP.
Oh, it's not the sort of show critics tend to gush over. It's not gritty and tough and realistic. It's pure entertainment, with likable stars and fun plot twists.
And then there are all those casting stunts. It started out by bringing back former TV detectives - Mike Connors as Mannix and Andy Griffith as Matlock. But it soon went far beyond that.
How about the episode that featured former "M*A*S*H" cast members (from both the TV series and the movie)? Or the episode that featured ex-TV doctors from "M*A*S*H," "Trapper John, M.D." and "Medical Center"? Heck, they even did one that reunited cast members from the old series "Emergency!"
And how could you not love the episode in which Regis Philbin plays a talk show host who shoots and kills his co-host - played by Kathie Lee Gifford?
Tonight's installment (8 p.m., Ch. 2) is another one of those reunion shows. Would you believe a "Diagnosis Murder" that features five former "Star Trekkers": George Takei (Sulu), Walter Koenig (Chekhov) and Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand) from the original series, and Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) from "Next Generation." Oh, and Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who has not only played three different "Trek" characters on the various incarnations (No. 1, Nurse Chapel and Lwaxana Troi) but is the widow of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry.
There are actually a couple of other sci-fi connections. Another guest star is Billy Mumy, who starred in both "Lost in Space" and "Babylon 5."
And series regular Barry Van Dyke (Dick's son) was in "Galactica 1980," the show that briefly succeeded the failed "Battlestar Galactica."
It probably won't come as any surprise that the plot of this particular "Diagnosis Murder" has a definite sci-fi flavor, although it's more like something out of "The X-Files" than "Star Trek." Jesse (Charlie Schlatter) believes he was kidnapped by aliens.
Heck, there's even a tie-in for local viewers. When Jesse is returned to Earth, he's deposited in - you guessed it! - Utah.
BEYOND BELIEF: As part of its big November sweeps lineup, Fox is planning to air a special titled "When Good Pets Go Bad" on Thursday, Nov. 12. It's an hour that "examines what happens when household pets and performance animals turn on their masters and includes stunning footage of cats, dogs, horses and even snakes getting out of control."
I am not making this up.
The folks at Fox must be so proud.
BEYOND BELIEF (PART 2): As part of its big November sweeps lineup, NBC is planning to air "Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets" on Sunday. We are promised that the special "will blow the lid off the insular world of professional wrestling."
Like we don't already know professional wrestling is fake?
I am not making this up.
The folks at NBC must be so proud.
BEYOND BELIEF (PART 3): Talk about your weird theme nights. CBS Eye on People is planning "Seven Deadly Sinners Night" on Saturday - three hours devoted to profiling "some of the most gruesome criminals of our times," including David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz, Richard "Nightstalker" Ramirez, "I-5 Killer" Roger Kibbe and "Tuesday Night Thrill Killer" William Lester Suff.
Gee, what fun.
Oh, and I am not making this up.
The folks at CBS must be so proud.
NO SURPRISE: In this season's least surprising programming move, UPN has yanked "The Secret Diaries of Desmond Pfeiffer" off the air effective immediately. Not because it is offensive and stupid but because no one was watching it.
The show will remain in production, however, and (inexplicably) UPN plans to return "Desmond" to its schedule at a later date.
For the duration of the November sweeps (which start today), UPN's Monday-night lineup is "Malcolm & Eddie" at 7 p.m.; "Guys Like Us" at 7:30 p.m.; another new episode of "Malcolm & Eddie" at 8 p.m.; and "DiResta" at 8:30 p.m.
Not that any of these shows is particularly good, but none of them is anywhere near as bad as "Desmond Pfeiffer."
IT'S A "BEAUTY": If you needed any more evidence of exactly how committed Disney-owned ABC is to its Sunday franchise "The Wonderful World of Disney," just look at the fact that the network will be airing the classic animated film "Sleeping Beauty" on Sunday, Nov. 15.
It will mark the first time the 1959 movie has ever been seen on television.