RETURN ENGAGEMENTS 2010

Every year I put together a list of TV characters and locations that I'd like to see make a return appearance on TV, even if the shows that spawned them no longer are broadcast.It's not as difficult as it sounds. There have been instances in the past where TV characters from shows long gone have appeared in other programs.

A few examples:

Dr. Bob Hartley & Carol Kester ('The Bob Newhart Show') - 'Murphy Brown'

Elliot Carlin ('The Bob Newhart Show') - 'St. Elsewhere'

Warren Coolidge ('The White Shadow') - 'St. Elsewhere'

Alan Brady ('The Dick Van Dyke Show') - 'Mad About You'

Cinnamon Carter ('Mission: Impossible') - 'Diagnosis Murder'

Here is the list of characters I've suggested in the past whom I'd like to see return for one more turn in the Toobworld spotlight:

Zoe Heriot, 'Doctor Who'

Gotham City, 'Batman'

Dr. Joel Fleischman, 'Northern Exposure'

'Honey West'

Agent Dale Cooper, 'Twin Peaks'

James West, 'The Wild, Wild West'

Ford Prefect, 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'

Brother 'Cadfael'

'The Time Tunnel'

Dr. Sam Beckett, 'Quantum Leap'

Ann Marie (Hollinger), 'That Girl'

Dr. Miguelito Loveless, 'The Wild, Wild West'

And here are last year's additions:

Adam Cartwright, 'Bonanza'

Kevin Arnold, 'The Wonder Years'

Andromeda, 'My Favorite Martian'

The Tenctonese, 'Alien Nation'

Alicia, 'Flying Blind'

Lorne, 'Angel'

Sadly, two of those characters from last year have to be removed from the permanent list. Andy Halleck, who played the green-skinned demon Lorne in 'Angel' died last year, and Pernell Roberts, the last of the Cartwright clan on 'Bonanza', passed away recently.

It looks like the Tenctonese could be coming back, as an updated version of 'Alien Nation' is in the works. However, the project sounds like it would have to be relegated to an alternate dimension.

You'll note that Dr. Loveless is still on the list, even though Michael Dunn has been dead for over thirty years. But it's the Toobworld Central contention that Dr. Loveless was part Gallifreyan and that he could regenerate. Although most of the time when he did so on 'The Wild, Wild West' he kept the same body, eventually he could transfer his intelligence to another person, or regenerate his own body to a new form. (I think Warwick Davis would make for an excellent new incarnation of the not-so-good doctor. And it could be claimed he underwent plastic surgery.)

This year, I've only got one suggestion. So here is the TV character I'd like to see make a return appearance on our screens:

THE MINBARI Okay, so it's a whole planet full of characters! J. Michael Straczynski's world of 'Bablyon 5' haven't been heard from since the 2007 release of "The Lost Tales". I think it's time to bring back that corner of the TV Universe, but with a focus on the Minbari. With the popularity of "Avatar" at the box office, I think the time is right to explore an alien world, with maybe just one or two human characters for the audience to identify with. But the center of attention should be the Minbari and their caste system and the planet of Minbar itself. (A great description of the Minbari and their world and their lives can be found here.)

Failing that, I'd just like to see a Minbari cameo, even if only in the background, of some other sci-fi series. I miss those boneys.

BCnU!