It's a quiet start to the week. I guess thank the US Presidents Day.

And so we begin with...

The A-Team turns 40

A trend I have enjoyed of late is the republication of TV reviews by The Hollywood Reporter. Here's the THR review of the first episode of The A-Team from critic Richard Hack (that can't have been his real name...?).

Just what George Peppard is doing in a show like this is a question best left unanswered. At any rate, Peppard leads his “Team” which includes Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz, Mr. T (of Rocky III fame, complete with his built-in snarl and indecipherable speech). They also have a newspaper-reporter side kick, Melinda Culea. They have names like Hannibal Smith, the Face and R.A. Baracus; and between them they don’t look like they could explode their way out of a tent, much less rescue a teenager brainwashed by a religious cult.
‘The A-Team’: THR’s 1983 Review
On Jan. 23, 1983, NBC premiered the action series, which went on to run for five seasons at the network.
The Hollywood ReporterRichard Hack

Speaking of retro TV reviews....

Here's Kenneth Lowe at Paste ooking back at the final episode of M*A*S*H*.

Is it a sitcom? Is it a dramedy? What kind of show it is really depends on when you’re watching it during its 11-season run—a run nearly four times longer than America’s involvement in the war it’s about. (Somebody did the math: At 256 episodes set during a war that lasted 1,128 days, each episode of M*A*S*H either represents about four days of real-world time or exists in some kind of purgatorial temporal loop.)

I noticed yesterday that Disney+ in Australia has on its service as a movie, seperated away from the series, which is weird and frustrating if you're watching the series and don't know).

FYI, the final episode aired in 28 Feb 1983, so its 40th anniversary is not too far off.

That’s All, Folks: M*A*S*H and How to Say “GOODBYE” When You’ve Been on Longer Than the War You’re About
No scripted television show before, and no episode of any show in the 40 years since, has ever had more eyeballs on it at the same time.
Paste MagazineKenneth Lowe
  • UK presenters Ant & Dec have extended their contract with ITV, meaning they will reach 25 years with the network. Read: Deadline
  • Despite some pundits suggesting the streamers wouldn't be getting out their oversized checkbooks for the Sundance film festival, here's Netflix announcing a $20 million acquisition for movie Fair Play. Read: Variety
  • Stay in this Valentines Day with the new Jim Jefferies stand-up special on Netflix. Read: Variety
  • The Apple TV+ library of shows has been shows that Apple have largely owned. It doesn't usually license TV series. That has changed with the acquisition of Japanese series Drops of God, based on the manga comic about wine. Read: Deadline
  • Pamela Anderson has accused Tim Allen of flashing her on the set of Home Improvement. Thankfully no such claims could be made of next door neighbour Wilson... Read: Indiewire
  • Samsung is in talks to bring its streaming service Samsung TV Plus to TCL TVs. Currently it is only available on Samsung-branded devices. Read: The Verge
  • RIP McHales Navy star Yoshio Yoda. He passed at age 88. Read: Deadline

The Last of Us easter egg

For something a bit fun, if you do a search for The Last of Us TV show (which is about fungus zombie people) on Google, a mushroom appears on screen:

Click the mushroom and your screen begins to be taken over:

Keep pressing and it gets wild...

The Law According To Lidia Poet debuts on Netflix 15 Feb.

In this gripping period drama, Lidia Poët investigates murders while fighting to practice law. Inspired by the true story of Italy's first female lawyer.

That's it for today. Tomorrow... more newsletter.