TV • PAGE 25
THE BULLETIN • APRIL 1 - 7, 2021
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“Movie: E.T. the Extra-
Terrestrial”
Steven Spielberg’s 1982 sci-fi fantasy
remains one of the most beloved films
of modern times, with the bug-eyed
title alien character and his 7-year-old
co-star, Drew Barrymore, sharing the
prize for adorability. Henry Thomas
(”Legends of the Fall”) stars as the little
boy who bonds with the stranded alien
and helps him “phone home.” Dee
Wallace and Peter Coyote also star.
BY GEORGE DICKIE
“Two and a Half Men”
“Breaking Bad”
“United States of Tara”
“Them”
“Movie: Patriots Day”
“Range Rider”
Post-World War II Hollywood
stuntman Jock Mahoney starred this
1951-53 syndicated Western that cast
him as a character known only as
Range Rider, who had a reputation for
fairness, fighting ability and shooting
accuracy that was known far and wide,
even by local tribes. Dickie Jones, Al
Wyatt Sr. and Bob Woodward also
starred in this black-and-white series.
Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg
teamed up for their third collaboration
for this 2016 fact-based thriller based on
a 2013 American tragedy, when sibling
terrorists detonated two bombs during
April’s Boston Marathon. Wahlberg stars
as Boston Police Sgt. Tommy Saunders,
who was involved in the subsequent
investigation. Kevin Bacon, John
Goodman, J.K. Simmons and Michelle
Monaghan also star in the action thriller.
Terror in America is the focus of
this anthology series from executive
producers Little Marvin and Lena
Waithe, with its first season being set
in 1950s Los Angeles, where a Black
family faces malevolent forces both
earthly and otherworldly after moving
there from North Carolina. Deborah
Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Alison Pill,
Shahadi Wright Joseph, Melody Hurd
and Ryan Kwanten head the cast.
(ORIGINAL)
BEST UNCONVENTIONAL TV FAMILIES
The Tanners, “Full House” (ABC, 1987-
95) Bob Saget starred as a young widower
who needed his rock musician brother-in-law
(John Stamos) and comedian best friend (Dave
Coulier) to move in and help raise his three small
daughters. That they did it largely without a
woman in the house (at least in the early seasons)
and in San Francisco, a city not known to be
child-friendly, was a small miracle.
The Sopranos, “The Sopranos” (HBO,
1999-2007) A mob boss, killer and sociopath
for a dad – what’s unusual there? But James
Gandolfini made Tony Soprano, the well-
intentioned paternal figure who often fell short
of the mark, believable – and sometimes funny
– which was the skill of the actor and the show’s
writers.
The Harpers, “Two and a Half Men”
(CBS, 2003-15) Following his divorce, uptight
chiropractor Alan (Jon Cryer) moves into his
Hollywood jingle-writer brother Charlie’s (Charlie
Sheen) Malibu beachfront bachelor pad, and
with the help of tart-tongued housekeeper Berta
(Conchata Ferrell), they endeavor to raise the
former’s young son Jake (Angus T. Jones) amid
a steady stream of female companionship. Then
Charlie dies, the house is sold to tech billionaire
Walden (Ashton Kutcher), the survivors stay put,
and the “half-man” rearing continues. A little
formulaic, don’t you think?
The Henricksons, “Big Love” (HBO,
2006-11) By definition, anywhere where
polygamy is occurring, that family has to be
considered unconventional. But where Utah state
senate candidate Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), his
three wives (Chloe Sevigny, Jeanne Tripplehorn,
Ginnifer Goodwin) and offspring were concerned,
his family life also happened to be considered
immoral and fodder for political opponents.
Which is why he tried to keep it under wraps.
The Whites, “Breaking Bad” (AMC,
2008-13) When he wasn’t being henpecked
by his demanding wife (Anna Gunn) or caring
for his cerebral palsy-stricken son (RJ Mitte),
milquetoast New Mexico high-school chemistry
teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) could be
found cooking up a batch of crystal meth and
selling it to secure his family’s financial future after
his death from terminal lung cancer. And being
wildly successful at it.
The Gregsons, “United States of Tara”
(Showtime, 2009-11) Some might not find
a mother with multiple personality disorder
anything to laugh about, but Toni Collette made
the character of Kansas mother and wife Tara
Gregson sympathetic, believable and sometimes
funny in this underrated dramedy. She won Emmy
and Golden Globe awards for best actress which
confirmed her deft performance.