Thursday, January 31, 2019

Remembering "Bay City Beat"

When I was in film school in the mid-eighties a television series ran which was "all the rage". A fellow classmate said: "It's really stylish." That's how I first heard about it.

Miami Vice was cool, smooth, and stylish. Not so much that I was compelled to watch it on a regular basis, but it was not of the usual TV drama fare at the time -- 1984 -- and different certainly from any other cop show. And it made stars of Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas.

It was also influential.

On the southern Ontario, Canada, front in 1985 came Bay City Beat. Produced out of the facilities of CKVR television in Barrie, it was decidedly low grade -- and shot on videotape. With friends I sat and watched one episode. There was no need to do any more time. The acting was earnest but the scripting was poor. The series leads spilled monologues and most of the time, it seemed, sat at desks; and talked on the telephone. That's what I remember most.

I ask: Does anyone else in the neighbourhood remember Bay City Beat?


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