Sweeping Strings

A point of interest from the summer of '89 was the grittiest Bond to date going up against the combined 'weight' of Indy, Batman and Lethal Weapon ... and coming off worse.

Ah, I should've checked that I guess.

Leviathan - late 80s 'something nasty in the depths' number that rips off Alien, The Thing and The Abyss without being as good as any of them, in which an ocean floor mining project accidentally brings some sort of genetic experiment onto their base of operations from a Russian wreck. Decent sets and modelwork and some enjoyably rubbery Stan Winston creations, but stilted performances (apart from Daniel Stern) don't do it any favours. With Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Ernie Hudson, Hector Elizondo and Amanda Pays. DVD transfer on YouTube.

I saw Serenity before I'd seen Firefly, so I was admittedly a little lost at times. Ah, Firefly ... cool concept (Western in space), action-packed, funny, and one of the most attractive TV casts ever assembled. Should've been a multi-season hit instead of a one-and-done flop.

All I know of it really are some Simpsons gags about it. Don't think it was ever really a 'thing' on UK television.

Ah yes. But in every other sense, No No Seven.

As I said to Jay, possibly I should've specified spin-off SITCOM (and maybe to narrow it down even more, 'from another sitcom'. I wasn't expecting my original musing-out-loud post to undergo this amount of analysis, to be honest) ... that must at least make Frasier a strong contender on both the longevity and audience fronts. They're no guarantee of success, of course ... I'm sure the makers of Joey thought it would be a surefire hit, and we all know how that went.

I already liked the OJ gag from the previous trailer, and I must admit Neeson being handed a coffee while driving on the freeway and the 'man's laughter/manslaughter' bits both made me chuckle.

Seem to remember reading about OHMSS' US TV premiere ... ABC split it into 2 parts broadcast across 2 nights, I think?

I guess you could count continuing to draw a substantial audience as a show's success marker, which in turn usually ensures that more of it is made. @Jay, point taken about Law And Order ... perhaps I should've said 'spin-off sitcom'.

On his ruthlessness in the pre-credits sequence ... DAF was on telly yesterday afternoon and I caught the start. It cut right after Connery's 'There's something I'd like you to get off your chest' line to Blofeld consulting with his plastic surgery boffins. Ah, 'TV versions' ... don't you just love 'em, said nobody ever.

If what happened to the revival is anything to go by original Frasier was very much a case of the stars aligning, catching lightning in a bottle, getting all your ducks in a row etc. Just wondering ... would it be the most successful spin-off show ever? I think it actually had more seasons than Cheers.

Wasn't Spaceballs generally regarded as the one where 'the wheels started to come off' Brooks' spoofs? Apart from anything else, there was a feeling that it coming 4 years after ROTJ was 'missing the boat' somewhat if I recall rightly.

'Do you exhpect my car to talk?'

I wonder has word reached Bryan Adams of its title. 'That's NOT what I meant, dammit!'