US TV Show Anagrams #1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Get Smart

Maxwell Smart (played by Don Adams) was Agent 86 in this comedy made between 1965 and 1970. He worked for CONTROL (which stood for absolutely nothing), fighting the agents of KAOS (again, which stood for nothing) and saving the world from .. well.. chaos! Helping him along the way was Agent 99 who seemed the more competent of the spies, and their boss, the Chief, whose life was tormented by Max's ineptitude. Somehow the forces of good outweighed the forces of evil in every episode and the world was saved thanks to modern day 'James Bond' type gadgets such as shoe phones and the 'cone of silence'.

Answer: Crossing Jordan

Jill Hennessey played Dr Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D. in 'Crossing Jordan'. She was a forensic pathologist with a penchant for crime solving, ably assisted by Detective Woodrow Wilson Hoyt, a Boston police officer. 'Crossing Jordan' was made for six seasons until production stopped in 2007.

Answer: The Mentalist

'The Mentalist' stars Simon Baker in the role of Patrick Jane, self-confessed fraudulent psychic working with the police department. He uses his skills in observing and reading people to garner knowledge which seems elusive to the untrained eye. His ultimate goal is to find the killer 'Red John' who murdered his wife and daughter. The show debuted in 2008 and built a strong following.

Answer: Top Chef

'Top Chef' is a reality show in which chefs from the United States compete in cooking challenges leading to the elimination of one chef (usually) per episode. The final winner is crowned 'Top Chef' and receivea cash, prizes, and publicity in an industry magazine.

The first series went to air in 2006. Judges have included such eminent chefs as Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse, Hugh Acheson and Wolfgang Puck. Competitors are based in one city of the United States for most of the competition (e.g. New York City, Atlanta, Chicago) but the finalists are often moved to compete in a new, often exotic location.

Answer: The Honeymooners

Despite the reverence with which 'The Honeymooners' is held, it was only made for one season. It initially rated well but was cancelled after the 39 episodes aired in 1955-56. Featuring Jackie Gleason as a Brooklyn bus driver, 'The Honeymooners' was a comedy set around the daily lives of ordinary people, their dreams and aspirations, their successes and failures. Jackie Gleason's best friend was played by Art Carney, while their wives were played by Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph respectively.

It has now become a television 'classic' and partly inspired the long-running cartoon 'The Flintstones'.

Answer: The Odd Couple

Take a fanatically neat and fastidious photographer. Have his messy, casual, easy-going sports reporter friend move into his apartment after a divorce. That's the recipe for 'The Odd Couple', a riotous TV show based initially on Neil Simon's play of the same name. Fastidious Felix Unger (Tony Randall) and messy Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) played the roommates trying re-establish their lives after their marriage breakups.

There were five seasons of 'The Odd Couple' with 114 episodes in all.

Answer: Six Feet Under

'Six Feet Under' revolved around the Fisher family, their friends and their business, an undertaking firm. Each episode began with a death and this in turn caused the characters to mull over their emotions, relationships and life in general, spurred on by what they learnt of deceased and their family. 'Six Feet Under' ran from 2001 to 2005.

The show garnered Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe Awards and nominations, and received critical and audience acclaim for its dark humour and exploration of the characters' deepest emotions - the ones they kept 'Six Feet Under'.

Answer: WKRP in Cincinnati

'WKRP in Cincinnati' premiered in 1978 and survived four seasons before being cancelled. A sitcom, it portrayed the working lives of staff in a fictional radio station in Cincinnati. Howard Hesseman played Dr. Johnny Fever, a jaded, aging radio DJ who lost his job in Los Angeles for saying something he shouldn't have on the air.

Hesseman had been a DJ before appearing on the show. Loni Anderson played the alluring Jennifer Marlowe, station receptionist with a good heart. She was good at her job, no doubt assisted by the fact that she had the male staff wrapped around her little finger. Comedian and actor Tim Reid was Venus Flytrap, the bluesy evening DJ.

Answer: Murder One

In the first season of 'Murder One' in 1995, Daniel Benzali played Theodore (Ted) Hoffman, a crack litigation lawyer who zealously defended his high-profile client accused of murder. The second season brought a revamp with the loss of Benzali and some other leads and the introduction of Anthony LaPaglia.

This move didn't improve the mediocre ratings of the previous year and the show wrapped up after only two seasons and 41 episodes.

Answer: Green Acres

Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert), big city lawyer, decided he needed a tree-change, a move to the country to try his hand at farming. His fashionista, New York loving wife Lisa (Eva Gabor), with no skills relevant to farming wasn't fond of the idea. They moved anyway to Hooterville and that was where the fun started in 'Green Acres'. Starting in 1965, 'Green Acres' gave the world six seasons of laughter as we watched the shenanigans of mildly eccentric folks in Hooterville.

Sad this quiz has now ended? Here are the lyrics to the 'Green Acres' theme to cheer you up. Watch it, it'll get into your head and be stuck in there all day.. Sing along now..

(Oliver sings)
Green Acres is the place to be,
Farm living is the life for me,
Land spreading out, so far and wide,
Keep Manhattan just give me that country side
(Lisa sings)
New York is where I'd rather stay,
I get allergic smelling hay,
I just adore a penthouse view,
Darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue....
(They sing alternately, Oliver first)
The chores!
The stores!
Fresh air!
Times Square!
You are my wife!
Goodbye city life!

Green acres we are there....