Fanacek

There are so many movies that are thought to be "cursed"...Poltergeist, The Exorcist. Rebel Without a Cause, etc.  But where are my cursed TV shows?  Certainly there must be a few small screen productions that were cursed, right?  Well, listeners, I submit to you a series that I believe to be cursed.  1979's Hart to Hart.  Yep.  This story has it all.  Drugs, alcohol, extramarital affairs, and...m...

Ok, now that we're all caught up on RFK, Mineo, and Manson 101, we can now focus our energy on some fun stuff you likely didn't know about Chuck Manson.  Like it or not, Manson wormed his way into pop culture immortality.  This episode shines a light on his involvement with Grandpa Al Lewis, Scientology, The People's Court, The Beach Boys, Mama Cass, Nine Inch Nails, Guns N' Roses, and more.  It's...

Let's peer into the dusty basement of pop culture and find some gems that don't get discussed enough...and let's do it while connecting RFK and Sal Mineo and Charles Manson!  Trust me, these 3 fellas have more in common than you might think, and I'm learning that all pop culture roads go through Charles Manson.  We'll discuss murders, conspiracies, and questionable arrests.   John Lennon.  David C...

More fun pop culture stories from my life in NYC, L.A., and Nashville.  In this episode we'll learn about a WWE champ and an Elvis impersonator hangin' at The Viper Room, my time with Rainn Wilson, NY's Gotham Comedy Club in the 90s, celebs at Clippers games, and a bunch more.  Eat up!

The final installment of my Hollywood Tales.  This time I chat about an A-list actress being a weirdo on an airplane, a Grey's Anatomy doctor getting shitfaced, the physical abnormalities of George Clooney, and my time with an up and coming actor named Jonah Hill.

Want more stories from the life of Fanacek?  Well, here you go.  This episode features Jason Lee asking for directions, one of the Saved by the Bell hotties telling me to eff off, several awesome folks from 90210, Susan Sarandon pissed at Hollywood, and my time on the Warner Brothers lot with 2 future superstars.  It's a blast.

I have stories.  Tons of them.  Having spent many years living in both NYC and L.A., I have been around celebrities for most of my life and now it's time for me to share some of these gems with you.  Join me for Volume 1 as I reminisce about Pauly Shore and my time at The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, and The Hollywood Improv.  Perhaps you will be interested in how I fucked up a big night for J...

All good things must come to and end as this is the Season 8 finale.  But, we're going out with a bang as we take a close look at the (kind of?) classic sitcom, Bosom Buddies.  Was it a little too "out there" and farcical? Yes.  Did it die a quick death? Yes.  Did it launch some epic careers?  You bet!  Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari, Wendie Jo Sperber, Holland Taylor, and Telma Hopkins to name a few. ...

My book is finally here and available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09jGbH3d After years of writing down every thought I've ever had about 1980s television, my book is finally complete and on its way to you!  It's a 750 page opus that I think you will love!  If you are already an 80s TV aficionado, I promise you will earn even more.  If you have zero interest in 80s TV, I promise you'll laugh your ass...

My book is finally here and available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09jGbH3d After years of writing down every thought I've ever had about 1980s television, my book is finally complete and on its way to you!  It's a 750 page opus that I think you will love!  If you are already an 80s TV aficionado, I promise you will earn even more.  If you have zero interest in 80s TV, I promise you'll laugh your ass...

My book is coming!  After years of writing down every thought I've ever had about 1980s television, my book is finally complete and on its way to you!  It's a 750 page opus that I think you will love!  If you are already an 80s TV aficionado, I promise you will earn even more.  If you have zero interest in 80s TV, I promise you'll laugh your ass off.  This book is for everyone and I am super proud...

Before there was SNL, there was NBC's Saturday Night.  There was also Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell (Don't worry, it will all make sense when you listen to the episode).  There's nothing I can say about SNL that hasn't been said already, so sit back, relax, and let me tell you about the first episode, how it came about, how it was cast, and how half of Hollywood takes credits for helping...

If it weren't for this series, I would probably be frying fish in my kitchen and burning beans on my grill.  Oh boy, do I love this show.  Easily the best theme song in sitcom history, and in my not so humble opinion, the best leading man in 70s sitcom history!  The Jefferson broke new ground by showcasing an affluent black family achieving the American Dream.  As it turns out, money doesn't autom...

Show of hands.  Who enjoys dry humor, ensemble casts, urban blight, and weary sarcasm, most of which is largely confined to one room in a grimy, confined 1970s NYC police precinct?  If your hand is raised, than Barney Miller is the television program for you!  I love this series and you should too!  It's smart, impeccably acted, and funny as hell.  However, the pilot was a little underbaked and I'...

Call me crazy, but this series was likeable as hell and enjoyed a shockingly successful life in syndication.  It gave us the big personalities of Fred "Rerun" Berry, Shirley Hemphill, and Danielle Spencer.  It also gave us the charisma blackholes that are Ernest Thomas and Haywood Nelson.  Never too broad, nor confrontational like a Norman Lear show, this fun little program lived somewhere in the...

"Chico, don't get discouraged, the Man he ain't so hard to understand."  Ah...Chico and the Man.  I have to admit, this was a really fun rewatch.  Freddie Prinze was full of charm and optimism and Jack Albertson was...well...Jack Albertson.  This show isn't talked about as much as it should be as it was cut short for obvious reasons.  In a TV Landscape dominated by Norman Lear, this series was "co...

This was a listener request and I was glad to deliver!  Bob Newhart is a comedy legend and this pilot episode is arguably one of the best pilots I've ever watched.  Watching our guy Bob weave his way through life all calm and collected while everyone around him is batshit crazy is...well...comedy gold.  Newhart's comedy is seamlessly translated into a sitcom format and the supporting cast is super...

"Come and knock on our door"...Oh boy, did I love this show as a kid!  Suzanne Somers, sexual innuendo, misunderstandings...did I say Suzanne Somers?  Let's face it, this was not meant to be a thinking man's series, nor a critical darling (although it was nominated for tons of Emmy and Golden Globe Awards).  Rather, this was a fun, escapist show chock full o' horny young adults.  That said, the wr...

Taxi. The series that gave brought legends into our living rooms: Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman, and Christopher Lloyd.  It's also the series that started Tony Danza down a path of only playing characters named Tony.  Join me as I explore Taxi's shared DNA with the Mary Tyler Moore Universe and how it paved the way for it's illegitimate child, Cheers.  A sweet mixture of humor and unfulf...

Yes, it's another Fanacek episode about a show you probably don't enjoy, but you absolutely must revisit this pilot as it is almost as batshit crazy as the rest of the series.  Mr. Drummond plays white savior to two black orphans who just lost their mother.  Lucky for them, they don't have a chance to grieve because Mr. D is "shaking hands like a brother", showering them with toys and a pony, and...

That's right.  The Golden Girls.  The horniest show in television history...and maybe, pound for pound the "jokiest" show in television history.  Take a ride with me as I travel back in time to discuss the pilot episode of this series while also examining the television and cultural landscape in which it was birthed.  Yep.  I said birthed.  Enjoy.

"Boy the way Glen Miller played.  Songs that made the hit parade..  Guys like us we had it made.  Those were the days".  Ahh...a classic intro for a classic show.  This season I will be focusing on pilot episodes of classic television shows and there is no better pilot episode to start with than 1971's "Meet the Bunkers".  Three different pilots were filmed before Norman Lear finally perfected thi...

Welcome to 2026, folks!  I'm starting the year off with a bang by bringing back author Thom Shubilla.  Thom's new book, "King Kong Versus Godzilla" explores the origins of King Kong, Godzilla, and dozens of other movie monsters as Kong and Godzilla make their way toward their inevitable showdown in the 1962 classic film, King Kong vs. Godzilla.  During our chat, we'll also explore Kong and Godzill...

Sure, the character of Cousin Eddie is a definite Hall of Famer and a Christmas staple...but what abut the actor playing him?  Let's dive into the resume of Mr. Quaid and take a close look at the legendary directors and fellow actors he's worked with during his 50+ year career.  We'll also chitchat about his tumultuous personal life while also discussing my personal connection to Not Another Teen...

Ahh...Thanksgiving season...the gateway to Christmas.  A time for family, food, booze, football, and the Peanuts gang!  This special has become a staple of my family's Thanksgiving season, and probably yours as well, so why not take a look at the young folks who lent their voices to this 1973 classic?  Along the way, we'll also chat about Jeremy Miller, taking my 11 year old to Las Vegas, Jay and...