You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Several years ago, one of the major networks debuted a show about an Elon Musk-type character coming into the Chicago Police Department with a sophisticated computer network geared to catch criminals in the act with technology. It went off the air quickly. What was this show and what was the history behind it?
A: The show was called “APB,” and it aired briefly in 2017. Justin Kirk starred as a tech billionaire who tried to improve law enforcement while running a police district in Chicago. The show was reportedly inspired by a New York Times Magazine article, “Who Runs the Streets of New Orleans,” about a wealthy businessman who set up “a private police patrol that could be summoned via mobile app.”
Q: I'm all for being healthy, but Billy Gardell looks like he is dying. He has aged 20 years. I can't watch his show anymore — he creeps me out. Why would an actor do that to himself?
A: It’s often a surprise when a performer we think we know makes a dramatic change. I still remember all the letters that came in after “NCIS’s” Sean Murray lost a lot of weight. With Gardell, the “Bob Hearts Abishola” star had compelling reasons to drop from what was once 370 pounds. He told “Entertainment Tonight” he has worked his way down to 212 after “a long journey."
“At first I developed Type 2 diabetes,” he told ET. With medication and taking better care of himself, "I lost about 30 pounds. But then COVID hit, and when they punched up all the markings that made you 'at risk,' I had all of them except 'over 65.’ ” (Gardell is 53.) He also had bariatric weight-loss surgery "And then I just changed everything I did … You have a small window to change the way you live, the way you eat, the way you exercise, and so far I've been able to do that.”
Q: Whatever happened to “Barkskins”? Its first season ended with a cliffhanger.
A: The series based on Annie Proulx’s novel aired for a single, eight-episode season in 2020. National Geographic called it a “limited series” before it aired, although plenty of those end up finding more to tell. Still, there has been no news about a second season.
Q: Can you tell me where I can find episodes of the original “The Equalizer” starring Edward Woodward?
A: Before the Queen Latifah TV series, before the Denzel Washington movies, there was the TV series “The Equalizer” in 1985-89. Edward Woodward played Robert McCall, a former spy turned helper of the troubled. (Washington’s character keeps the Robert McCall name; Queen Latifah is Robyn McCall.) NBC.com has episodes from the second through fourth seasons on its website; it lists the first-season episodes but says the video is no longer available. There were also DVD releases of the show, including a complete series box set.
UPDATE: For those of you still wondering when Maggie Bell, played by Missy Peregrym, will be back on “FBI,” her return is slated for the Nov. 15 episode. Says CBS: “Maggie returns from medical leave in time to help the team investigate two homicides: a law student on track to attend the FBI Academy and a young man with possible gang ties. Also, an inadvertent revelation from Maggie causes OA to worry that she is rushing back into the job too quickly.”
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