Television theme songs can be something to revel in, and they can also drive you mad. They can rely on a lyrical message or an instrumental interlude. They can be made to order, or ripped from the pop charts. Love them or hate them, the best theme songs suck you in no matter when you hear them. Images of the show they represent saunter through your mind at the first word or the first chord. The X-Files theme is like that for me.

(Well, most of the images that come to mind when I hear it have more to do with my buddy Mo than with the show itself.) Here's that eerie theme: … continue reading

What is it about Nip/Tuck that attracts fabulous women? I’m serious. The list of past guest stars includes Famke Janssen, Vanessa Redgrave, Alanis Morissette, Jill Clayburgh, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathleen Turner, Brooke Shields and Jacqueline Bisset. Plus, Lauren Hutton, Madonna, Paula Marshall, Portia de Rossi, Jennifer Coolidge, Tia Carrere and Daphne Zuniga are scheduled for season 5. Now yet another lesbian crush has signed on — the icon formerly known as Christine Cagney, Sharon Gless.

Gless will appear in a four-episode arc as Colleen Rose, a talent agent who wants to represent Sean. (I guess even plastic surgeons need agents in Hollywood.) I’m glad Gless is building on her recent success in Burn Notice, the spy drama from USA that was one of summer TV’s nicest surprises. But I just can’t get in to Nip/Tuck. I’m not sure why. I mean, Dexter is one of my all-time favorite shows, and it’s nothing if not graphic. But Nip/Tuck makes me weak in the knees. And not in a good way. … continue reading

There's an interesting list over on DoubleVixen.com showcasing positive female TV characters. The list includes Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, George Lass from Dead Like Me, Zoe Washburne from Firefly and Rose Tyler from Dr. Who.

Looking at this compilation suggests several things. First, it suggests that the number of positive female characters on the telly is even lower than I thought. I know that the number of strong, intelligent women I see staring back at me from the TV screen is woefully inadequate. However, I didn't think it was so bad that we could only find five such examples, especially since three of them come from shows we can only see on DVD or in rerun land. Second, it suggests that Joss Whedon knows how to write wonderful women. Both Buffy and Firefly provided more than one example of a positive female character. Clearly this guy needs to write more TV shows. … continue reading

Some things just don't fly on American TV. For example, the unedited version of Tipping the Velvet will probably never air in the U.S., which is, frankly, tragic. Luckily, some things do eventually make it across the pond, like The Graham Norton Show, which airs on BBCA. I look forward to seeing the episode that features Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly. It recently aired in the U.K. in celebration of the release of the Cagney and Lacey season 1 DVD.

For now, I'll have to be satisfied with a clip — and I definitely, completely am. It involves hidden speakers and a two-way mirror in a ladies' room, but I can't really describe it. It's best to just watch. I'll offer one quote:

Daly: "Use your panties."
Gless: "I'm not wearing any panties."

Enjoy: … continue reading

The first Cagney & Lacey DVD release is just around the corner — it hits stores May 8. But when you first unwrap the set (don't tell me you're not going to buy it!), you might think you've purchased a defective one, because the first six episodes of the series will be missing. No, it's not a mistake or a marketing ploy: Producer Barney Rosenzweig decided to exclude the Meg Foster episodes.

I suppose that might have something to do with the fact that Rosenzweig is married to Sharon Gless, who replaced Foster when CBS pronounced her too dykey. But I can't say I mind — not because Foster was too butch (frankly, I don't know how you can be more butch than Gless-as-Cagney) but because Foster's ice-blue eyes kind of creep me out.

I mean, don't you think her freezy gaze is the reason Foster has played so many fantastical characters? Here she is as Evil-Lyn, Skeletor's sidekick in Masters of the Universe: … continue reading

by scribegrrrl

Season 1 of Cagney & Lacey will finally be released on DVD in early May. Yes!! (Amazon still has it slated for 2010, but that's incorrect.)

It almost didn't happen. On his blog (which consists of, um, only two posts), producer Barney Rosenzweig (that's Mr. Sharon Gless to me) refers to the story of "a pissed off producer and some clumsy handling of interior PR by a couple of major corporations." Unfortunately, he has already deleted the original blog post that told the story in full; he boils it down to "I ... was reminded that Cagney & Lacey has always been a good thing on which to hang one's hat and that David & Goliath is, after all, a great yarn."

According to the Miami Herald, the source of the trouble was the theme song — somebody forgot to secure the rights to the music. The Herald also notes that Cagney & Lacey survived more than one cancellation while it was on TV in the '80s. One of the resurrections was thanks to a protest by gay activists and media watchdogs, after a CBS executive said the show was canceled because viewers "perceived [Cagney and Lacey] as dykes."

(Click "read more" for more C&L.) … continue reading

Last night TNT aired a special new two-hour episode of The Closer, their popular summer series starring Kyra Sedgwick. It got me wondering: who are the best law enforcement officers in the history of TV? Currently, I'm enjoying Law and Order: CI's Maggie Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson), and - don't shoot me, Olivia fans - Benson's temporary replacement, Dani Beck (Connie Nielson). … continue reading