Kathryn Morris UK

Yes!  Nailed it!  I’ve remembered and got the right date for the first time in a few years.

The 28th of September is one of those key dates in the KM UK calendar.  In 2003 it was first time the world got to Look Again.  The first episode of Cold Case premièred that Sunday night on the CBS network in America.

Happy Birthday Cold Case.

The basic formula of investigating old unsolved cases was set from the beginning, but the Cold Case greatly expanded the flashback elements as that initial season progressed.  They became key to what made the show different from other procedurals, and no doubt added greatly to the cost and complexity of making each episode.  Two actors were often used to play the same character at different ages, and the sets needed to be changed to match the time periods too.

One significant change in the early season was the departure of actor Justin Chambers.  Justin played Chris Lassing, the detective paired with Kathryn’s Lilly Rush.  He only appeared in three of the first four episodes (Look Again, Gleen, and Churchgoing People).  The order the episodes were filmed may have been different from the order they were broadcast, explaining Justin’s absence from number three.  Justin went on to become a lead character in Grey’s Anatomy.  The hospital drama returns to TV tonight to start its 14th season.  In the coming months Justin will be celebrating his 300th episode of Grey’s.  One hundred times more than he did on Cold Case!  That’s quite a milestone.

Danny Pino as Scotty Valens was brought in as Lilly’s cop partner from episode five, so the decision to change was likely taken before Look Again first aired.  Danny remained for the rest of the show’s seven season run.

With all the remakes and ‘re-imaging’ going on in Hollywood these days it is surely time to get the old gang back together again (as I pondered HERE in July) or for a Cold Case: The Next Generation?

“What blonde in the kitchen?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know! Maybe it’s Marilyn Monroe!”

When Tom asks that question and Richard answers in The Seven Year Itch they are talking about Marilyn Monroe and not Marguerite Chapman’s character.  But it has been seven years since our Miss Morris was seen in the Philly P.D. squad room kitchen.

The 2nd of May is one of the days we note each year because in 2010 it was when Cold Case‘s final episodes were broadcast.  That Sunday night showing of two episodes closed off the seven-season long run the show had.

Throughout that time we saw hundreds of guest stars.  Some well known already.  Many yet to become household names.  Even now if I sort of recognise an actor I’ll check if they ever appeared in a episode, perhaps as a minor character in a flashback to the 1950s.

Of course, the main cast (Kathryn, Danny, John, Jeremy, Thom, and Tracie) have all gone on to do many things since.  We try to keep abreast of them here on KM UK in our Cold Case Cast Catch-up posts.  However, the way Cold Case wormed its way into the hearts of so many people means they will be very closely associated with it for many, many years to come.

Here’s to the much missed Cold Case.

To quote someone I gather is making headlines again:  Ooops, I’ve done it again  😯

For the second year running I’m a day late with this.  You really must point out these mistakes to me or I’ll never learn

Yes, it was 13 years ago yesterday (28th September 2016) that Cold Case first hit the television screens of our American cousins.  The CBS ‘procedural’ started on that Sunday night with the episode “Look Again” and was followed by 155 more across seven seasons.

TV has moved on, the super heroes have made a come back for a start, and the stars of Cold Case have moved on.  More on that tomorrow.

We miss you.