The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

In 1981, Major League Baseball held its All-Star Game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Early August following a players' strike which cancelled two months of the season. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the game and how the fans would react to the players upon returning to action. What we got at the 1981 MLB All-Star Game was a lot of exciting action, plus a cameo for Morgana: The Kissing B...

One thing all three of us enjoy is a good game of pinball.  With the 50th anniversary of this show happening earlier this week, it was a natural for us to cover this show.  What may have looked good on paper was not, for reasons ranging from the machine often broke down to the physics which made traditional pinball fun were non-existent.

In honor of the cinematic release of the new version of Superman, we look at a pilot that was sort of the spiritual successor to The Adventures of Superman, after its 6 season run.  This is one of those pilots that makes you ask why, between the premise of the pilot, the creepy costumes, and the overall cheapness in quality.  This time, we don't have a dog of a show for you.  We have a superdog!

In honor of the 4th of July, we take a look at the go-home show for Georgia Championship Wrestling on SuperStation WTBS, before their big 4th of July show at the Omni in Atlanta. In this episode, we get to see Tommy Rich, Don Muraco. Paul Orndorff, Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen among others. We also get to see Gordon Solie conduct a face-to-face interview with NWA Champion Ric Flair and WWWF Champi...

This time, we look at another anomaly that got cancelled despite good ratings like Bridget Loves Bernie.  Maybe CBS cooked Goodnight Beantown because the network wanted to go a different route on Sunday nights.  Maybe a single mother having relations with her neighbor/co-worker was a bit too much.  Maybe it's because the penultimate episode ruined sexual tension between the two main characters.  T...

In our newest edition of "Before the Show", we look at the Italian Bowl in Toledo and a hurdler having multiple wardrobe malfunctions in Segment 1. Then, in Segment 2, we are joined by Chico as we discuss the lack of ticket sales of Hulk Hogan's Real American Wrestling at Cleveland State, along with an update on Greg's progress on "Knots Landing", before talking about the selection of movies on Bo...

Summer movie season is upon us.  This installment, we look at a very short-lived comedy about an old time movie theater and its cast of high school-aged workers, specifically one employee who dreams of making it big in the movies one day.  The show died a quick death, in part, because it aired, ironically, on a day when many people go to the movies.

First-run syndication in the 1980s was a blessing for numerous sitcoms that might not have gotten a fair shake from the networks--Too Close for Comfort, Mama's Family, Out of This World.  Charles in Charge had a similar fate.  It didn't find enough eyes on CBS, but give it a year and a half, and it would become a comedy staple of the late 80s and early 90s.  Alas, Jamie Widdoes did not make it to...

We celebrate the 99th anniversary of Paul Lynde's birth with this effort from the early 70s.  (Lynde didn't join the cast until season 2.)  Hospital hijinks happen with a wacky staff of nurses and orderlies working under a no-nonsense chief of staff.  ABC must have had faith in the show, despite getting beaten in the ratings by multiple top 10 shows in its run.

In honor of the late Steve "Mongo" McMichael and since the official WCW YouTube channel has posted some of the early Nitro's, Greg and Dane look at the fifth episode of WCW Monday Nitro from October of 1995. We go over Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko being so amazing, Kevin Sullivan dressed as a women, Randy Savage's colorful outfits and the Dungeon of Doom shaving off the Hulkster's mustache, bro...

Pilot Month 2025 comes to a conclusion with this entry about a shopping plaza whose occupants communicate primarily through song and dance.  It sounds like Cop Rock (see Episode 450), but with significantly more singing and music.  The open may give off a different sort of vibe.  Regardless, this oddity is the perfect way to close up the pilot vault for a year.

With AAA and WWE's NXT brand presenting "Worlds Collide" this week, we look at the last time AAA presented a PPV/PLE with that title, as in 1994, they partnered with IWC and WCW to present this PPV event. Greg and Dane in this episode of "The Squared Circle Time Machine", talk about Minis, La Parka, Tito Santana still in his El Matador get-up, the greatness of Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr, and Konn...

Mike has some announcements about the future of the podcast.  (No, we're not ending, at least now.)  We hope you embrace some of the forthcoming changes to the podcast.

Before it was a single season wonder on The Disney Channel and way before it became a stalwart on NBC Saturday mornings as Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss had an aired pilot in summer 1987, with a different focus compared to the later series and an entirely different cast of students, which is a who's who of known actors.  A little retooling, then a little more retooling after the Disn...

Greg and Dane travel the world from New York to London to Paris to Tokyo on this old WWF Coliseum Video VHS, which was recently uploaded to the WWE Vault YouTube channel. We'll see Bret Hart face Dino Bravo, Hulk Hogan face Randy Savage in Paris, and see TEMU Jewel Staite in a pink wig? NOTE: We recorded this episode last Tuesday before AEW Double or Nothing 2025, so for fun, hear our thoughts abo...

One of the more successful imports in the 60s and 70s was The Avengers.  An American version was bound to happen, and it did from the genius that was Quinn Martin.  The leads were played by a name mentioned on this podcast a bit the last few weeks, Granville Van Dusen, and Morgan Fairchild.  CBS took a pass, but the Avengers franchise (non-MCU version) lives on to this day.

A couple of years ago, we did an episode about all the guest stars who appeared on "The Love Boat". For Greg's "Money in the Bank", we look at all the guest stars who appeared on Aaron Spelling's other show that featured a variety of guest stars in "Hotel". In this episode we encounter some old podcast favorites and discover some potential new ones! Take a visit to the St. Gregory's in San Francis...

Back when we reviewed "Throb" last year, Greg and Chico were reminded of this movie a pre-Fast and the Furious Paul Walker did back in 1998. Two loser surf brothers from Hawaii are sent by their father to Yellowstone, where they are mistaken for park rangers and have to do battle with a paranoid Dennis Hopper doing weird Dennis Hopper things. We probably think this is the first time in Disney+ his...

In 1999, the World Wrestling Federation and UPN teamed up to give us a network special that would become a regular series later in the fall with WWF SmackDown! Greg and Dane discuss the newly turned face Rock, the Corporate Ministry, X-Pac and Kane, the black wedding with Stephanie, and so so much more. Listen to this episode because later it will be forbidden by The Undertaker, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

In 1983, as Laverne and Shirley came to an end and as Happy Days was wrapping up its run, Garry Marshall came up with this series about high school friends, one of whom became a computer millionaire and the other becoming his assistant.  The show came across as more of a showcase of Michael Richards' brand of physical comedy than anything else.  The best part of this pilot was the ads before and t...

This week, 40 years ago, the NBA held the first-ever draft lottery in New York City. The seven non-playoff teams from the 1984-85 NBA season watched to see if their team would end up with the services of Georgetown's Patrick Ewing. However, even 40 years later, controversy continues around this event. Did the NBA happen to rig the draft so that the team in the country's largest market could end up...

The year is 1983.  Game shows are rebounding after going through a tough spell from 1980 through 1982.  Nipsey Russell, a friend of the genre, is in a period of hosting different shows from different genres.  Why not give Nipsey a crack at a game show?  CBS and Mark Goodson Productions did just that with at least 3 pilots.  Unfortunately for Nipsey but fortunately for passionate game show fans, it...

25 years after The Saint with Roger Moore first appeared on television, an attempt at a revival was made.  As you might imagine since this is pilot month, the reboot was unsuccessful.  It was the first pilot ever shown on CBS's Summer Playhouse series.  Despite not making past the pilot stage, the show received an overwhelmingly positive review from the home audience.

In honor of Mother's Day, Greg and Dane go back 30 years to when the WWF on Mother's Day held the first of a series of budget PPV's. Not only that but the WWF as part of the lead-up to the show advertised that they were giving away a house in Florida to one lucky fan! Make sure Dok Hendrix gets a tee time at the golf course because remember It's Live Pal!

With the new season of Doctor Who happening right now on Disney+ and the BBC, we look back at one of our earliest episodes in 2020 when we looked at when Doctor Who did a special crossover with EastEnders in honor of the 30th Anniversary of Doctor Who. Also, Noel Edmonds is involved for some reason.