It Was a Thing on TV: An Anthology on Forgotten Television
664 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★ - 5 ratingsPartially an oral history of obscure TV shows, partially an oral version of MST3K, and partially a thorough episode guide, It Was a Thing on TV is an anthology podcast about obscure, forgotten, and odd TV shows, commercials, televised events, and almost anyone and anything else that was on television. For the most part, the subjects we cover are from the United States and Canada. We’re just three guys with a love for television. New episodes are generally every Monday and Thursday, sometimes more often.
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Episodes
It Was a Thing on TV Presents: Before the Show 3
September 24, 2023 01:33 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBIn 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-m...
Episode 412--Billy (1992 comedy)
September 21, 2023 04:00 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MBPost-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.
Episode 411--Mr. Smith Revisited
September 18, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 63.9 MBWay 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?
Episode 410--That (Awful) Quiz Show
September 14, 2023 04:00 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBOn 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.
It Was a Thing on TV Presents (09.12.23)
September 13, 2023 03:10 - 1 hour - 82.5 MBMike and Greg recap a wild Week 1 in the NFL on a special It Was a Thing on TV Presents. Among the things discussed are the debuts of Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, Tyreek Hill's great game against the Chargers, the Giants laying an egg against the Cowboys, Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury, and the Jets' walk-off win against Buffalo.
Episode 409--Booger McFarland and Jason Witten on Monday Night Football
September 11, 2023 04:00 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MBTonight is the first Monday Night Football game of the 2023 season. There have been many legendary characters behind the mic in the 50+ year history of MNF, from Howard Cosell to Frank Gifford to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman nowadays. For a brief period, the announcing crew consisted of the highly capable and competent Joe Tessitore and two people wet behnd the ears--the fish-out-of-water Jason Witten, and the human obstruction known as Booger McFarland.
Live Show 46–The Incredible Hulk (2008)
September 10, 2023 00:51 - 1 hour - 110 MBAfter a long wait, Greg and Chico finally deliver on giving you this livewatch of the second chapter of Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bruce Banner (looking nothing like Mark Ruffalo) has to deal with the problems of trying to control his rage while General Ross and the military try and use him for their own means. Join us as we watch The Incredible Hulk! SMASH!
Episode 408–The Colts/Broncos Thursday Night Football Game from 2022
September 07, 2023 04:00 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBTonight is Opening Night for the NFL, in this episode we look at a game from last year that was so bad that we had to cover it for the podcast right away. What happens when two veteran QB's get traded to different teams in a marquee match-up in the debut season of Thursday Night Football on Prime Video? You get this epic crapfest.
Episode 407--Mrs. Columbo AKA Kate Columbo AKA Kate the Detective AKA Kate Loves a Mystery
September 04, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 68.9 MB(Yes, this show went by all of those titles.) Columbo was an NBC staple in their Mystery Movie rotation throughout most of the 70s. When the network went on a huge decline at the end of the decade, NBC tried anything to get viewers including a non-canonical spinoff. At least we got to see a young Captain Janeway.
Live Show 45–Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: S1 E1 - Day of the Dumpster
September 03, 2023 04:00 - 28 minutes - 26.8 MBIn honor of the 30th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise, Greg and Chico go back to 1993 and take a look at where it all began with the premiere episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in this special live show.
Episode 406--Galaxy High School
August 31, 2023 04:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBA bookish girl & a jock are selected to attend high school in space. An up-and-coming movie scribe & a legendary anime studio are chosen to bring them to life. What started as a Saturday morning failure turned into a cult classic. Strap in and hold on as we round out this year’s Back to School special with a trip to Galaxy High School.
Episode 405--The Waverly Wonders
August 28, 2023 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBLegendary NFL quarterback Joe Namath's last stop in his illustrious career brought him to Los Angeles, with the Rams in 1977. The next year, one of his first post-retirement gigs was on The Waverly Wonders, which was very reminiscent of a popular show on another network at the time. Just over a month later, the show got cancelled. Its replacement, however, would last over 7 years.
Episode 404--Jennifer Slept Here Revisited
August 24, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 73.8 MBEarly on in this podcast's life, we originally covered Jennifer Slept Here, but it was one of the few episodes Greg missed. He had things to say about this show. Thus, we are revisiting another episode from early on.
It Was a Thing on TV Instant Reaction--Greg Opens Junk Wax, Volume 1
August 23, 2023 04:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBIn this special Instant Reaction, Greg opens packs of old sports cards as Mike and Chico react to some of his cards. Can Greg pull a possible PSA 10 Emmitt Smith Rookie from Score 1990 Football?
Episode 403--Dynaman
August 21, 2023 04:00 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBThirty years ago, Haim Saban brought the Super Sentai to the US, and Power Rangers was born... but before THAT, a similar series was brought to the US purely for laughs and/or played-up stereotypes. We look back on the show that was Dynaman, who brought it to life, and what exactly a main squeeze is.
Episode 402--Skooled
August 17, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBIt's that time of the year when kids are going back to school. In this installment, we look at a Canadian reality show where the roles are reversed--the teenagers are the teachers and the adults are the students. It's time to do some learning on Skooled. And for the first time in podcast history, we talk to someone who took part in the show, about his Skooled experiences among other things.
Episode 401–The Shockmaster
August 15, 2023 04:00 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBWhat was supposed to be a grand debut in WCW for the former Tugboat/Typhoon of the WWF turned into one of the biggest botches on live TV. All we have to say is this episode will shock the world because we talk about none other than THE SHOCKMASTER! (BOOM!) (Uncle Fred then trips through the wall as his helmet comes off) I TOLD YOU! OH GOD!
Live Show 44–Uh Oh! (The Movie)
August 12, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBIn honor of Susan St. James' upcoming 77th birthday, Greg and Chico look at this 2004 straight-to-DVD movie about a down on his luck clutz who teams up with a sea captain to find a sunken treasure. Also, Lou Rawls and Richard Moll are trying to stop them for some reason. We're also pretty sure that The Dove Foundation which "approved" this movie didn't actually watch this.
Episode 400--Tequila and Bonetti
August 10, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBWe have reached 400! This time, we're talking about a show whose formula worked in theaters as Turner and Hooch, but the dog can talk?! And Italy enjoyed this so much, they revived it in 2000?!?!
Episode 399--Salvage 1
August 07, 2023 04:00 - 58 minutes - 54 MBThe late 70s experienced a sci-fi kick in theaters and on television. Someone had the idea to create a show which crossed science fiction with Sanford and Son, somewhat. Salvage 1 was about a crew who went to the moon to bring lunar junk back to Earth, but they did everything but that. What was Andy Griffith thinking?
Episode 398--J.J. Starbuck
August 03, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 80.9 MBJ.J. Starbuck fit a formula one prolific producer had used repeatedly and successfully. It got good ratings, despite being moved multiple times, though the ratings weren't good enough for the most popular broadcast network at the time. It also got beaten three separate times by a person who has problems with cheese.
Episode 397--Pepper Dennis
July 27, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBSingle female news journalist! Having lots of sex! She had everything going for her… Looks, talent, intelligence, the right people surrounding her (even if one of them was “the best sex she ever had” who ended up taking her job). There was one problem… she was on a dead network. This week, we go to the newsroom to investigate the life and career of… “Pepper Dennis”.
Episode 396--Angie
July 20, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 76.7 MBIn 1979, Angie was bound for great success. Then ABC meddled with the schedule a number of times and despite being a top 5 show the season before, Angie found its way to cancellation a year later.
Minisode 28--The Tom Emanski Baseball World Commercials
July 17, 2023 04:00 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBThe Baseball Hall of Fame inductions will be happening in a matter of weeks. One of the enshrinees this year is slugger Fred McGriff. While most people know him as a basher for a number of MLB teams, others remember him from appearing in frequently aired ads for baseball skill videos. We look back at the videos, and discover something amazing about those ads about a quarter century later.
Episode 395--Hometown Commercials, Volume 4
July 13, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBIt's a podcast tradition like any other. We have found more ads from podcast favorites like Marc Norton, Rhett & Link, and Darryl Isaacs. We have also discovered new favorites. By the end of this episode, you'll know what we do. Tim Misny - https://youtu.be/LLshVZ6mzqc Pines Motor Lodge - https://youtu.be/6ExEKKShxrI River Fair at River Mall - https://vimeo.com/340782677 1982 Public Insurance San Diego Commercial - https://youtu.be/_p9mEFTaQwI Apple Auto Sales - https://youtu.be/X1Xi...
It Was a Thing on TV Presents: Before the Show 2
July 10, 2023 04:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBWe did this for the first time last November. So much stuff happened in the last week that we decided to do it again. In this "Before the Show" conversation, among other things, we talk about what might be the greatest episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the start of Threads, "Super" SNES games, and Secret Invasion on Disney+.
Episode 394--The Great American Telephone Trivia Game
July 06, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 65 MBArt Fleming, legendary Jeopardy! emcee, made a very brief return to television in the early 90s with The Great American Telephone Trivia Game. Is it an infomercial? Is it a game show? ¿Por qué no los dos? Is it a bunch of hooey? You bet it is, and it cost just $1.95 per minute! Listener discretion is advised due to language.
Episode 393--Tales of the Gold Monkey
June 29, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBComing to theaters this week is the fifth and final outing of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. In 1982, ABC aired a show similar to *BUT* legally distinct from Raiders of the Lost Ark and it came from TV legend Donald Bellisario. It had action and excitement but could it capitalize on the adventure fever of Raiders? Weeeeeellllllllllllllllll, you'll have to listen to find out.
Episode 392--Camp Cucamonga
June 22, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 119 MBNBC had a thing for summer camp movies with some of the most popular teenage talent at the time. (See Episode 278, Poison Ivy.) Unlike Poison Ivy, Camp Cucamonga wasn't well-remembered, nor was it even that good. Enjoy some stereotypical rapping and a predictable ending with some of your favorite teenage stars from 1990 in this installment.
Episode 391--The Flash (1990)
June 15, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBBefore you see the Ezra Miller Flash f' up the DC multiverse for everybody, we talk about the highly bandied about original version of The Flash from 1990 on CBS, which went up against two powerhouse shows on its initially scheduled night, then went up against more tough competition on not such a great night. But don't feel too bad as this version of The Flash would get closure close to 30 years later in the current version of The Flash on The CW.
Episode 390--Blansky’s Beauties
June 12, 2023 04:00 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MBWe have talked about many failed spinoffs in the past, but this one is unique in the sense that it didn't happen concurrently with the parent show. Rather, this was set in 1977, versus Happy Days' 50s/60s setting. That is just the beginning of the confusion regarding Blansky's Beauties.
Episode 389--Hardball Hot Seat
June 10, 2023 04:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MB20 years ago on Sunday, the finals of the 2002-03 Hardball Hot Seat competition should have aired. It didn't and thanks to Mike, one of the event's finalists, we provide you the inside scoop about why it didn't air, and other goodies about Mike's experiences at both the original Hot Seat taping in October 2002 and with the finals.
Episode 388--Cleverdicks
June 07, 2023 04:00 - 34 minutes - 32 MBNational Sex Day week rolls on with a British quizzer for the smartest of the smart, where you can earn the title of Cleverdick. It's not fetch happening; we explain that term in the beginning.
Minisode 27--Sex Box
June 05, 2023 04:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBNational Sex Day is happening on Friday of this week! (6/9...nice) We're doing three episodes with related titles, though only this episode is really about the act itself. This short-lived WeTV entry could be summed up as sex therapy in The Cube. We advise listener discretion.
Live Show 43–The Kissing Booth 3
June 03, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 108 MB“It’s the end of an era… and the beginning of everything else.” What college will Elle pick, the one with her heartthrob or the one with her bestie? Can they pull off the best summer ever with Mario Kart and DDR? And will this girl ever learn to say no? Greg & Chico answer most of these questions as we round out The Era with The Kissing Booth 3.
Episode 387--Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
June 01, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBIn the 70s & early 80s, ABC was riding high with the world's greatest "Superfriends" based on the DC Comics. Marvel, not willing to let this go unchallenged, teamed up the face of the brand with an X-Man & an original character. to form "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends". Before going "Across the Spider-Verse", take a deep dive into a show on NBC that lasted... shorter than you probably remember.
Episode 386--The Big ShowDown
May 29, 2023 04:00 - 41 minutes - 38.5 MBThe mid-70s was a rotating door of game shows seemingly coming, then going after 13 to 26 weeks. The Big ShowDown was no different, except it was a brilliant dice-themed game of strategy and its host had a memorable entrance on one episode.
Episode 385--Carlton Your Doorman (1980 CBS pilot)
May 27, 2023 04:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBOur 4th annual Pilot Month concludes with an animated spin-off of a live-action show which ended two years earlier?! Welcome to a day in the life of Carlton Your Doorman.
Episode 384--18 Wheels of Justice
May 25, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 81.3 MBWe're celebrating another of our birthdays! Greg's getting a year older, and he wants to cover a show we have talked about for years but there was little footage of it in English until recently. We're finally covering 18 Wheels of Justice. Can a man in the witness protection program avenge the loss of his wife and daughter by taking down organized crime and G. Gordon Liddy with the help of his big-wheeled truck? NOTE: Chico used a new microphone for this and the next episode so his audio ...
Episode 383--Howie (1962 CBS pilot)
May 22, 2023 04:00 - 57 minutes - 53.3 MBA decade before The Paul Lynde Show (see episode 103), a pilot for CBS was done which was reminiscent of the latter show. Lynde plays the father-in-law to his new son-in-law, the "smartest man in the room though he's actually the dumbest" Howie.
Episode 382--Call Her Mom (1972 TV movie/pilot)
May 20, 2023 04:00 - 53 minutes - 49.5 MBOn the surface, Call Her Mom is reminiscent of a certain movie which would be a big hit 6 years later, but with a "den mother" caring for the fraternity. This wasn't just a ratings hit once, but twice. How did it not make it as a regular series?
Episode 381--Dick Tracy (1967 pilot)
May 18, 2023 04:00 - 35 minutes - 33.1 MBBatman was a big TV success in 1966. Why not follow it up with a pilot of a similar comic book staple? Dick Tracy was a cut-and-paste job from the Batman playbook, down to the script, the scenery, and even the baddie of the week. Just remember: Dick Tracy, he's a good cop.
Live Show 42–The Cube Season 2 Premiere
May 17, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBAfter a long, long, long wait, The Cube is finally back for a second season on TBS. In the premiere of Season 2, Gabrielle Union and La-La Anthony try to tackle The Cube which has a whole lot of new challenges for the contestants.
Episode 380--King of the Building (1987 CBS pilot)
May 15, 2023 04:00 - 35 minutes - 33.1 MBOne of the big comics in the mid-to-late 80s was Richard Lewis, known for his neurotic schtick. Two years before a career-defining role in Anything But Love, Lewis starred in this pilot as a doorman at a New York City apartment building.
Live Show 41–The 2023 XFL Championship Game
May 14, 2023 04:00 - 2 hours - 130 MBThe 2023 XFL has made it farther than its second incarnation by making it to the Championship Game! Can the title game fare better than the original XFL's 2001 Championship Game? Greg and Chico live watch the 2023 Championship between DC and Arlington from the Alamodome as they smell what The Rock is cooking.
Episode 379--Baffled! (1973 NBC backdoor pilot)
May 13, 2023 17:00 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBAs we have mentioned previously, ESP was popular in the 60s and 70s. What happens when a racecar driver starts having psychic visions? Lots of stuff in England, enough to make the casual viewer feel Baffled!
Episode 378--Stick Around (1977 ABC pilot)
May 11, 2023 04:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBIn 1977, Andy Kaufman was an up and coming comic. ABC cast him as a robot servant in the year 2055 with a distinct voice, one which would become associated with Kaufman on another ABC show a year later, Taxi. Why didn't this work? We blame the mood synthesizers, AKA the "ass toasters."
Episode 377--Bob Rooney Day on Late Night with David Letterman
May 09, 2023 04:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBToday, May 9th, marks 40 years since David Letterman dedicated an entire day to an assistant sound engineer on his show. We go back and relive that day with a beer, a BLT, and another beer.
It Was a Thing on TV Instant Reaction--Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
May 07, 2023 14:35 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBThis weekend Marvel Studios released the final chapter of James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy. Greg had a chance this weekend to see the movie and give his thoughts on if it measured up to the two previous films and if it was better than some of Marvel's recent theatrical releases. NOTE: There's a discussion about the end credits scene, which will spoil the movie. Greg will give a warning followed by a few seconds of silence to let you stop the recording and go back later if you ...
Episode 376--Stacked (2008 UK pilot)
May 06, 2023 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBA pre-Doctor Who/Guardians of the Galaxy Karen Gillan appeared in this British pilot, which apparently was the best thing at a certain network's disposal. This was so wrong on so many levels, so much so that we're asking for listener discretion. It did give us 4000-pound breasts.