WISH-CRAFT: "DREAM TEAM"

Over in the UK, the TV network Sky One has had a long-running drama about football (soccer to the Yanks) called 'Dream Team'. Recently Sky One announced that after ten years of broadcast, the drama about the Harchester United football club will finally cease production.

Richard Woolfe, director of programming at Sky One said: "We're going to go out with a bang.

"We're extremely proud of this series and want it to finish on a high, but like all good things, the series has come to a natural end."

Over the years, the series has featured cameo apperances by real-world sports figures as their televersions, like former football manager Ron Atkinson, and footballers Matt Le Tissier, Les Ferdinand and Dwight Yorke.

Jane Hewland, managing director of Hewland International, which produces the series, said: "We have had a wonderful ride - but we too think it is over, we have had a ball and learnt so much."

Well, before production of the 10th series begins in July, allow me to impart a valuable lesson.....

Make some crossovers with the rest of Toobworld!

First up, I think there should be a big special episode in which Sky One and the BBC team up their footballin' series. (The BBC has 'Footballers' Wives', a steamy soap that is currently airing over here in the States on BBC-America.)

It would be like one of those DC/Marvel matches in which Spiderman and the Batman team up against the Joker and the Green Goblin. It's a natural!

But they should also think about bringing in some TV characters from American shows, even if they turn out to be nothing more than a few low-level celebrities appearing as their tele-versions. Even though it's not the same sport, how about Joe Namath or John Madden or Mike Ditka? They've made appearances as themselves on other TV shows which could help solidify the place of 'Dream Team' in the TV Universe. Namath's appearance on 'The Brady Bunch' alone would probably do the trick.

But there is one TV character who serves as the nexus for connections made by sports figures appearing as themselves, and who would fit naturally into an episode of 'Dream Team':

'Arli$$'.

As played by Robert Wuhl, he'd be perfect for an episode of the footballer drama. The situation practically writes itself - hoping to expand his client base internationally, Michael Arliss flies to England in hopes of signing a few members of the Harchester United team before they hit it big.

It wouldn't even have to gum up the works for an entire episode; all that's needed is one scene of a meeting between Arliss and one of the main players in 'Dream Team'. How hard could that be?

As I mentioned above, production doesn't begin on the final season until July, so there's plenty of time for some high muckety-muck on the 'Dream Team' writing staff to stumble across this blog entry and realize this is a pretty cool idea.

But then again, this is a "Wish-Craft"......

BCnU!
Tele-Toby