There are television shows that you watch casually. Doesn't matter if you miss them, frankly you can take or leave them. There are many others that you actively avoid. Then there are the gems that make television sets justify the space they occupy. BL is one such programme.
Or at least it was. As with all good things, it's ended, far too soon. The first three seasons I came to rather late. Watching them on DVD, I enjoyed episode after episode. The writing was superb, the acting excellent and the characters, well, they were sparkling.
There were the usual unexplained exits and entrances of characters, as you find in all DEK productions. But, all in all, it was superb.
Then came season four. It's not that the show became unwatchable. There were some great moments, and it was still better than much of the television available. But the US politics took over and the show suffered as a result.
Season five was a return to form, but not completely. I've never been a Carl Sack fan, he compares badly to Paul in 1-3. The cast was reduced in size, which was a shame as much of BL's earliest sparkle was the interaction in the firm. However, the remaining cast are, as always, brilliant.
The writing wasn't quite up to season 1-3 level, but it was always going to be tough to maintain that. So, all in all, these are a fine, final chapters of BL. But, for old times sake, I have to say it one last time;
Denny Crane.