You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Do you know if they are going to have another series of 鈥淭he Halcyon鈥� on the Ovation channel? I enjoyed the program and the acting.
A: The British series set during World War II was cancelled by its overseas network, ITV, after a single season. One recent report in Britain鈥檚 Radiotimes.com said the studio was still looking for a possible new home for the program, 鈥渉aving already started on scripts for series two and planned out five years鈥� worth of wartime drama.鈥� But its return still looks like a very long shot.
Q: There is no doubt that the greatest 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� show ever made is 鈥淭he Orville.鈥� How many years did each of the other 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� shows last, and what years? How are the ratings for 鈥淭he Orville鈥�?
A: 鈥淭he Orville鈥� has done well enough to be picked up for a second season. Although there are several 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� veterans working on it, the Fox series is not technically a 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� program 鈥� more of an homage. As for the many 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� series, the first originally aired from 1966 to 1968, followed by 鈥淪tar Trek: The Next Generation鈥� (1987-1994), 鈥淪tar Trek: Deep Space Nine鈥� (1993-1999), 鈥淪tar Trek: Voyager鈥� (1995-2001), 鈥淓nterprise鈥� (later known as 鈥淪tar Trek Enterprise,鈥� 2001-2005) and the current 鈥淪tar Trek: Discovery鈥� (2017 to the present). There was also an animated series in 1973-75. And thank you for not asking me to talk about all the movies, too.
Q: Back in 1958 or so, there was a short-lived western called 鈥淭he Rough Riders鈥� (but not about Teddy Roosevelt). Three actors played Civil War veterans who roamed the west. I think the Union captain was played by John Russell, and the sergeant was Peter Whitney, but I can鈥檛 recall who played the young Rebel lieutenant. What was his name? Is the show available to buy?
A: The series, whose premise you remember well, aired on ABC for a single season in 1958-59. The former captain was not played by John Russell but by Kent Taylor. The sergeant was indeed played by Peter Whitney. And the lieutenant was played by Jan Merlin. I do not know of an authorized release of the show on video; I did see some episodes on YouTube.
Q: Has 鈥淢adam Secretary鈥� been canceled? Is there any chance it will return?
A: The CBS drama suffered a bout of Sunday Syndrome. Shows airing that evening tend to be scheduled against big events such as the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards (airing Sunday), and sometimes networks do not want to waste new episodes against such programming. You may have noticed that the Olympics as well sent shows into repeats or on hiatus for a couple of weeks. But 鈥淢adam Secretary鈥� will be back with new episodes beginning March 11.
Q: We have been watching 鈥淰ictoria鈥� on PBS and I am loving the haunting 鈥淎lleluia鈥� that permeates the episodes. Do you know the source and composer?
A: The theme and other music for the show were composed by musician Martin Phipps. According to RadioTimes.com, Phipps fell in love with Victoria (played by Jenna Coleman) after previewing the first episode and even changed some holiday plans 鈥渢o get to work on the composition.鈥� The vocals are by The Medieval Baebes. A 鈥淰ictoria鈥� soundtrack has been released, as well as a Medieval Baebes album called 鈥淰ictoriana.鈥� The first two seasons of the series are also on DVD and Blu-ray, and a third 鈥淰ictoria鈥� season is in the works.
Q: In the movie 鈥淪aving Private Ryan,鈥� who played the elderly Private Ryan at the beginning and end of the movie? Is he still alive?
A: While the young Ryan in the classic war film was played by Matt Damon, the older version of the character was played by Harrison Young. He has decades of credits in TV, film and stage productions, although 鈥淧rivate Ryan鈥� is probably his best-known role (and what a terrific performance). He died in 2005 at the age of 75.
