You have questions. I have some answers.

Q: I have many fond memories of watching the“ Mission: Impossible” TV series starring Peter Graves from 1966 to 1973. Where might one find all or at least a taste of this intriguing show?

A: In 2026 we’ll mark the 60th anniversary of “Mission: Impossible.” It started with a special team led by Daniel Briggs (played by Steven Hill) in the first season, then by Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) until the end of its original run in 1973 and again in a TV revival in 1988-90. (Then came the Tom Cruise movies in 1996 and beyond.)There are DVD sets of the original series and the revival. Subscription streamer Paramount+ has the first four seasons of the series, while free streamer Pluto TV has Seasons 3-7. Prime Video also has the seven seasons for a fee.

My recent revisiting of the series also recalled the musical work of the great Lalo Schifrin, who composed the show’s theme; he passed away in June at the age of 93.

Q: On so many programs when they show the finished design of a room or a home, all the books are in the bookshelves backward. What’s with that?

A: Last year, the Better Homes & Gardens website noted that the book arrangement provides “a clean, minimalist look,” which one furniture expert said “the impression the space has been lived in.” But the article (Backward Books Are the Designer-Favorite Trick to More Cohesive Shelves) notes that such a display is not really practical, “more about aesthetics than content (sorry, bibliophiles).”

Q: Back in the late '90s I watched a movie (I believe in black and white) about a family running from a preacher who had a very creepy whistle. Any idea what it was?

A: While the movie’s details are a bit different from your memory, when I sent you a description of “The Night of the Hunter,” you confirmed it as the movie you remembered. That 1955 feature starred Robert Mitchum as a killer preacher and it ranks as one of his best performances. Based on a novel by Davis Grubb, with a screenplay by James Agee, the film was the only one directed by actor Charles Laughton. Film critic David Thomson has called it “one of the masterpieces of American cinema.” (By the way, Peter Graves, mentioned in the “Mission: Impossible” question above, was also in the cast.)

Q: I really enjoyed “The Waterfront” on Netflix. Will there be a Season 2?

A: The crime drama created by Kevin Williamson has not gotten an official renewal at this writing but all signs point to a second season. In fact, Williamson told the Hollywood Reporter that he pitched a three-season plan.

Q: We enjoy Stanley Tucci’s Italian food series. Will it be coming back?

A: Yes. “Tucci in Italy” has received an order for a second five-episode season on National Geographic, which says Tucci “explores the deep connections between food, culture and history … (in) a rich, narrative-driven dive into the country’s iconic culinary traditions.” As Deadline.com reported, “In the first season, Tucci explored regions including Tuscany, Lombardy, Abruzzo, Trentino-Alto Adige and Lazio. In the second season he will venture for the first time to Le Marche, while revisiting Sicily, Veneto, Campania and Sardinia.”

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