Spy drama never found an audience

Q: My question deals with an hourlong series that was on one of the major networks about four or five years ago called “Whiskey Cavalier.” It was about members of the CIA who solved national and international situations. I thought it was an outstanding and entertaining show, but it lasted only one season. What happened to it?

A: “Whiskey Cavalier” aired on ABC for a single 13-episode season in 2019. ABC described it as “adventures of an FBI agent and his new partner, a CIA operative, who together lead a team of spies.” Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan starred. It had a promising start but then lost viewers. After its cancellation, there reportedly was a brief reconsideration by ABC, but it did not lead to renewal.

Q: I am trying to find a movie about an undersea crew, much like “The Abyss,” but with Richard Crenna as the ship’s doctor. I can’t recall the title. Can you help?

A: I suspect you remember “Leviathan” from 1989, with a cast including Crenna, Peter Weller and Amanda Pays. I have found it on Max and Spectrum on Demand and for rent and sale on Amazon (the rental price as I write this is a bargain: $1.64). It also has been released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K.

Q: Is the show “The Finder” available anywhere? I really enjoyed it and was disappointed it didn’t last.

A: The spinoff of “Bones,” with Geoff Stults as a man skilled at finding things and people, was another single-season series, this one on Fox in 2012. The 13 episodes from that season are on Disney+ and for rent or purchase on Amazon.

Q: Are there any episodes after Season 2 of “The Client List”?

A: No. The drama starring Jennifer Love Hewitt as a woman who becomes a prostitute began as a made-for-TV movie in 2010. Its ratings success inspired a Lifetime series that ran two seasons, 2012-13. Ratings declined, but a bigger problem reportedly was conflict between Hewitt on one side and the network and studio on the other. Deadline.com said at the time that there was “a creative standoff with star Hewitt over story lines for a potential third season after the actress, who is an executive producer on the show, had requested that [co-star] Brian Hallisay, her real-life fiancé and father of her baby, also play her character Riley’s baby daddy on the show.” The show’s other producers had a different idea, and the differences could not be worked out. By the way, Hallisay and Hewitt are now married and have three children.

Q: About 40 years ago, there was a TV story about how the Christmas tree for Rockefeller Center was chosen. The tree was located on land shared by a convent, and the nuns were hesitant to let the tree be cut down. It was a beautiful story, and I’ve always wanted to see it again. Any ideas?

A: The movie was “The Christmas Tree,” from 1996, directed by Sally Field and starring Julie Harris and Andrew McCarthy. While my searching did not come up with an authorized DVD or streaming, I have seen it featured on YouTube.

Write to brenfels@gmail.com.