Franko

There was also a line from Gary, which I want to say came around the time he lost the ranch. "(possibly paraphrased) Daddy loved the land for what it could give him. Mama loved it for what it was."

I just finished "The Christening," which features an especially out of character scene for Greg, literally pulling Laura out of the car belonging to her work friend, the guy Greg thinks is Laura's new boyfriend.

Ha! I was waiting-hoping for someone to make the joke for me.

I'm up to "When the Cat's Away," and I got a mostly "adequate" answer about Sheila Fisher. She and Harry couldn't legally adopt because she had a nervous breakdown. Based on what I saw, I figured Sheila was bipolar. Also, hel-lo there, Jonathan Goldsmith. That grey tank top looked mighty nice on you.

Yeah, all roads in Malone's OLTL tend to lead back to that idea.

How about Viki's cousin, Richard Abbott? It could lay the groundwork for the idea that there are monsters in even privileged families (looking at you, Powell and Victor).

It was worse than that. For Christmas in the third season, both Richard and Scooter bought Laura a new car. Scooter's was nicer, and Richard insisted Laura accept it.

I found myself rewatching the infamous "Empty Nests" episode of The Golden Girls*, and it suddenly clicked. Susan Harris must have looked at it as a chance to at least partially avenge It Takes Two. *Dorothy voice: "It was on YouTube, on a channel I subscribe to, and I hadn't seen it in a while, and WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME?!"

I just had to keep going, and am up to the start of Season Seven. Did they ever say exactly what Sheila Fisher's issue is? I don't want to give her an armchair diagnosis.

The patron saint of bad recasts.

The movie musical remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington that Chris is filming in The Exorcist, the novel. In the film, it's Crash Course.

Oh, not a problem. I just figured I'd indulge in some shameless self-promotion and possibly revive my old thread.

Oh my god, Sue Ellen's checkered traveling suit when she and Pam went to Hong Kong ...

As it happens, I created that very thread!

D'oh! That makes sense. In that case, Jill Larson (AMC) as Opal. She had the additional advantage of the character being offscreen for a half-decade.

Oh, I've got another -- Melody Thomas Scott as Nikki.

GH: Leslie Charleson as Monica.

What an enjoyably juicy thread this has become! Speaking of the Designing Women ladies, anyone want to appraise Jean Smart?

We might have to start a thread on "Biggest Celebrity Jerks." Pernell Roberts is currently holding a commanding lead.

I'm up to "The Brothers Ewing" from Season 7. I know it won't last long, but there is something striking in there being absolutely no woman around with a shoulder (or more) for J.R. I initially thought of Sly, but she was on her sabatical from Ewing Oil. I don't suppose Kendall had any interest in a hookup?

Had Landon lived, I wonder if Us would have made it to the other side of CBS ill-fated attempt at being hip and trendy, the 1995-96 season. Michael Landon being a guy probably would have helped him with Les Moonves.

Elizabeth Montgomery: Constant supporting actress and guest star work in the '50s and early '60s. Bewitched -- She deserved the Emmy for her work in the first season. There's lots of hidden (screen) gems, like Samantha's understanding and empathy for human behavior. I'm thinking specifically of the episode where Darrin's dad has a midlife crisis. Password player extraordinare. Queen of the TV movies for the rest of her life.

Agreed. He also seemed to have been well-liked, which obviously helps keep a guy working consecutively for 30+ years. I should check out some of John's TV movies. There's Gramps, from 1995, with evil Andy Griffith. Or The Only Way Out, from 1993, with John facing off against Henry Winkler.

John Ritter: Lots of guest work in the '70s, plus a recurring role on The Waltons. Three's Company, the show that put him on the map, allowed for the occasional movie (Americathon, Hero at Large, They All Laughed), and eventually earned him an Emmy. Three's a Crowd, a too-late and unnecessary star vehicle. Hooperman, which might have been ahead of its time and really had no place on late '80s ABC. The actor for hire years, with projects as all over the place as the Problem Child movies to the original IT to The Dreamer of Oz to an arc on Anything But Love. I feel John's casting in a lot of these cases was meant for irony-kitsch. Fish Police -- was never going to work. Hearts Afire -- sandwich show; crashed and burned once it had to carry its weight. The actor for hire years, part II, with a more diverse (respectable?) batch of projects; I really liked his run as Ben's [!@#$%^&*] father on Felicity. The role I would have loved to have seen him play was one of Beverly Leslie's relatives on Will & Grace (who, naturally, falls for Karen). Clifford the Big Red Dog; never watched it, but that seems like solid casting. 8 Simple Rules; I remember John's comeback being a big deal. SNL had a parody commercial for ABC's sitcoms with John, Bonnie Hunt, and Jim Belushi ("Last Chance Tuesdays"). Who's to say how things would have wound up, but I think that had he lived, John would probably still be in actor for hire mode, with guest spots and arcs for anything and everything. The Big Bang Theory is a given.

Chad Everett might have still been too much of a name to do daytime in 1978, less than two years after Medical Center ended.