‘Shooter’ likely has had its last shot
Published 12:00 am Monday, October 1, 2018
- Ryan Phillippe was the star of “Shooter.”(Courtesy photo)
Q: I’m sorry to hear that “Shooter” has been canceled. Is there a chance another network might pick it up?
— Jeff Slate, via email
A: There’s always a chance, especially these days — and also since the show didn’t have a definitive ending, because its Season 3 finale was filmed before the cancellation notice came — but there really wasn’t much buzz about it being acquired elsewhere when this column was written.
“Shooter” actually survived a series of fits and starts to make it to a three-year-long history. Its debut was postponed twice in 2016 because of actual shootings that made USA Network deem the premiere’s timing inappropriate.
Then last year, star Ryan Phillippe broke his leg before production was completed on Season 2, so what was to be a 10-episode order was lessened by two — making that season finale unintended, just as the series finale turned out to be.
Q: My sister and I enjoyed watching Season 1 of “A Place to Call Home” on PBS this year. Apparently, there are six seasons. When can we expect to see Season 2?
— K.Z. Seyler, Temple, Pennsylvania
A: Though you may have seen the show on a PBS station, it’s actually not furnished by the PBS network, but by a syndication service that the station would have purchased it from. You may want to contact the station and inquire if it also will be showing subsequent seasons.
Even if not, there are other ways to see them. Up through Season 5, they’ve been released on DVD, and all six seasons are available to view via streaming from Acorn TV.
Q: I saw Dana Delany in something recently, and it made me realize how much I miss seeing her regularly. Will she be back on television soon?
— Julie Quade, Buffalo, New York
A: In fact, yes. The “China Beach” Emmy winner has been focusing on theater work lately, but another military-themed series is on the horizon for her. She’s been cast in CBS’ midseason drama “The Code,” playing the leader of a JAG division who oversees Marine Corps attorneys while being concerned about her sons who are stationed abroad. Luke Mitchell, Anna Wood and Broadway “Hamilton” alum Phillipa Soo also are in the show.
Q: What happened to Mary Elizabeth Winstead? I remember she was in both “BrainDead” and “Mercy Street,” and since then, nothing.
— John Royal, via email
A: She actually did a season of FX’s “Fargo” after those shows, and even if she hasn’t been visible in television terms lately, she’s been staying active in films. The actress currently is in the independent movie “All About Nina,” playing the title role of a stand-up comedian whose career is on the rise while her love life is a mess. Winstead also has completed two more upcoming features, “Gemini Man” (with Will Smith, for director Ang Lee) and “The Parts You Lose.”
Q: What was the last television series James Garner did?
— Jim Reynolds, Worthington, Ohio
A: That would have been the 2003-05 stint he did on ABC’s “8 Simple Rules” after the passing of John Ritter, when Garner was brought in to play the father of Katey Sagal’s character, and David Spade also was added as her nephew. Suzanne Pleshette — who had worked with Garner before, in the movies “Mister Buddwing” (1966) and “Support Your Local Gunfighter” (1971) — also appeared in his first four episodes as Sagal’s mother.
Q: I’m a huge James Bond fan, and I heard that Sean Connery once hosted a TV special about those movies. Do you know where I can find that?
— Stephen Mack, Providence, Rhode Island
A: That hosting almost happened, but it ultimately didn’t. “The Incredible World of James Bond” was a special created for NBC in 1965 to promote the then-upcoming release of “Thunderball.” Pepsi sponsored the hour, which topped that week’s ratings, and which was to have been narrated by Connery … but he backed out over his reported displeasure with the script.
Joan Crawford was a big shareholder in Pepsi at the time, and she personally tried to lure Connery back, but he remained steadfast — and veteran actor Alexander Scourby ended up delivering the narration, though Connery remains quite visible in the show through clips from the early Bond movies. Appropriately, the “Ultimate Edition” of “Thunderball” on home video includes the special.