How funny was this show? Very. Even though I watched it way back when I was knee high to a grasshopper, it’s memorable for numerous reasons: dialogue, acting and locations. Fortunately, I got to see the whole darn lot, living in the UK and all. Apparently in the USA only a few episodes were shown before it was pulled from the network. If that is in fact the case, the US doesn’t know what it missed! Although it was obviously based upon the Nick and Nora Charles / Jonathan and Jennifer Hart styled ‘detective’ genre format, it still managed to be original. And a hell of a lot funnier.
First off, there’s the dialogue and the acting. Each conversation is loaded with sharp-witted retorts, often involving the vivacious Margaret Whitton as Louisa and her quintessentially English husband Michael, played by Christopher Cazenove. In most episodes, Whitton had enough waggish dialogue to out do Bette Midler in a stand up show and delivered her lines with such verve that it was one of the funniest hours I spent watching television as a kid. Cazenove proved to be the superb foil who gave as good as he got, all be it in a far more reserved, stereotypically British manner. I am really glad that Anthony Andrews was not available to make the series after the pilot as I think the rapport between Whitton and Cazenove was far better. Cazenove portrayed his frustrations towards his wife’s outrageous actions with far greater credibility. Andrews seemed a bit ‘weak’ to me. If a marriage between Whitton and Cazenove was highly improbable, one between Whitton and Andrews was truly implausibile.
Yes, the plot of each episode was somewhat formulaic and highly contrived. Yes, the separated couple caught up in that ‘will they, won’t they get back together scenario’, has been done to death. Yes, the overt culture clash between brash American Louisa and retired English gentleman Michael was all too obviously orchestrated. But if you actually got over the notion that you were watching the show for those reasons, it was really enjoyable!
On the location front, I swear this show was one of the reasons why I decided to go travelling around Europe. Filmed on location in Hungary, Malta, Ireland, England etc, each week, it let you be a virtual sightseer without leaving the comfort of your own home. When you’ve got locations like that, who gives a monkeys if the plot wouldn’t hold up to a CSI form of investigation.
All in all, it was a good hour’s romp. Well, it made me laugh my socks off anyway.moreless
Show Summary
EDIT
This comedy/romance/mystery show starred Christopher Cazenove as Michael Trent, a reserved Cambridge professor, and Margaret Whitton as Louisa Phillips, a wisecracking New Yorker. They portrayed a divorced couple who still worked together hosting a travel show called "Ticket to Ride". Which incidentally was the name given to the show when it aired in the UK to avoid confusion with the British sitcom 'A Fine Romance'. It was shot on location in Europe in such places as Ireland, Malta, and Budapest.
Part of the fun was each week brought them to a new location - and a new adventure, usually unwittingly involving Louisa, a magnet for trouble. Michael often had to come to her rescue, sometimes getting hurt (usually in the head) in the process. The other part of the fun was realizing that just maybe they were still in love with each other. Based on the screwball comedies of the '40s, it often lifted lines directly from the old movies.
This show only aired 7 weeks in the U.S. before being cancelled due to poor ratings, but it was aired in Europe for the entire run of the episodes, 13 in all.moreless
Part of the fun was each week brought them to a new location - and a new adventure, usually unwittingly involving Louisa, a magnet for trouble. Michael often had to come to her rescue, sometimes getting hurt (usually in the head) in the process. The other part of the fun was realizing that just maybe they were still in love with each other. Based on the screwball comedies of the '40s, it often lifted lines directly from the old movies.
This show only aired 7 weeks in the U.S. before being cancelled due to poor ratings, but it was aired in Europe for the entire run of the episodes, 13 in all.moreless
| S 4 : Ep 7 | Episode 7 | ||
| S 4 : Ep 6 | Episode 6 | ||
| S 4 : Ep 5 | Episode 5 | ||
| S 4 : Ep 4 | Episode 4 | ||
| S 4 : Ep 3 | Episode 3 |
 Ernie Sabella |
George Shipman |
Dinah Lenney |
Friday Forrester |
Christopher Cazenove |
Michael Trent |
Margaret Whitton |
Louisa Phillips |
Kevin Moore |
Miles Barrish |
Xavier Kuentz |
Francois Boyer |
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