Pop Culture Roundup for July 28-August 4: From Mod Queens to Princes of Thieves

by Karen A. Romanko

This edition of Pop Culture Roundup, compiling my recent social media posts, highlights memorable TV characters, from the queen of 60s mod, Agent 99, to that prince of thieves, Hercule Flambeau. Yes, PCR is spanning the decades again, with almost as much spin as a carnival Round Up.

July 28: Main characters are the lifeblood of a TV series, but recurring characters can make a lasting impression in just a few appearances. Some that come to mind from mystery TV include Abigail Holt (Beverly Garland), mother of detective Laura Holt in Remington Steele, Stephen Fisher (Tim McInnerny), the Whitehall operative you love to hate on New Tricks, and Hercule Flambeau (John Light), the conflicted master thief on Father Brown. There are MANY more. Who are your favorite recurring (not main) characters on mystery and spy tv shows?

July 30: Female TV crimefighter of the day! Agent 99 of Get Smart (1965–1970). Barbara Feldon portrays Agent 99, a stylish operative for CONTROL, who makes her bumbling partner, Maxwell Smart (Don Adams), look good, not only with her willowy beauty, but also with her competence and “smarts.” “Nine,” as I like to call her, is also the cover model for my book Television’s Female Spies and Crimefighters (McFarland, 2016), and I couldn’t have asked for a better character to represent the subject. I also love her mod looks, and even owned a medallion like the one she is wearing on the cover. Here’s to you, 99!

July 31: Female TV crimefighter of the day! Allison DuBois of Medium (2005-2011, 130 episodes, USA). Patricia Arquette stars as Allison DuBois, a clairvoyant who uses her psychic gifts to help the Phoenix District Attorney’s Office prosecute cases and solve murders. Arquette’s Allison is tenacious and strong, yet vulnerable and sympathetic, demonstrating that seeing dead people is a tough way to make a living. Available on Hulu and Paramount+ via subscription, others for a fee.

August 2: Switching things up a bit...TV crimefighting couple of the day! Laura Holt and Mr. Steele of Remington Steele (1982-1987, 94 episodes, USA). When private investigator Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) puts her name on an office, but no one beats down her door, she invents the perfect male detective, Remington Steele, to head her agency and answer the expectations of clients. Little does she know that a charming con man (Pierce Brosnan) is about to assume Remington Steele’s identity and take her on a wild ride of mystery, comedy, and romance. Stylish, witty, charming and exciting, Remington Steele is still fresh four decades later. Some episodes available on Dailymotion for free, some on Hulu via subscription, etc.

August 3: A couple of great photo scores for my book in progress, Historical Women on Scripted Television. Left, Julie Harris as Florence Nightingale in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation The Holy Terror (1965). Right, Annette Crosbie as Catherine of Aragon in The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970). This project is fun and rewarding, with the coolest discoveries, but it is moving ever so slowly.

August 4: TV crimefighting couple of the day! Richard Castle and Kate Beckett of Castle (2009-2016, 173 episodes, USA). Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), a best-selling mystery author, is granted permission to shadow an NYPD homicide detective in hopes of gaining inspiration for a new series of novels. Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), a top-notch investigator, is the unwilling object of Castle’s attention, but comes to realize that Castle’s imagination and plotting skills help to solve cases, even if she has to abide an outlandish theory or two (or seven). These two begin to forge a professional relationship, but such opposites could never click on a personal level, could they? Currently showing on TNT, some local channels, and other services for a fee.

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Last, but not least, please check out my books about women and television from McFarland Publishers, available in trade paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon:

Television's Female Spies and Crimefighters and Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television
 On sale now!