1997: WISEGUY PILOT UK VHS RELEASE

From circa 1987 (when the show debuted on CBS) THE UK VHS rental release of WISEGUY's pilot episode.

It's interesting because - as far as I know - this TV movie opener was never granted a follow-up sell through edition.

The Stephen J, Cannell show clocked up an impressive 75 episodes across four well recieved, but mostly low rated, seasons. It ended in December 1990. The cast reunited for a one-time-only teleflick in 1996.

The show aired on Sky One in the UK and - I think - may also have briefly graced ITV's overnight schedules. It never gained the same cultural traction as its Vancouver stablemate 21 JUMP STREET.

It's notable for getting a homage to TWIN PEAKS on air before the show itself debuted.

The show is available on R1 DVD but the all-in-one release entirely omits the pop music arc because the rights proved too expensive to clear for a budget release.

I picked this VHS up from an ex-rental dump bin way-back-when.

1989: THE MEAN GREEN LETTERZINE (RIPTIDE) ISSUE 11

From 1989: THE MEAN GREEN LETTERZINE issue 11.

Remember the world before the internet and instant messages? Of course you do. One way that fandom stayed active was to write Letters of Comment (LoCs) about whatever subject or show tickled the writer's fancy. These would often appear in club newsletters or in standalone zines like this one.

This was, as the cover suggests, devoted to the Stephen J. Cannell show RIPTIDE from way-back-when. UK broadcasts were limited to a few episodes in a few regions (I discovered it on Thames where It played in the afternoon's alongside the swiftly cancelled TUCKER'S WITCH) so I think contributors were keeping up to date thanks to the long lost art of tape swapping.

I think the zine eventually broadened its horizons to cover other Cannell shows (the Eighties was his creative peak) or there may have been a companion zine with a broader remit. The memory cheats.

The title is a reference to something in the show... although the significance is lost on me. The helicopter (Eighties shows had to have moustaches and helicopters... The audience research demanded it) was definitely pink.