The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

In 1986, Disney did what Disney does best--make money, specifically with a new cartoon that already had a line of plush dolls.  But the direction Disney went was unconventional.  Fluppy Dogs were not dogs.  Rather, they were interdimensional travelers.  It's not your average Disney cartoon. Fluppy Dogs - History of Disney Television Animation (Toonamp) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oNfB1biUnc

We start our 3rd annual pilot month with a look at a potential revival of the Wonder Woman franchise from 2011.  And we thought the worst part was Dr. Phil, Nancy Grace, Jeffrey Toobin and Alan Dershowitz in the first 5 minutes.  This isn't your Lynda Carter Wonder Woman.

It's Mike's birthday and he played his Money in the Bank on this?!  Take three musical brothers who gained a modicum of popularity in the 70s despite having no big musical hits and add a cast of zany characters including the future Unknown Comic.  What do you get?  A repetitive and derivative show which lasted 16 shows.

The Power Rangers franchise has made bank off of taking an existing Japanese series and creatively editing it for an American audience. On one occasion, they took it another step. Was it a parody? Was it a tribute? Who knows? Lost in Translation Week continues with… “Lost & Found in Translation,” the Bad American Dubbing episode.

We start our 2nd annual "Lost in Translation" week with a hit comedy from Australia which bombed in the States in 2008.  Kath and Kim was to be the next big NBC Thursday night comedy.  Despite a plum time slot, a great cast, and a plethora of great guests, it was sent packing after 17 episodes.

Greg and Chico on the latest It Was a Thing on TV Live Show cover one of the big movie hits of last year in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. There's all sorts of fun involving bus battles, floating water, dragons, weird magic creatures and Ben Kingsley being awesome! If you have Disney+ follow along and hit play right after Greg gives the five second countdown.

Back 219 episodes ago (episode 25, if you can't do the math), we talked about the original reality show with one contestant and everything was created with him in mind.  Now on episode 244, we're talking about the sequel with new actors, twice the Schmoes, and a falcon. Due to some mature subject matter, listener discretion is advised.

Without question, Lucille Ball is a legend.  Unfortunately, even legends make missteps.  Life with Lucy in 1986 was Lucy's misstep.  Thirteen episodes were shot and only eight aired. In this episode, we look at the reasons why this misfired, was it because ABC was that desperate for a hit? was it because audiences were weary of Lucy's physical comedy at her age? was it because the executives were...

It's Presidents' Day 2022 weekend and to honor it here on It Was a Thing on TV, we are finally releasing on our Podbean feed the Director's Cut of one of our longest and most researched episodes "The Bicentennial Minute". We have included over 20 minutes of new material that was either missed or left on the cutting room floor in the original version of the episode. In this Director's Cut, you'll l...

One of this podcast's favorite people is Chris Elliott.  Post-Letterman, Elliott starred in the FOX sitcom Get a Life.  While hilarious and brilliant, it might have been a little too out there, even for the hip and relatively new network. This episode has been Handsome Boy approved.

With only The Office and Parks & Recreation leading off its comedy portfolio, NBC would put their fortunes in a sitcom manned by producers for both (and one from How I Met Your Mother) would come together to form a Voltron of the next great sitcom. So... how come nobody watched "Abby's"? Belly up to the bar as we try and answer this question.

It's Super Bowl Sunday! You could sit and listen to bunch of so-called "experts" tell you who's gonna win between the Rams and the Bengals or you could listen to Greg and Mike talk about who they think will be the key players in Super Bowl LVI. And also they talk about if the Bengals can win this game for the sweet prince Harambe! They also discuss in the second half of the show the David Letterma...

In honor of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Greg and Chico do a special live show on Stream Lounge as they watch the 1993 Disney classic "Cool Runnings". Enjoy as we learn the fine art of bobsledding from John Candy while Sanka tries to keep that lucky egg in check. We can only hope to one day live in Buckingham Palace like Yul Brenner which is the dream for all of us. Be sure to start your stream...

In Hometown Commercials Volume 1 back in Episode 98, we featured some ads from Kentucky attorney Darryl Isaacs.  We thought so much of them that we are dedicating an entire episode to "The Kentucky Hammer." This time we showcase the best of his Super Bowl commercials from years past including a special celebrity cameo from a football icon. 2007 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AF6772n6Xc 2008 -...

"The Big Game" is coming up in less than a week.  Therefore, it's time for our annual look at different happenings related to the game.  First up is a halftime show so bad and disjointed, Pete Rozelle said he never wanted to see Up With People again.  He got his wish and Up With People never did another halftime show after 1986.

In the last month and a half, the game Wordle has taken the internet by storm.  Many people don't realize that the game Wordle is similar to the Game Show Network show Lingo.  Even fewer people realize that Lingo got its start as a Canadian production in 1987. Also, Greg makes a big declaration at the end of the minisode!

It's 2006 and How I Met Your Mother was CBS' sophomore hit featuring 20- and 30-somethings.  Why not follow that with a series with people around the same age who all went to school together decades earlier?  It can't miss!  It did. But at least most of the cast of this show went on to bigger and better things.

In tribute to Bob Saget, the premiere of "How I Met Your Father" on Hulu and the upcoming Super Bowl, we look at a classic episode from the second season of "How I Met Your Mother". Ted and his friends get stuck going to a funeral on the night of Super Bowl XLI and have to go the next 18 hours avoiding spoilers for the game. But the question is how is everybody going to avoid not knowing what happ...

Who doesn't love a Lawrence brother?  Who wouldn't love a show with three Lawrence brothers?  Apparently the TV viewing public didn't show it some brotherly love, as this comedy starring three Lawrence brothers lasted two seasons on two separate networks.

This show is so bad that none of us made it past 15 minutes into the first episode, yet it somehow lasted for 3 seasons?!  Apparently Freddie Freaker's cousin gets into situations and hilarity ensues.

In 1989, Betty White got to do something on the final episode of Super Password which many people wanted to do and Bert Convy accidentally did--destroy "The Magic Toaster", aka the device which held a check and the password to win that check.

Greg and Chico watch the premiere episode of the new HBO Max show "Peacemaker" from the twisted mind of James Gunn and starring an invisible man. In the first episode, Peacemaker is fresh off his mission in "The Suicide Squad" where he has to deal with his father, Amanda Waller's squad, Vigilante's voicemails and a crazy lady who he hooked up with at a bar. A note Chico's stream on the Stream Loun...

It's Chico's birthday and he played his Money in the Bank submission on this show from the mid-80s.  Take the rapidly-growing 80s sport of laser tag, throw in some budget special effects, some rubber monster suits, a plot plucked straight out of The Last Starfighter, and a banging 80s soundtrack, and you get... something that was gone after one season despite turning a profit. Watch as we attempt...

Today would have been the 100th birthday of the legendary Betty White.  In tribute to that milestone, we present Pet Set, a light-hearted show where Betty talks with celebrity guests about their animal companions, and talks with other guests about animal-related topics like saving the tigers and talented animals.

Nickelodeon's coverage of the NFL Wild Card was one of the big surprises of 2021 and ended up being a fun broadcast. Like last year we're live watching all the fun as the slime cannons are back in full force! Greg watches the start of the second half of the 49ers/Cowboys game with Mike joining about a half-hour in as they watch this game go down to the wire with a final playcall that had both of t...