You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: What is the reason for Decades TV network changing its name to Catchy Comedy? All they did was switch their shows around to new time slots and dropped a few shows and added something else. Does that merit a whole new name?
A: Decades owner Weigel Broadcasting considers the late-March change a major rebranding and a refocus of the vintage-TV channel on comedy when it had previously included dramas and some nonfiction programs.
As a statement announcing the format said, “Weekdays we will showcase hilarious series with a strong appeal to women, or with female characters that redefined and expanded the role of women in television. Then in primetime we will feature groundbreaking comedy and characters from the legendary Norman Lear, and in late nights we will present some of the smartest and best written comedy series on television.” There are also comedy marathons on weekends.
Q: There was an actress in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s named Karen Steele. She appeared in some Randolph Scott Westerns and numerous TV shows. It looked like her career was going to take off. What happened? And was she the daughter of Bob Steele from “F Troop”?
A: Steele had an OK career, in movies and even more in television; a common estimate is she had more than 60 roles from the early 1950s until 1972 along with work in commercials. Her screen acting apparently ended after she married a psychiatrist and settled in Arizona. She died in 1988 of cancer; she was 56. She was not related to Bob Steele, who in addition to “F Troop” was a longtime star in Western movies.
By the way, Karen Steele’s credits include an episode of “Bonanza,” which leads into the next question.
Q: I recall a wonderful series called “The Ponderosa,” depicting the early days of “Bonanza” including a younger Cartwright family. It was so good but so short-lived; why must it be so forgotten? “Bonanza” fans would love it.
A: “The Ponderosa,” covering the development of the Cartwright ranch, originally aired on the old Pax network for a single season in 2001-2002. Daniel Hugh Kelly starred as Ben Cartwright. His sons — ages 12 to 21 in this show — were played by Matt Carmody (Adam), Drew Powell (Hoss) and Jared Daperis (Little Joe). It’s not quite forgotten. There was a DVD release of the first 10 episodes of the series, which you can still find. There are also some episodes on YouTube.
Q: A couple of months ago we watched an amazing TV episode on PBS about an autistic girl detective working in a basement full of records. We can’t remember the name of the episode and would like to find more.
A: The series is called “Astrid” on public television here, “Astrid et Raphaelle” in its original French telecasts. According to the Telly Visions website, “Sara Mortensen stars as Astrid Nielsen, a police librarian with high-functioning Asperger's syndrome who excels at analyzing files of ongoing investigations.” Two seasons are available on Amazon Prime Video. PBS Passport, the companion service for public station members, also has the first season. A second season will be on Passport on April 20 and then, according to Telly Visions, will land on PBS broadcast stations in the 2023-24 season. And there should be more down the road, since more seasons have shown overseas.
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