Q: I heard a British actor mention something that made me think that "Ghosts" originally was a British TV show. Is that correct? And if yes, can we see it somewhere?
A: Yes, there is a British series that inspired the CBS hit. It began in 2019 and has had five seasons totaling about three dozen episodes. Because of the lack of fresh programming caused by the recently ended actors strike, CBS will begin airing episodes of the British show (with the title "Ghosts UK") on Thursday following repeats of "Ghosts." It also will stream the show on Paramount Plus, which already has the U.S. "Ghosts." Three seasons of the British series are available on Prime Video, for a fee. The BBC website (bbc.co.uk) lists all five seasons in its online player, but "rights issues" block access from outside of England.
Old favorites
Q: Is there any way to watch some of the Saturday morning TV shows from the 1960s such as "Fury," "Roy Rogers" and "Sky King"? Are they available anywhere?
A: You just sent me back into my youth, where I watched the three shows you mentioned and more. "Fury," which originally aired from 1955 to 1960, was a show about a boy (Bobby Diamond) and his horse Fury; the cast also included Peter Graves. "The Roy Rogers Show," starring the king of the cowboys and his wife, Dale Evans, first showed from 1951 to 1957. "Sky King" (1951-59) featured Kirby Grant as the title character, a pilot who engaged in various adventures. All three shows were rerun for many years after the dates I mentioned.
One place you can find episodes of each is on Tubi, a free streaming service. It also has a package of Roy Rogers movies. There also are broadcasts of "Fury" and "Roy Rogers" on digital network Retro TV, along with some other vintage westerns; you can learn more at getafteritmedia.com.
'Midwife' delivery
Q: We were late in discovering "Call the Midwife" on PBS and have been trying to find out how to watch earlier seasons. Any suggestions?
A: One place is Netflix, which lists 12 seasons of the series about midwives in London in the 1950s and '60s.
No further plans
Q: Is there any chance of bringing back HBO's "Perry Mason" and/or "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" on another streaming platform?
A: For those of you tuning in late, "Perry Mason" was a gritty reboot of the Erle Stanley Gardner tales, with Matthew Rhys in the title role; it ran for two seasons. "Winning Time" dramatized events around the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, with some arguments about its accuracy; it also lasted two seasons.
As for what's next, "Winning Time" executive producer Kevin Missick told Vulture.com that while he had wanted to keep the series going, the wrap-up ending is "powerful and emotional." Going forward, he said, "If the universe wants more Lakers, the universe knows where to reach us."
I have not seen any news about "Perry Mason" finding new life after HBO, beyond one producer telling TV Line, "I would love the opportunity. I think that there's so much story to tell with these characters."
Write to brenfels@gmail.com.
