A long, long time ago, in a sunnier, more innocent time known only as 1986-87, there was a show that made me think I could be a star when I grew up. A show that was so awesome that it made my teeth curl with delight whenever it came on - and you don't know delight until your teeth curl. I think we may have even bought a VCR, just so we could record it and watch it over and over.
That show, ladies and gentlemen, was the Canadian TV phenomenon known as "Hot Shots".
I know what you're thinking, and yes, one of the stars of that show was, in fact, a relative of mine.
You're probably also thinking that Hot Shots was a movie and not a TV show. WRONG. You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. You'd have to find all the things that are right in the world and then do the opposite of that like Bizarro Superman would to be more incorrect. The move came out in 1991, a full 5 years after the seminal show that was forced to share its name but not its story.
Hot Shots followed the exploits of Jake and Amanda, the hot shot reporters (get it?!) of crime magazine Crime World. Guess what happens when Jake and Amanda investigate stories? That's right! It's kind of like Murder, She Wrote, only in this case the murders happen before they show up, instead of right after they are introduced to the guest star.
Jake was played by one of my mother's cousins, Booth Savage. Look at that name again. Booth Savage. He pretty much had to become an actor when he grew up, right? And, not to brag or anything, but he was also on an episode of The Littlest Hobo. What has YOUR mother's cousin done? Hmm? Been on The Littlest Hobo much? No? Didn't think so.
Okay, I may be pushing the awesome bar a little hard, but it was pretty awesome growing up and seeing someone on TV that was related to me, but that I'd never met. In that way, Barney Stinson and I have a lot in common. And while I may have started watching it because my mother told me that her cousin was on it, I may have kept watching it because I may have been trying to figure out why I was becoming more interested every time his co-star would get in trouble...
Anyway, fast forward to last night. My Lovely Wife had made several mentions about the fact that she was interested in watching the new CBC show Mr. D. I took that hint and set the PVR to record it so we could enjoy it together from the comfort of knowing we were the masters of our own schedules. Later, when we were ready to watch it and not one moment sooner or later, I was super excited to point at the character of the principal and shout "I'm related to that guy!" After the show was over, I actually rewound to the beginning just so we could see the credits and I could see his name which I had overlooked earlier.
It was nice to feel like a kid again.
Now we're going to settle down to watch episode 2 of Twin Peaks on Netflix, which is kind of like The Littlest Hobo meets Hot Shots. Man, I love you Netflix. You've made an honest man out of me.
Note to self, write episode of something called The Littlest Hobo Hot Shots.
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