"Car 54 , Where Are You?" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rizzoli and Isles

Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander star as a smart, tough homicide detective (Rizzoli) and a brilliant, yet fashionable, medical examiner (Isles) who solve cases in and around the Boston area. It's sort of like "Cagney and Lacey" get promoted and move to Massachusetts.

It is rare to find such a good show with two very different women as the protagonists. Unfortunately, "Rizzoli and Isles" (2010-2016) was been cancelled by TNT, with their final season's 13 episodes (season 7) beginning in June of 2016.

Answer: Picket Fences

"Picket Fences" (1992-1996) was created by David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal", "Chicago Hope", "The Practice", etc). The show was about Sheriff Jimmy Brock (played by Tom Skerritt) and his wife, town doctor Jill Brock (Kathy Baker) and their family in the small town of Rome, Wisconsin ("Hello, Wisconsin!" - oh, wrong show).

As with many of Kelley's shows, "Picket Fences" had excellent writing and acting; it combined drama, mystery, eeriness and comic relief. The show also gave us Lauren Holly as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart, Holly Marie Combs as Kimberly Brock, Don Cheadle as the D.A., and Marlee Matlin as the mayor.

Answer: Toma

"Toma" was a gritty police drama which only lasted from 1973 through 1974. Actor Tony Musante portrayed real life New Jersey detective David Toma who was known for his undercover work and as a master of disguise. In fact, little known fact, Toma (the real cop) appeared in a cameo of every episode of "Toma"! The early to mid-1970s was a prime time bonanza for cop shows, and Musante was afraid "Toma" would become formulaic like "Cannon", "The Streets of San Francisco" and "The Rookies".

When Musante bowed out, the show was retooled and became "Baretta" with Robert Blake (who may have been more dangerous in real life!).

Answer: Perry Mason

Erle Stanley Gardner's brilliant attorney Perry Mason comes alive in this eponymous long running TV show, i.e., from 1957 to 1966. The unflappable Mason was played by Canadian actor Raymond Burr who, before this series, used to play 'bad guy roles'. Perry won almost every case he tried, with the help of his secretary, Della Street (Barbara Hale), and his private investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper - son of Hedda Hopper).

The show was one of the earliest to be produced in Los Angeles, CA (just after "Dragnet") and usually involved drawing the real criminal out on the witness stand.

Answer: Monk

And now for our unusual 'defective detective', i.e., Adrian Monk of San Francisco, California, well-played by Tony Shaloub. "Monk" (2002-2009) is about a former SF Police Department Homicide Detective whose wife Trudy is murdered, and he goes nuts and winds up with OCD (unlikely and implausible as it may be).

He gets thrown off the force but is able to continue to consult on murder cases through the philanthropy of his former boss, Captain Leland Stottlemeyer, stoically played by Ted Levine.

Answer: Barney Miller

One of my personal favorite sitcoms was "Barney Miller" (1974-1982) starring Hal Linden as the caring Captain of the 12th Precinct located in Greenwich Village, New York City. Aside from the quirky criminals in an area known for its quirkiness, the other officers and policemen of the squad were wonderful. There was also a diversity in the cast which, to this day, remains laudable.

There was Fish, Wojo, Yemana, Dietrich, Harris, Levitt, Amenguale, the annoying Inspector Luger and an occasional policewoman. Truly, they do not make comedies like this anymore ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine"? I don't think so!).

Answer: Andy Griffith Show

Let's go back to those early days of Norman Rockwell innocence in Mount Airy, North Carolina, with kindly Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), motherly Aunt Bee, cute-as-a-button Opie Taylor and Andy's bumbling cousin, Detective Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" which ran from 1960 through 1968. During the turbulent 1960s, it was very comforting to watch the simple lives of the residents of Mayberry whose biggest problems were whether Opie was brushing his teeth or Otis Campbell was 'tying one on'. Just Andy and Opie going to the 'Fishin' Hole' to reflect on life...aah, those were the days!

Answer: Bat Masterson

"Bat Masterson" was a TV show which aired from 1958-1961. It was a fictionalized version, loosely based on the life of marshal and gambler William Barclay Masterson (1853 to 1921) who was a part of the culture of the 'Wild West'. He was played by the dapper actor Gene Barry who played Bat as a 'dandy' who "wore a cane and derby hat", didn't carry a gun and, unlike the other formulaic TV western heroes of the era, he eschewed violence. Both the real Bat's life and the 'reel' Bat's show were set in Kansas, i.e., in Dodge City and Ford County, respectively.

Answer: NCIS

Former Marine gunnery sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs has moved to the Naval Criminal Investigative Services Washington DC major case response team. Special Agent Gibbs leads a team of highly trained agents who solve local and international murder and terrorism cases involving Navy and Marine personnel.

The show first aired in 2003 and has had many cast changes, while still remaining one of the most popular TV dramas. With the core players, i.e., Gibbs, Abby Sciuto, Dr. Mallard, DiNozzo (2016 Tony's final season), McGee and Palmer, the show remains one of the best written and acted dramas on the small screen.

Answer: The Rifleman

Does anyone out there still remember "The Rifleman" (1958-1963)? One of the earlier TV Westerns, the show was set in the town of North Fork in New Mexico Territory in the 1870s and 1880s, before statehood. The plot revolved around Wild West rancher Lucas McCain, his specially modified Winchester rifle, and his young son Mark.

A former professional athlete, Chuck Connors played one of the first single fathers on TV. McCain was a character with an extremely high moral code (e.g., he never started the fight) and a treasure chest of lessons and parables for living life in the rugged Western United States.