You have questions. I have some answers.

Q: I’m a big fan of the Canadian show “Murder in a Small Town.” This is a Canadian show, taking place in Canada with mostly Canadian actors. I’m rather confused that the uniforms for the sergeant and other officers are showing the American style of “stripes”. Since this is a Canadian show taking place in British Columbia, should they not be showing the Canadian chevrons in a V shape?

A: While there are a lot of Canadian connections for the series based on L.R. Wright’s novels, I’m told the setting it is not identified as Canada on the show. It is set in the Pacific Northwest, but in the U.S. portion.

Q: A few years ago, I vaguely remember a ruling that told TV ads they had to lower their volume. It seemed to work for a while but now the ads are so loud, we just mute them. What happened to that rule?

A: There is an FCC rule under the 2012 Commercial Advertisement Mitigation Act (or CALM Act), which applies “TV stations, cable operators, satellite TV providers or other multichannel video program distributors (MVPDs).” It does not cover streaming; in a 2025 article PC Mag reported that a 2023 attempt to add streaming to the CALM Act never made it out of committee.

And the FCC “does not set an absolute cap on loudness.” Instead, “it requires commercials to have the same average volume as the programming they accompany.” The “average” standard is tricky: PC Mag quoted an FCC draft report that said, "Anecdotal reports indicate that some advertisers may be attempting to ‘game’ this system by using exceptionally loud sounds at the beginning of an advertisement and then reducing the loudness to achieve a technically compliant commercial that is nonetheless disruptive to viewers.”

You can find out more about this, including how to file a complaint to the FCC, at www.fcc.gov/media/policy/loud-commercials.

Q: One of your readers listed Western TV shows he had watched in the ‘50s and asked you to list Westerns he forgot. You listed some but you and the reader forgot “Gunslinger,” a rare Western from the makers of “Gunsmoke.”

A: While the original question and answer involved Westerns airing on Saturday mornings, several folks saw an opportunity to mention Westerns from other parts of the day. And “Gunslinger” is worth a mention because it is a rarity. It aired from February to September in 1961, on Thursday nights at 9, taking over the slot after the failure of a series called “The Investigators.” “Gunslinger” starred Tony Young as Cord, an undercover operator for the military. The son of actor Carleton G. Young, Tony had a steady acting career until he left the business in 1993; he passed away in 2002.

Q: Throughout the “M.A.S.H.” TV series a background actor in glasses appeared in numerous episodes, never credited. My wife and I always called him “The Driver” as he almost always appeared driving someone in a Jeep on the show. A few times he was an MP and had a line or two. Why did he keep appearing?

A: That was Dennis Troy, who appeared in more than two dozen episodes of the series, including as a corpsman, ambulance driver, MP and orderly. Obviously he was a reliable performer in small roles; he had also appeared on “F Troop” and “Hogan’s Heroes.” He comes from a showbiz family, with both his father Sid Troy and brother Gary Troy having been actors.

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