Sunday, July 25, 2010
By Rich Heldenfels
McClatchy Newspapers
Q. I say that Jennifer Aniston was in a sitcom before she was in “Friends.” Don’t remember the name, but she played the younger sister whose mother ran a cafe and had shot her husband.
A. Aniston made several tries at TV comedy before “Friends” hit in September 1994. The show you remember aired on CBS in the summer of ’94 and was called “Muddling Through.” Stephanie Hodge starred as Connie Drego, a woman working at her family’s truck stop after serving three years in prison for shooting her husband in the backside. But Aniston played Drego’s older daughter; Aimee Brooks played the younger one.
Q. Do you have any info on the long-haired, bearded actor Michael Riley? I think he’s great. He made a TV movie with Tracy Nelson.
A. The Canadian actor did indeed work with Nelson in the 2004 TV movie “Her Perfect Spouse.” I suspect you know him as Dr. Tom on “Being Erica,” the Canadian-made time-travel series airing on SOAPnet. He is 48 years old and also has appeared in “Flashpoint,” “Murdoch Mysteries,” “1-800-Missing” and other series as well as in movies such as “The Interrogation of Michael Crowe,” “Amistad” and “French Kiss.” His 2007 movie, “St. Urbain’s Horseman,” recently came out on DVD.
Q. I watched a TV show on TNN for years called “Club Dance.” Got to know the dancers like they were family. Then the show was gone. Do you know anything about it or the people? Is there a CD or DVD out on them? Have there ever been any reunions that you know about? I would appreciate hearing anything about the show.
A. The series aired on the old The Nashville Network from 1991 to 1999, with folks of various ages and sizes dancing to country hits. Shelley Mangrum hosted, and Phil Campbell was the bartender (strictly soda-pop, according to “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows”). As TNN was sold, retooled and finally turned into Spike TV, country-themed shows went bye-bye. I do not know of a CD or DVD tied to the show, but you can find some old clips on YouTube. And if you Google “Club Dance TNN,” you will find some sites devoted to the show.
Q. I am trying to find four made-for-TV movies after “Murder, She Wrote” went off the air and can’t seem to find them. The last episode was in May 1996, and the four movies ran between November 1997 and May 2003. Can you help me find them?
A. My best advice is to wait a bit. The way most TV series are released — when they are released in their entirety, which doesn’t always happen — is that sequel movies come out after the complete series has gone to DVD. Universal released the 11th season of the show’s 12 seasons in February. Amazon.com has been taking orders for a box of the 12th and final season, but I have not seen a release date.
Q. I recently bought “Joey: The Complete First Season” online. I love the show. I thought it ran for two seasons but cannot find the other for sale. Was there a second season and, if so, was it released to DVD and, if so, where can I buy a copy?
A. This brings us full circle from our first question, also about a former “Friends” star. “Joey,” the “Friends” spin-off starring Matt LeBlanc, ran for two seasons in 2004-06, although some of the second season never aired on NBC. The second season was released on DVD a couple of years ago — but, according to TVShowsonDVD.com, through the Canadian division of Warner Home Video. And you can order it online through the Canadian version of Amazon.com, which is (watch the last of the Web address carefully) www.amazon.ca.
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