Requiescat in Pace: Stephen J. Cannell

epilogue added on 10 12 2010

I am sad again today. This celeb's passing took me by surprise because I have seen him on Castle and no indication of him being ill. Stephen J. Cannell built the world that I lived in for most of my youth. From Rockford Files, to Riptide and Stingray to his appearances on Castle, he taught me anout people.

Riptide might have been the least known and most ridiculed of my TV shoe choices in highschool, but there was a nerd I could relate to. You had the hot Tom Selleck styled Perry King and the reserved and adorable Joe Penny to attract the right demographic and Thom Bray attracting the likes of me: the geek squad before it was a registerd trademark. Bray's character seemed constantly befuddled by the way the world behaved even though they were pivate detectives andm ade their living dealing with the crzy wa the world behaves. Nick or Cody would alwas try to 'splain things to Murray. Even though Murray didn't always get the concept, I did.

Stingray, as stated many times before, was the heart throb show of shows for me. A vigilante with a cool car and a cooler concept. I loved that Ray had the World's back even when the world preferred heading to Hell in a handbasket. He didn't let people cave into their fears either. I was much braver then than I am now with those lessons so fresh after a Friday nihgt viewing.

I don't know if the world really works the way Stephen says it does. But it works that way often enough for me to say that there isn't a more observant writer in the world. And that is where the real magic in a writer's gift is: to see into the truth with veryl ittle detail and without judgement. Not only can a good writer build a world of belief in his head and share that world. But a good writer can see into the soul and find the thing that makes his subject tick, bring it to the surface and the subject is never the wiser.

I didn't expect all the tears. And while my first reaction was to hide them from my Sweetie I found that I could not. It will be good conditioning for when Nimo passes. And look out!!!! The Great Flood is puppy piddles next to the deluge I will cry when that happens.


10 12 2010
Last night Castle made a special tribute to Stephen. The show ended with his signoff in a letter box so that they could write there goodbyes to him. It was a wonderful tribute and it made me miss him even more. It is hard to believe that television will ever be the same with out him. I wouldn't want to be a pessimist and say its all downhill from here... but unless there are hundreds or thousands of aspiring screenwriters who list him as their number one influence, I am afraid that reality will slowly kill TV.