Happy Thanksgiving!  (For those outside of the United States, happy Thursday.)  For this holiday, we jump back 43 years to 1981.  What was the hotness that year?  A version of Strawberry Shortcake which was reminiscent to the technology used in Malcolm, for one.  The video game surge started, though it wasn't represented in the parade.  As you prepare to do Black Friday shopping, remember to go to the AT&T phone store and get a Garfield phone.

As we do around these parts for Thanksgiving, we look at at least one Thanksgiving Day parade.  This time, we go back to 1988, to see what were the big shows on Broadway, to see what TV stars would appear on floats, to see what the big gifts of 1988 were, to see what headwear Willard Scott was donning, and to see the grand ending of the parade--Santa Claus!

In this installment, we look at another show which was rated as one of the worst shows of all-time.  Was Me and the Chimp justifiably the 46th worst show ever?  Maybe if audiences went bananas over the ridiculous plot, we wouldn't be talking about this show almost 53 years later.

This week, we're taking a look at what happens when deaths occur on TV shows.  To start, we look at a handful of incidents where a character dies in a TV show, why the character dies, and how a show handles such an occurrence.  This episode does not talk about actual actor passings; we will cover that subject on Thursday.

In the fourth edition of It Was a Thing on TV Presents: Before the Show, Mike and Greg discuss the recent news of the merger between the USFL and the XFL as the new version of the United Football League (UFL).

They also discuss "Steamboat Willie" and the OG Mickey Mouse entering the public domain along with the really bad horror attempts with Mickey along with Greg recently getting a PS5.

Then, Chico joins in for Segment 2 where they talk about Ric Flair shilling crypto, the latest headaches at ESPN, and Hulk Hogan with the cast of "Silver Spoons"?

Timing can and very might have been the reason The Tim Conway Show did not have a longer life, even going from an hour to a half an hour for season 2.  As is most anything with Tim Conway, it was entertaining.  The rest of the cast was great.  Unfortunately, the variety show was a dying breed in 1980.

Happy 2024!  We start the new year with a show that debuted 30 years ago this week.  It only ran the typical 13 episodes.  Comparisons were made to more successful shows on TV at the time, though at least one of us saw a very raw version of a show which would become a hit two seasons later with one of the show's performers.

We wrap up 2023 by talking about some of the people who made bad decisions this year, a selection of our favorite shows of the year, and looking back at those who we lost.

History was made on Thursday Night as Kansas State and NC State played in the first-ever Pop-Tarts Bowl! Hilarity ensued as the winning team not only won a trophy with Pop-Tarts sticking out but the game's mascot a six-foot tall Pop-Tart was eaten at the end of the game! Mike, Greg and Chico saw this and had to share their reaction to this incredible moment!

As is tradition on this podcast, we look at the news, events, and happenings in 2023 to close out the year.  In this part, we cover the news and some of the shows which ended in 2023.

In 1985 and 1986, David Letterman presented two special episodes of Late Night with David Letterman around the holiday season highlighting short films by various celebrities. We analyze these short films and offer our commentary in this holiday episode of It Was a Thing on TV.

1985 segments

"PMS - Premenstrual Syndrome" (Andrea Martin/Catherine O'Hara) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwLTCayIeSw (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"Angst on a Shoestring" (Bette Midler) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Jfs8bK6WQ (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"Dress Cool" (Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band ft. Dave) - https://youtu.be/eTRc_IIMtk4?si=qba3H9i_xS-K6aYf&t=92 (Uploaded by the Letterman YT Channel)

"The Making of You Wouldn't Believe Our World" (Harry Shearer ft. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Marcia Strassman" - https://youtu.be/eTRc_IIMtk4?si=qba3H9i_xS-K6aYf&t=92 (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"But I'm Happy" (Michael Keaton ft. Ron & Clint Howard) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq88ORPeQAQ&t=183s (Uploaded by the Letterman YT Channel)

1986 segments

"Feelin' In Love" (Dave ft. Paul Shaffer and Hal Gurnee) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtGaNgZyUUU (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"My Day With the Stars" (Jonathan Winters) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7LMSRFBKAE (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"Chris Elliott: A Television Miracle) (Chris Elliott ft. George Takei, Don King & Dave) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKqko5ZvMA (Uploaded by Darian Glover

"Diane Sawyer's Shocking Expose" (Diane Sawyer ft. Mike Douglas & Andy Rooney) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rweOsVEfI_M&t=146s (Uploaded by the Letterman YT channel)

"The Ice Man Hummeth" (Michael J. Fox ft. Howie Mandel) - https://youtu.be/56lk7cp5Umg?si=O_9gQ6ZDQey2fb5Z&t=93 (Uploaded by the Letterman YT channel)

Today is the 40th Anniversary of Tom Poston's mini-coma at the Super Match on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. In honor of this moment we present an outtake between episodes of a taping in 2020 as Mike gives some play-by-play of this legendary moment.

This outtake was heard in Episode 100 but this is the first time we are presenting this by itself.

In our annual episode where you pick the topic, we gave you 3 shows from which to choose.  The show with the most votes was this one, a one-season classic about an Old West bounty hunter avenging his father's death, with science fiction and steampunk elements.

Daytime games in the 80s were a strength of NBC.  CBS had a stable roster of shows, though the block was only two hours compared to three at NBC.  For some reason, CBS canceled the venerable $25,000 Pyramid for this show.  This show did not live up to expectations, so much so that its replacement was the same show it replaced.

Our mini-tribute to the new Aquaman cinematic release comes to an end with this series which was marine-adjacent about the last survivor from an underwater civilization.  Four TV movies were made, with decent enough ratings to merit a series, one that lasted an additional 13 entries.

In theaters soon is a new Aquaman movie and in honor of its release, we have two special episodes dedicated to it.  First, we start with a pilot which should have made it to air but the timing may have been horrible, plus the price tag on the pilot was astronomical.  Greg spent his hard-earned money to see this pilot and offers up a thorough recap.

In honor of what would have been Bob Barker's 100th birthday on the 12th of December, we talk about one of his lesser-known ventures. In 1980, both ABC and NBC had popular reality shows in the forms of That's Incredible! and Real People, respectively.  CBS wanted a piece of this reality action.  The result was a show somewhat based on a title which was successful for the network for almost 20 years.

Due to language, listener discretion is advised.

It's the final voyage with the OG Trek crew as the Federation and Klingon Empire are close to intergalactic peace. However, Kirk and the Enterprise crew must deal with Klingon Christopher Plummer and a potential traitor on board the ship. Join Greg and Chico as they head second star to the left and straight on til morning.

One of our current favorite shows from the past is The New Liar's Club, a reboot of the popular game from the late 1970s.  The game's the same but the caliber of celebrities was very much Canadian because, as Greg would say, John Barbour's son did all the casting for the show.  Maybe all the money was spent getting a Rolls Royce in the show's open...

You are the network with the most watched show on television. What do you do? Create a spin-off. But not just any spin-off, a sequel, to outdo anything the mother program ever did, up to and including alien abduction. That’s what ABC did with Dynasty and The Colbys. We break down why that was a mistake with the help of a special guest.

Today (November 29th) marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary ABC News anchor Frank Reynolds. Although this man has not been with us for the last 40 years he left a great legacy of journalism on TV that lives on today with World News Tonight as one of the program's three founding co-anchors. We will showcase some of his great moments on this special episode of It Was a Thing on TV.

Sargent Shriver Interview (1965) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGVMfce5bJk

ABC 1968 Race to the White House - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJeozETBpYU

Issues and Answers Opening (1968) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkSI07FQniM

Remembering JFK (11/22/68): - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRFEIHSOg9Q

Apollo Program (1968-69) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL3SMbWGtWc&t=1941s

Neil Armstrong Profile - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pceDTbCNlQ

Frank Reynolds’ farewell to the ABC Evening News (1970) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGT-Bolt7N8

World News Tonight Premiere (7/20/78) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5OrVbxAL4g

Frank reporting on the Solar Eclipse (1979) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrz-_4CFOuE

Frank at work on ABC Network line (1980) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qdmrvL4DyI

Anchoring World News Tonight during Mount St. Helens Eruption (1980) - https://youtu.be/5izisUIqO2s?si=qZkRivtS6eUYAEiB&t=636

KTVK-TV 3 Arizona World News Tonight Promo (1981) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5df74Xw4QSo

ABC Reagan Attempted Assassination Snippets from the Oddity Archive’s Breaking News video - https://youtu.be/1hQSxVsdY78?si=eSWQLuWA5l8Uopy7&t=1424

Special Report within World News Tonight (1981) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YJFGncyMPI

Frank Reynolds Remembered - ABC News Nightline (7/20/83) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d259RtOMBnk

Frank Reynolds: A Man Who Cared (7/24/83) - https://archive.org/details/ABC_News_Frank_Reynolds_A_Man_Who_Cared_1983

The first of the three Doctor Who specials for the 60th Anniversary aired on the BBC and Disney+ this past weekend. Chico watched the first of the specials and pops on in this Instant Reaction about the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate to the TARDIS. Did RTD's first episode back as Executive Producer of Doctor Who recapture the magic from his first stint? You'll have to listen to find out. Meep, Meep.

We cap our celebration of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary with a look at “The Curse of Fatal Death”, a Red Nose Day special from 1999. The Doctor’s looking to settle down but can’t stop regenerating, the Master is rebuilt with Dalek spare parts, and it’s all going down on a planet with a special form of communication. The BBC got some amazing talent for this one-off that foresaw a lot of things.

We hope you have enjoyed your Thanksgiving as you prepare to watch some Thanksgiving night football.  Thirty Thanksgivings ago, Leon Lett committed one of the most boneheaded plays in NFL history.  Oddly enough, less than a year earlier, Lett previously committed another one of the most boneheaded plays in NFL history, on the biggest stage of them all.

NBC tried spinning off one of its most successful shows from the 80s, the drama Hill Street Blues, into a comedy/drama Beverly Hills Buntz.  The first episode brought great ratings, but that was thanks to a cushy time slot.  Naturally, the audience didn't carry over after moving to a not-so-cushy time slot and the show ended with 4 episodes still in the can.

The holiday tradition at the podcast now starts its trek going back in time, starting with the 1982 edition of The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  How does it compare to what we have seen from later in the 80s and why are so many kids expressing their emotions?

It's an It Was a Thing on TV tradition like no other.  Every year since 2019, we have looked at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in chronological order, starting with the 1983 parade.  We're up to the 1987 parade.  What characters will star in this parade?  What products will advertisers shove down our throats?  And did Charlie Brown ever get a growth spurt!

"Doctor Who" has had a storied history these past 60 years, but thanks to the economics of television at the time, it - much like that of any TV show at the time - is sketchy at best. But recently, the BBC has ramped up efforts to find and restore episodes long lost to tape wiping by any means necessary. We look at how this piece of TV history is being preserved and what is still missing media.

By the mid 1980s, Doctor Who had emerged as one of the BBC’s longest-running brands, but even then it was getting long in the tooth. In 1986, they tried something big - a season-long arc, resulting in “The Trial of a Time Lord”. Will the Doctor be brought to justice? Will audiences be brought to watch?

Vincent Price wanted to bring Doctor Who to the States, with an American version.  When that failed, he decided to make his own version aboard a train.  Time Express was a limited series, starting while Supertrain was still airing.  Both shows got derailed in May 1979.

Doctor Who was an instantaneous sensation that, in 1964, the ABC in Australia commissioned a show similar to yet different from The Doctor.  Thought to be lost for decades, The Stranger found its way to the Internet in 2019.  Judge for yourself as we continue our tribute to the Doctor's 60th anniversary.

Our tribute to Doctor Who continues with an entry that picks up where it all began. Join the students of Coal Hill Academy as they team up with an alien prince and the teacher/warlord he’s psychically tethered to as they protect the school from otherworldly threats for all of 8 episodes. “Class” is in session.

We start our celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who by looking at this American adaptation of "Broadchurch". Adapted from the ITV drama created by future Doctor Who EP Chris Chibnall the American version brought back the Tenth Doctor himself David Tennant in the lead role. Did this limited event series find an audience on FOX in 2014 or was it another victim of Lost in Translation?

Greg just finished watching maybe one of the worst games of football he's ever seen in the Battle of New York between the Jets and the Giants and he's here to give his instant reaction to it. What happens when one team is down to their third-string center and the other team is down to their third-string QB? #hilarityensues

On Halloween Eve 2006, ESPN got several fans involved in a unique event where the fans were dressed as Monday Night Football personalities.  This happened once and never again.  Were fans creeped out by a big-headed Chris Berman racing down a football field?  Could it be because several of the big heads almost fell off?  Join Greg and Mike as they look at this one-time experiment.

In celebration of the Mets reaching the NLCS, Greg decides to open some of his junk wax packs to share with Mike and Chico. Enjoy the talk about Tom Candiotti, Todd Zeile and Glenn Braggs.

We talked about the Second Chance from 1977 and the Second Chance from 1987.  This Halloween season, we're covering a third entry with that name, from 2016.  This version was loosely based on Frankenstein but it was "depressingly awful" and couldn't hold viewers after a decent lead-in show, albeit against tough competition.

In 1984, the same year horror master Wes Craven gave us "A Nightmare on Elm Street" he directed this ABC TV Movie starring Robert Urich, Joanna Cassidy, and Erica Kane herself Susan Lucci.

In this made-for, Susan plays a devilish dame who tries to tempt ol' Spenser for Hire with power if he can just join this hot country club that just about everyone at his company works for. Join us on an Invitation to Hell!

We're two short weeks from the pinnacle of the spooky season, so we're pulling out Halloween-themed shows.  First, while not spooky in any way, Child's Play shares its name with a well-known horror movie franchise from later in the 80s.  Besides being Bill Cullen's last show with Mark Goodson, it may be better known for being replaced by the game which typified the 80s, Press Your Luck.

Almost a decade after the animated version we covered in episode 417, there was a live-action version of Police Academy, 8 years after the franchise's last nationwide theatrical release.  Unlike the animated show, personalities from the Police Academy movies made appearances.  After a season, the powers that be opted to put these cops on desk duty.

(NOTE: We couldn't photoshop the Police Academy logo in the 90's TV so we had to use the Widescreen TV logo and filtered the Police Academy logo as if you were watching a VHS tape on an HDTV.)

A favorite comedy movie franchise around these parts is the Police Academy series.  Between installments 5 and 6, an animated series aired in syndication, following the exploits of those crazy cops...and talking police dogs?!  All the characters from the series appeared, but with none of their movie talent counterparts.

In the 70s, Sherwood Schwartz had an idea to introduce a couple with a multiethnic group of kids. The ahead-of-its-time idea was revisited in the mid 80s, but would anybody watch it? And what happens when nobody watches it? On this episode, we break down the strange case of “Together We Stand”…. Or “Nothing is Easy”.

We conclude our trifecta of Dabney Coleman shows by looking back at a show which was a complete contrast to the last two entries, where Coleman played an irritable, cantankerous TV host and an irritable, cantankerous sportswriter.  This time, Coleman portrays an irritable, cantankerous 5th grade teacher.

Dabney Colemania continues with another series fronted by Dabney.  Unlike Buffalo Bill where he played an irritable, cantankerous TV host, Dabney played an irritable, cantankerous sportswriter.  Like Buffalo Bill, The "Slap" Maxwell Story was a critical favorite.  Also like Buffalo Bill, the ratings were not good.

Like Schuckapalooza last year, we're devoting a number of episodes to an actor, this time Dabney Coleman.  First up is a show which didn't get many viewers, despite praise from critics.  It's a show that, after cancellation, Brandon Tartikoff said was one of his biggest regrets.  Coleman plays the prickly title character in the 80s classic Buffalo Bill.

In our third edition of Before the Show, Mike busts open a box of Topps Allen and Ginter 2023 and goes over with Greg some of the various cards in this year's set.

Afterward, Chico joins Mike and Greg for the second half of the show as they discuss the programming (or lack of) on the soon-to-be defunct Longhorn Network including an annual Christmas tradition involving the University of Texas' mascot Bevo.

Finally, Mike talks about his trip last weekend to Buffalo to see Marc Summers' one-man show.

It's time for another Revisited episode.  This time, we're looking at a show that, in recent months, has appeared on-demand and airs with regularity on a FAST channel.  We're checking in again with The Ropers and questioning whether it truly is one of the 50 worst shows in TV history.  You be the judge, but we think it does not deserve that moniker.

Post-Head of the Class, the person who replaced Howard Hesseman was given a second chance, on another series where he played an educator.  This educator, however, had some issues, the least of which was living with one of his students and the largest of which was living with her to remain in the United States.

Way back in episode 2, we originally covered Mr. Smith, on the basis of Leonard Frey being credited from it and the curiosity of what it was.  Four years later and the upload of over half the series later, in honor of the 40th anniversary of its premiere, we can give Mr. Smith the justice it deserves.  Does an orangutan with an IQ of 256 help fix Washington D.C., or do wacky shenanigans happen because Mr. Smith is into monkey business?

On this installment, Greg and Mike talk about an obscure show which ran very briefly in the early 1980s, hosted by a pair of brothers whose biggest claim to fame was being the shortest pair of twins in the world.  The pair made some appearances on movies and TV, including a segment on Real People, which was apparently enough to give them this (awful) hosting gig.