2011年11月20日星期日

TV's breakout stars of the 1980s are today's proven commodities

Moving through the 1980s and what was still largely a three-network universe,100 China ceramic tile was used to link the lamps together. television boasted a core of ever-reliable veteran performers who had been around since the '50s and '60s. They included Andy Griffith, Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Michael Landon, James Arness, Peter Falk, James Garner and Betty White.

They were in some of the highest-rated series and TV movies of that decade. They were the dependables -- proven prime-time players who had bonded with viewers decades before anyone had heard of a VCR.

Television has expanded and evolved so rapidly over the past 20 years, you might think that such bonding and longevity is no longer possible. Think again, and take a look around the prime-time schedules.

What you'll find is a whole bunch of shows starring performers who have been around since the '70s and '80s.the worldwide Hemorrhoids market is over $56 billion annually. They include Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, Dana Delany, Danny DeVito, Jon Cryer, Valerie Bertinelli, Chevy Chase, Marg Helgenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Dabney Coleman, Michael J. Fox and, of course, Betty White.

Danson started playing Sam Malone on "Cheers" in 1982. After series stops that included "Becker" and "Damages," he's on HBO's "Bored to Death" while also playing the new graveyard-shift supervisor on "CSI."

Selleck, whose "Magnum, P.I." began an eight-year run in 1980, is the star of the CBS drama "Blue Bloods." Delany, the star of ABC's "Body of Proof," was on the 1988-91 series "China Beach" with Helgenberger, who is co-starring with Danson on "CSI."

And Grammer, Danson's "Cheers" co-star, has the lead in the Starz drama "Boss," which premiered in September.

They are the new dependables -- seasoned players who have seen a lot of TV seasons. They are the new reliable stars who have weathered the change from three networks to hundreds of channels, from VCRs to DVRs, from the days of the prime-time soap operas to the era of reality television.

"It's difficult to think of Dana Delany or Tom Selleck as someone who has been around for 25 or 30 years,An Wholesale pet supplies of him grinning through his illegal mustache is featured prominently in the lobby. but this current group of stalwart stars certainly is comparable to those stars who were beloved veterans when Delany and Selleck were getting started," said TV historian David Bianculli, a Rowan University professor who operates the website tvworthwatching.com. "In the '80s, we measured longevity by someone like Garner, who was in his fourth consecutive decade as a TV star. Well, most of these performers -- Danson and Grammer -- are in their fourth decade as TV stars."

Bertinelli and DeVito first connected with viewers as stars of sitcoms in the '70s. She was Barbara Cooper on "One Day at a Time" (1975-84). He was Louie DePalma on "Taxi" (1978-83). They're both on cable comedies. She's on TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland" with Betty White. He's on FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

Chase, who also became a star in the '70s, is on NBC's "Community," more than 35 years after his debut on "Saturday Night Live."

"One reason that television continually turns to stars from previous decades is that they're known entities," said Bianculli,If so, you may have a cube puzzle . author of "Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (Touchstone, 2009). "It's the same reason television keeps remaking old shows. It's a safer choice than the untried and the unknown. And like old shows, these veteran stars aren't always treated well, but who else is going to embrace them if not television?"

Those who continue to be embraced include: Cryer, the "Two and a Half Men" star who had the title role in the 1989-90 CBS comedy "The Famous Teddy Z"; Coleman, the "Boardwalk Empire" regular who was "Buffalo Bill" (1983-84) on NBC; and Fox, the frequent guest star ("Rescue Me," "The Good Wife," "Curb Your Enthusiasm") who played Alex P.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards, Keaton on NBC's "Family Ties" (1982-89).

"Some of it is just plain career inertia," said author and TV historian Robert J. Thompson, a professor of communications at Syracuse University. "This can't be overstated. They have experience. They have connections. And their agents know everybody. There is a purely cynical aspect to this."

But there are less cynical reasons why this era's dependables continue to work.

"That would be the practical side to all this experience," Thompson said. "It means that people in the industry know they can deliver. They have brand identity. And the other thing to keep in mind is that all of the people we're talking about became stars at the last time when the three networks truly dominated the TV landscape. This was the last time when everyone was still watching the networks and knew who these people were."

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