Day 09 - Best scene ever.
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving.
Day 19 - Best TV show cast.
Day 20 - Favourite kiss.
Day 21 - Favourite ship.
Day 22 - Favourite series finale.
Day 23 - Most annoying character.
Day 24 - Best quote.
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new).
Day 26 - OMG WTF? season finale.
Day 27 - Best pilot episode.
Day 28 - First TV show obsession.
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession.
Day 30 - Saddest character death.
Day 19 - Best TV show cast.
This really has to be the hardest question as there are just so many shows with stellar casts: Buffy, Babylon 5, Grey's Anatomy, Kingdom, M*A*S*H, NCIS, New Tricks, Stargate: SG-1, The West Wing, Yes, Prime Minister and several others leapt to mind and I simply couldn't chose one. I ruled several out as I've used them/will be using them more than once and also a couple for really small core casts, i.e. fewer than four, and then asked J at breakfast.
We finally got it down to three: Buffy, Kingdom and New Tricks - all of which had their merits. In the end I resorted to good old simple drawing lots. I wrote the three names down on paper, folded them up, tossed them around and J picked one. I'm actually glad this one came out, as although at one point I did rule it out as being a fairly small cast, the more J and I discussed it, the more this cast stood out.
The winner was: New Tricks.
It's not just the cast of four, as shown above, there are also other regulars/semi-regulars: the Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Esther (Brian's wife), Gerry's family as well as an array of outstanding guest stars.
What's also superb about this cast (and about most of the others I had 'lined up') is that there isn't one lead; the four main characters are all equal, so much so the credits are in alphabetical order rather than any kind of 'star' order. And none of them as actors try to out do one another. They have the most tremendous fun on-set. You have four mature actors who, from what they say, have a tremendous time and when they aren't working, even when they're on holiday they phone and text one another. Also little things the actors do, make it onto the show. For example, Sandra's habit of giving her handbag to one of the men actually arose from Amanda Redman giving her handbag to one of the men, during a walk-through. The Director liked the idea so much it stayed.
It's just an amazing cast of equals who love what they do, are really close on and off screen and it comes over in every episode.
New Tricks on Wiki
Official BBC New Tricks Site
The Radio Times New Tricks Site
New Tricks on IMDB