The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

We did it!  600 episodes!  As we do with milestone episodes, we cover a very special topic.  No topic is more special or more appropriate for this podcast than one of television's biggest bombs ever.  People thought the Happy Days magic would last via another spinoff.  Audiences initially said yes, but that quickly changed to a no, and the storybook relationship between Joanie and Chachi would end...

Greg and Dane go all the way to the UK for this edition of the SCTM filled with "great surprisements" as we have a fatal four way match between Stone Cold, Mankind, Undertaker, and Kane with Vinnie Jones as a guest enforcer. We also got Vince at Oxford University, D'Lo Brown touring London, and Christian teaming up with Sable? Buckle up because it's gonna be emotional! 

The Little Rascals shorts were very popular in syndication during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, to the extent that NBC ordered an animated Christmas special based on the shorts in 1979. Spanky and Porky have to retrieve a coat that their mother sold with the help of the gang, but all sorts of hilarity ensue. Can the gang get Spanky and Porky's mother's coat back in time for Christmas?

As we have done for years, we let you, the listeners, decide which of three series will be covered through our Viewer's Choice vote.  You have spoken loud and clear that you want us to talk about a live action kid's show from 1976 where a science teacher has a little sip from The Fountain of Youth while visiting Florida.  At that moment, he gained the ability to become a younger version of himself...

In the latest edition of the SCTM, Greg and Dane look at the Thanksgiving 1986 Episode of the syndicated wrestling newsmagazine show "Pro Wrestling This Week" hosted by Gordon Solie and Joe Pedicino, looking at the various wrestling territories around the world. In this episode, we get reports on Ricky Steamboat's injury at the hands of Randy Savage, Bill Apter's thoughts on Starrcade '86, Jimmy S...

Health clubs and aerobics were all the rage in the early 80s, thanks to Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.  Eventually, this trend was bound to hit scripted television.  It did, in comedic form with Leslie Nielsen playing a former health show host turned health club owner.  Alas, this show didn't pump up the viewership and its membership was cancelled after just 5 episodes.

With the enduring success of a TV series comes the inevitable spinoff.  The first spinoff of Cheers was this entry about Carla's ex and his new trophy wife, and Carla's two kids.  13 episodes later, it was clear the spinoff went to the wrong character, something which would be righted years later.

You have had your Thanksgiving dinner.  Now it's time for dessert, the final Thanksgiving parade of the 1980s.  As always, highlights of pop culture from the year make appearances, as well as ads for the must-have items for the holiday season.  In 1989, we also get a weird appearance from The Joker (no Cesar Romero and his orange wedges) plus a troupe of dancing chickens.

Way back when, in the first year of the Podcast back in 2019, we covered the 1983 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Episode 9, and we've done the following year's edition every year since. Given we've now had a set formula for covering these parades since, we decided this year to do a "Revisited" for the 1983 edition. We got Shirt Tales, Jon Bauman, Yogi Bear, Charley Pride, the Superman balloon t...

In honor of Thanksgiving, Greg and Dane go back to 1988 and look at the 2nd Annual WWF Survivor Series from the Richfield Coliseum in 1988. We got a confusing double turn between Demolition and the Powers of Pain, Akeem, Mr. Perfect, The Mega Powers, and so much more on this episode of The Squared Circle Time Machine! (Also, forgive Greg for working with a hoarse voice in this episode)

A personal favorite show of Greg and Mike's is this spiritual successor to The New Liar's Club, but with various types of lines from movies, songs, and factual statements, and without even a single mention of Shoddy Laroux.  The game is derivative, but the real reason we did the show is because someone wanted to bring up the end theme and its similarities to video games of the era.

It's the latest episode of The Masked Man arc on the SCTM as Hulk Hogan, Sting, and Dave Sullivan team up against the 3 Faces of Fear in a six-man tag team main event ref'd by Mr. T in a nightgown. We also see a return match between Pretty Wonderful and Stars and Stripes for the WCW Tag Titles and a hoss fight between Dustin Rhodes and Vader! We also learn from Bobby Heenan how devastating the sle...

We're giving you a double dose of McLean Stevenson today, on his 98th birthday.  Next is a very short-lived show with McLean playing a conservative priest who clashes often with a liberally-minded nun.  After 5 low-rated episodes, CBS was having nun of it.

In honor of McLean Stevenson's 98th birthday, we re-examine one of the first shows we covered, one synonymous with NBC's troubles in the late 70s and early 80s, but also one synonymous with Stevenson's failures post-M*A*S*H.  With more visual evidence of the show available, we take a second look at if Hello Larry was that bad, or if it was a victim of circumstance.

In this edition of the SCTM, Greg and Dane look at the in-ring debut of Kurt Angle in TNA Wrestling against the undefeated Samoa Joe at TNA Genesis 2006. There's a lot of good in-ring action and a lot of bad Russo-riffic crap on this show. We do at least get Kevin Nash wanting to win one for Bo ............... Derek.

Last year, we went over TV Guide's 50 Worst Shows of All-Time list from 2001 and thought about which shows should be removed from the list and what shows we would add from the last 20+ years since the list was released. This year, Mike, Greg, and Chico present their re-rankings of what they think are the 50 Worst Shows of All-Time based on what they kept from TV Guide's 2001 list and what shows th...

Over the years, overweight people were ridiculed on television and in the movies as slow, messy, dumb, lazy, and were often the butt of jokes.  One show avoided those stereotypes, showing a trio of overweight sisters trying to improve themselves health-wise and career-wise, and being empathetic souls looking out for their fellow men.  Credit Babes for attempting to dispel the outdated stereotypes,...

The newest edition of the SCTM sees a big reveal in the Masked Man storyline as Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair's careers are on the line in a Steel Cage for the WCW title. Greg and Dane discuss Terry Funk being awesome, Big Boss Man Behaving Badly five years early, and Dave Sullivan's new theme song, among others. Don't *BUTCHER* listening to this episode!

As happens in the TV business, having a successful TV movie equates to a run as a series.  This is no different, holding its own versus some huge 1985 competition.  The later series?  Not so much, against that same competition.  Robert Blake starred as a tough but fair priest in a tough and not-so-fair portion of Los Angeles, trying to make Hell Town not so hellish.

It's October of 1993 in the newest episode of The Squared Circle Time Machine as Greg and Dane look at an episode of Monday Night RAW where Randy Savage and Crush meet head-on to try and settle their issues. Meanwhile, the good folks at the WWF are making us call a 1-900 line to ask us if Shawn Michaels should be reinstated. Plus, we got a rare Joe Fowler in the WWF sighting on the Podcast! How ab...

We have returned with another batch of those wacky commercials from all parts of the U.S.  Ladies (and guys), let's have a Hometown Commercial party. Here is a list of links to the ads featured in this installment: We Are the Spitzer Shuffling Crew:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxx-v2S7YRA Another Spitzer ad, with bad CGI:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP9yVuD38Ac Little John’s Derby Jewelr...

With TNA Bound for Glory 2025 happening tonight, as of the posting of this episode, we look back on the 15th Anniversary this week of a date that only comes once a Century! 10.10.10! Greg and Dane look at TNA Bound for Glory 2010! Greg and Dane look at various things on this show, including a Lethal Lockdown match between EV 2.0 and Fortune, Mickie James' TNA debut, RVD and Abyss in a Monsters Bal...

Our SNL 50th birthday celebration wraps up with a contender to the throne which was a direct rip-off of SNL; the head of ABC admitted as much!  Fridays had its moments, but it sorely missed making recurring characters who would be remembered nowadays.  It also had thrilling guest hosts like Henny Youngman!  Grab a bite to eat, as this is one of our longest shows to date.

In Fall 1975, two different shows named Saturday Night Live premiered--the one we know, albeit without the Live moniker, and this show, a variety/talk show hosted by arguably ABC's biggest personality (and definitely ABC's biggest mouth) at the time.  Despite its deserving role as one of the worst shows in television history, very little footage of this series exists...which may be a good thing.

The Masked Man arc continues on the SCTM as Greg and Dane go to Center Stage in Atlanta for a special live episode of the WCW Main Event as Hulk Hogan and Dave Sullivan team up against Ric Flair and a mystery partner. We also react to Ric Flair putting his career on the line against Hogan's at the upcoming Halloween Havoc PPV, along with discussion regarding the Honky Tonk Man, the Sega 32X, and a...