Daily Dirt: Oh for another season of Harvey Specter … or Boyd Crowder or Walter White

Daily Dirt for Sept. 27, 2021

Granted, I spend a lot of time watching television. But it comes in hand at times like this — Vol. 80 of the Daily Dirt:

1. Here’s my picks for the most memorable TV characters we have seen in the first couple of decades-plus in the 21st century:

Bronze medal: Walter White, portrayed by Bryan Cranston on “Breaking Bad”: This award should actually be divided evenly with Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman. This combination of characters elevated “Breaking Bad” to its well-deserved cult status on AMC and opened up a world of drug dealing many never knew existed. Or at least how it existed.

Silver medal: Boyd Crowder, portrayed by Walton Goggins on “Justified”: Timothy Olyphant as U.S. marshal Raylan Givens may have been the heart of “Justified’s” six-year run on FX, but bad-boy Crowder was the soul.

Gold medal: The entire cast of “Suits”: For my money, this still holds the title as “Show of the (21st) Century (so far)”, thanks to a blue-chip cast that was simply perfect for its roles. “Suits” had an enjoyable nine-year run on the USA network, which ended in 2019. Two years later, I still miss the weekly exploits of Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty), Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle — yes, that Meghan Markle) and a host of others.

2. The countdown continues for the Oct. 8 arrival of the new James Bond film “No Time to Die,” but the betting odds are heating up over who will succeed Daniel Craig as the world’s most famous secret agent.

“Traditionally, in the 67-year history of the super spy, the role has been played by a white male actor,” writes Tilly Pearce for yahoo.com. And according to one major wagering house — William Hill Sportsbook — that is not going to change. Here are the current favorites to replace Craig as 007:

Tom Hardy, odds: 5/2: Hardy has been linked to this role since 2017.

Rege-Jean Page, odds: 3/1: He would be the first actor of color to play Bond.

James Norton, odds: 3/1: The “Grantchester” actor recently told metro.co.uk: “I’m a type one diabetic. How cool would it be to have a diabetic Bond?”

Luke Evans, odds: 6/1: Realistically, the Welsh actor is a major longshot.

Idris Elba, odds: 8/1: Personally, this is the guy I would like to see. Also an actor of color, Elba has built an impressive resume in recent years and seems to fit all the criteria needed to be 007.

3. Want to feel old(er)? Raise your hand if you enjoyed watching “Home Improvement” with Tim “The Toolman” Taylor (Tim Allen) back in the day. The show is still seen frequently in syndication, which makes it hard to realize the former ABC comedy ended its original run in 1999. That means Allen and Patricia Richardson’s sons on the show are now all adults. Here’s recent picture of two of those former sons, Zachery Ty Bryan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas — Bryan is now 39 and Thomas 40.

Wow. Make that a double wow.

Steve Fact O’ The Day

I once thought I might have a future as a secret agent — until I discovered the bad guys were allowed to shoot back.