Television Q&A

By Rich Heldenfels

Q. Tom Selleck, who plays Frank Reagan on “Blue Bloods,” is not the patriarch, as you said recently. Frank Reagan’s dad, played by Len Cariou, is the patriarch in the series.

A. Though Henry is the eldest of the family, that does not necessarily make him the patriarch. In my Webster’s, the first definition of “patriarch” is “the father and ruler of a family or tribe.” CBS’ description of “Blue Bloods” says that Tom Selleck’s character, Frank, “heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family.” That, to me, indicates while Henry is certainly respected, Frank is the Reagan patriarch. And I am not the only person to refer to him as such (although a few sources mention Henry as the patriarch).

But since we’re talking about Selleck, here’s a question involving another role he plays, Jesse Stone.

Q. Did Robert B. Parker live long enough to see Tom Selleck portray Jesse Stone and, if so, did he approve? I seem to remember he wasn’t too fond of Robert Urich as Spenser.

A. Parker, whose novels inspired both the Stone movies and the various Spenser productions (some starring Urich, others with Joe Mantegna), died in 2010. A fistful of Stone movies had aired by then (and another is coming, for Hallmark). Parker had approved Selleck’s casting and once wrote, “Tom nails the character.” Parker even helped promote “Thin Ice,” the fifth Stone movie, although it was not drawn from one of his books.

As for Spenser, Parker wrote in 2006: “I don’t think the right guy has come along yet for Spenser. Bob Urich had the build, and Joe Mantegna really understood the character. If Robert Mitchum were around and in his prime, he would have seemed about right.”

Q. I really like “Battle Creek,” but I heard when it was new that it wasn’t going to make it. Is this true? How can I pass on my vote?

A. Too late. I liked the show, too, and the producing combination of “Breaking Bad’s” Vince Gilligan and “House’s” David Shore seemed winning. So did the interplay among Dean Winters, Josh Duhamel and the rest of the ensemble cast. (Did you know that Janet McTeer is an Oscar nominee?) Alas, not enough other people (especially young adults) watched. So CBS decided not to give it a second season.

Q. We recently watched the Tom Cruise movie “Jack Reacher.” Throughout the movie I was sure that the female attorney was Jenna Elfman, but the credits show that she is Rosamund Pike. The two look and even sound alike. Are they twins, Elfman’s alter ego or even related?

A. There is no family connection between Californian Elfman and Pike, a native of England whose fame has risen considerably because of her riveting, Oscar-nominated performance in “Gone Girl.”

Q. I am wondering what happened to my favorite show called “Gang Related.” I don’t think they are coming back, but how about a DVD?

A. The series ended after airing 13 episodes in 2014. A DVD set was released in December. If your local retailer does not have it, I have seen it for sale online, including on Amazon.com. The series also is available digitally via iTunes and Amazon.com.

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2015 Akron Beacon Journal

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