US TV Show Anagrams #11 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Band of Brothers

The title 'Band of Brothers' came from a Shakespearean play, 'Henry V'. Steven Ambrose took the phrase and created a book by that title and in turn, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced a ten part mini-series based on the book. It first aired in 2001 and received general but not universal critical acclaim, and won six of the nineteen Emmy awards it was nominated for.

The story was of a band of brothers linked by their membership in a military company in WWII rather than by blood.

Answer: Charles in Charge

'Charles in Charge' starred Scott Baio in the title role. Charles was a college student who needed somewhere to live and he chose living with the Pembroke family and looking after the three children in exchange for his accommodation and food.
There were 126 episodes of 'Charles in Charge' made which first ran from 1984 to 1990.

Answer: The Cosby Show

Cliff Huxtable, played by Bill Cosby, was a New York city obstetrician married to Clair, a lawyer played by Phylicia Rashâd. They lived in Brooklyn with their five children and thrived in the usual domestic sitcom scenarios. The odd serious topic was covered in the show's eight seasons (1984-1992) but the essence of the show was of a light-hearted sitcom nature. One of the daughters, Denise, who was played by Lisa Bonet, had a spinoff show called 'A Different World' in which she went to college. 'A Different World' was on air for six years between 1987 and 1993.

Answer: Two and a Half Men

'Two and a Half Men' entertained viewers with the shenanigans of Charlie Harper, the cad about town who enjoyed the high life, Charlie's brother Alan and Alan's young son, Jake. Alan and Jake moved into Charlie's Malibu beach house after a divorce. Charlie was used to living his own life and had to adjust to having a child around the house.

After being on air for eight seasons, Charlie Sheen, who portrayed Charlie Harper, was dismissed for behaving too much like his on-screen persona. His role was killed off and the house was bought by a billionaire in need of friendship after his own divorce. Alan and Jake again moved into the house until Jake (now an adult) joined the army and was sent to Japan for a year.

After first airing in 2003, there have been over 200 episodes of 'Two and a Half Men' produced.

Answer: Barney Miller

Running from 1975 to 1982, 'Barney Miller' was about the working lives of a detective squad led by the title character in a New York City police station. Hal Linden played Barney Miller, a police captain in charge of a disparate group of detectives dealing with criminals and their own personal lives.

The humour of this sitcom came from the detective's conversations with suspects, and with each other.

Answer: Arrested Development

Jason Bateman was one of the stars of 'Arrested Development'. He played Michael Bluth, son of George and Lucille Bluth, but that's where the normality of the show ended. Michael tried to rein in his family's eccentricities and control the chaos as his kin created havoc around him with their manipulative and superficial ways. George, his father, ended up in jail thanks to some dodgy business dealings, his mother was a drunk, his brother George was a failed magician and entrepreneur, and his sister Lindsay was an attention seeker married to Toby, a failed psychologist who then wanted to be an actor. The business dealings of the Bluth family started with a banana stand selling frozen bananas. While the company grew into a multi-faceted organisation, the original banana stand still existed and was frequently manned by one of the family.

The show rans for three seasons only, from 2003 to 2006. It was decided to end the show while the writing was still crisp and top quality rather than drag the show out to a 'jump the shark' moment and have its ending determined by poor ratings. Then in 2013, a fourth season of 'Arrested Development' was aired via Netflix. The possibility of a fifth season and movie were also enticingly dangled for fans of the show.

Answer: Another World

'Another World' was an American soap opera based in the fictitious city of Bay City. Aiming to portray more than the humdrum love triangles of most soap operas, 'Another World' tried to depict the conflicts between people of different socio-economic groups and philosophies. Somehow I think viewers simply tuned in to see who was in love with whom that week and who would end up being the third wheel in the love triangle. 'Another World' ran from 1964 to 1999, being cancelled due to only average ratings and scheduling conflicts on NBC.

Answer: The Andy Griffith Show

Between 1960 and 1968, one of the United States' favourite TV programmes was 'The Andy Griffith Show'. Sheriff Andy Taylor, played by Griffith, was the widowed sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina. Ron Howard became a film director in his adulthood but for eight years as a child, he played Andy's son, Opie. Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier) looked after father and son but also had the odd adventure of her own in the show.

Completing the list of main characters is Barney Fife, Andy's cousin and deputy. His ineptness and bungling was a cause for concern at times. Towards the end of the show's run, a new character was introduced - Sam Jones (Ken Berry). Andy Griffith and Opie were seen less frequently as Sam became the focus of the show. Sam then became the lead in the main spinoff from 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'Mayberry R.F.D.' which premiered in 1969. 'Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C' was another spinoff from the show. 'The Andy Griffith Show' was never out of the top ten rated shows in the US and in its final season, was the most popular programme on television.

Answer: American Idol

'American Idol' first appeared on US television screens in 2002 and became a smash hit. There are only singers on the show, no comedians, who vie to be the American public's choice as the Idol for that year. After successfully auditioning, contestants must perform once a week in a different style as determined by the producers.

The performances are critiqued on the show by a panel of entertainers and music professionals. It's then time for the viewing public to determine who is eliminated. Winners of the show include Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Answer: The Waltons

'The Waltons' was set on a farm in rural Virginia. The world was going a little crazy with The Depression setting in, only to be followed by World War II. John and Olivia Walton were parents to John 'John-Boy' Walton and his younger siblings Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, James Robert ('Jim-Bob') and Elizabeth. Jim-Bob also had a twin brother, Joseph Zebulon, who died at birth. Grandma and Grandpa Walton also lived in the house in Walton's Mountain. In the first season, John-Boy was seventeen years old.

The show took the family through hardships and triumphs, the children matured and the grandparents aged as they do in reality. When Ellen Corby who played Grandma (Esther) Walton had a stroke, the story was written into the story line. She did come back to the show intermittently, but Will Geer who played Zebulon Walton (Grandpa) died while Ellen was recuperating. His role wasn't replaced and viewers learnt that Grandpa had died. The story progressed over nine seasons and the children grew up gradually, finding their way in life beyond Waltons Mountain.