Titles

TNT rolled out a new legal show called Franklin & Bash the other night, of which there is nothing much to say. (Unfortunately, TNT’s best drama, Men of a Certain Age, showed that it’s a very old-skewing show, which is not surprising in view of its subject matter, but doesn’t bode well for its future. It’s another reminder, as with The Good Wife, that the stereotype of older-skewing shows being bland and unchallenging is often quite wrong.) The one thing I can think of to mention is the title, another title that has the character with more syllables going first. Starsky goes before Hutch. Rizzoli goes before Isles. Turner before Hooch. If it’s a cop or legal story, the cop – or canine cop – with a one-syllable name will go second.

As we wait and see if Terriers will get a surprise renewal (many people online are emailing FX, having been informed that the network pays more attention than usual to emails — the address is [email protected], by the way), I was thinking a bit more about whether my favourite new show of the season has really been hurt by its title. The star, Donal Logue, is one of many people who claims that the show would have been more successful if it had had a better title. And it’s hard to argue that it’s a good title, since no one would hear it and know what the show’s about or even what it’s like.

How to play (and win) the university name game

Here’s a not-very-significant question: which current show do you think has the best episode titles?