Lost and Found HT Smartcast

The archetypes of legendary pairs such as Sherlock Holmes and his reliable friend and colleague Dr Watson is a trope that police procedurals have often adopted to great effect – an eccentric genius detective with heightened observational skills and his more level-headed friend and ally who sometimes can’t spot the obvious. The USA network TV series Psych, created by Steve Frank, ran for eight successful seasons between 2006 and 2014 and borrowed elements from the iconic detective duo created by Sir Arthur Canon Doyle and laced it with a familiar buddy cop comedy routine. The result is a unique blend of genres – an amalgamation of crime procedural and comedy. Imagine Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s famous onscreen partnership.

The 2004 noir mystery series Veronica Mars is not a conventional production that is often associated with its genre. Helmed by Rob Thomas, the series is a satire of class disparity which is explored within the confines of a high school. The titular character Veronica Mars is a popular girl at high school who becomes a detective after the death of her best friend. Kristen Bell slips into the complex role of Veronica, an intelligent young woman who has to navigate through the various intricacies of high school whilst also solving various mysteries in the fictional town of Neptune, California.

This sci-fi comedy starring The X Files star David Duchovny parodies prehistoric creature films. Evolution is a 2001 comedy that slipped through the cracks but deserves to be rediscovered

The 1993 film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray is a comedy-drama that inspired countless films over the years. From Tom Cruise’s sci-fi action film Edge of Tomorrow, the slasher horror Happy Death Day, and the romantic comedy Palm Springs, Groundhog Day’s time loop trope has been reimagined across multiple genres.

Justice League is widely regarded as one of the greatest American animated shows of all time, a sharp contrast to the ill-fated 2017 film adaptation which was dismissed by fans and critics alike at the time of release. The animated series, although originally intended for children, features mature socio-political themes focusing on freewill, imperialism, authoritarianism, and class disparity. It also explored various scientific theories such as ‘wormholes’ in some of the episodes that focused on science fiction. On the surface, the series might give one the impression of being just another animated series produced essentially for children. However, just like Batman the Animated Series, Justice League is rich with subtext featuring philosophical undertones. Some of the stories have also gone on to inspire Marvel’s films and TV shows. For instance, the MCU TV series WandaVision may have been marketed as a loose adaptation of the iconic Marvel comic book House of M, but the TV show’s similarity to the storyline in Justice League episodes 16 and 17 titled Legends is undeniable. Similarly, time-travelling superheroes were introduced to the mainstream consciousness by Justice League long before Avengers: Endgame.

Hollywood appears to have moved on from the conventional war action genre in recent years. There are exceptions of course, like Tom Cruise’s 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, where a film offers pure unbridled entertainment loaded with slick action sequences and stunning visuals. For today’s Lost and Found podcast, we take a look at the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines, a cult classic action film set against the backdrop of an Eastern European conflict. The film stars Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman in lead roles.