Pop Culture Roundup for January 20-February 27: TV Mystery and History

by Karen A. Romanko

I’m back with a roundup of my social media posts about popular culture, this time emphasizing work on my book in progress, Historical Women on Scripted Television, and mystery/crime/spy series for my Facebook group Mystery TV--British and American Series. This edition spins through the years, from the 1960s through the present, without skipping a decade, using my own little TV time machine. Please stay seated until the roundup comes to a complete stop.

January 20: My research for my books always takes me to interesting TV places. I’m currently working on Empress Alexandra, wife of Nicholas II of Russia, for my book Historical Women on Scripted Television. She led me to an episode of Forever Knight, a story about a vampire cop (Geraint Wyn Davies) seeking redemption. In “Strings” (1995), Alexandra (Caroline Yeager) appears as the empress in flashbacks. Rasputin (Sam Malkin) turns out to be a vampire, so everything makes more sense now. Below, Davies and Yeager.

February 2: I just finished writing up Abigail Adams for my book in progress, Historical Women on Scripted Television. When Abigail’s husband, future president John Adams, was working with the Continental Congress on the Declaration of Independence, she had a few notes. “And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” In this photo, Leora Dana is Abigail to George Grizzard’s John in the 1976 miniseries The Adams Chronicles.

February 5: Patrick McGoohan in some of his memorable mystery/spy/crime roles. Clockwise from left: Number six in The Prisoner, John Drake in Danger Man/Secret Agent, Dr. Syn in The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, and Nelson Brenner in Columbo, one of his four guest appearances on the series. Fascinating actor!

February 11: The Avengers. John Steed (Patrick Macnee) with partners Emma Peel (Diana Rigg, Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Tara King (Linda Thorson), and umbrella (uncredited). 

February 16: Here are 10 of my favorite mystery/crime/spy series that are on the cozy rather than grim side. They span the decades and are not confined to the UK. All are from my DVD collection. Feel free to add to the list in the comments.

Father Brown
Lovejoy
Marple
McMillan & Wife
Miss Scarlet and the Duke
Monk
Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries
Remington Steele
Rosemary & Thyme
Scarecrow and Mrs. King

February 20: Twin Peaks (1990–1991) was a genre unto itself, surrealistic soap opera, macabre crime series, celebration/parody of small town life, all wrapped in plastic. Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn, and more beautiful people than you can shake a stick at, the series posed the question of “who killed Laura Palmer,” a puzzle which captivated viewing audiences for a time. Once the question was answered, viewers defected in droves, although some of us stuck it out until the end. Showtime ran a continuation of the original show as a limited series in 2017, which I didn’t see. Did you watch either or both?

February 22: A photo from my book Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (McFarland, 2019). Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) goes undercover as a showgirl to investigate an army of “Fembots” in The Bionic Woman (1976–1978). I just love the word “Fembot.“ Photo: Lindsay Wagner and Fembot as herself (itself?)

February 25: I just reached 40,000 words on my book in progress, Historical Women on Scripted Television, to be published by McFarland. I’m shooting for 80,000 words, so I’m halfway there! The TV series Meeting of Minds was a great find, with lots of historical women portrayed, often by Jayne Meadows. Look at some of her transformations below!

February 27: While watching “No Marks for Servility,” a fascinating 1964 episode of Danger Man/Secret Agent, the pretty young woman playing Judy looked familiar to me. I quickly realized it was Francesca Annis, known to TV mystery fans for Partners in Crime and generally for her seven-decades career in movies, television, and theater. Here she is with Patrick McGoohan as John Drake, who has been forced to go undercover as a butler. But Drake’s innate lack of “servility” doesn’t go unnoticed by his boss/prey Gregori (Howard Marion-Crawford), leading to some rich and tense tests of Drake’s patience and professionalism.

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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!