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Partially 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.
Episodes

21 hours ago
Episode 387--Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
21 hours ago
21 hours ago
In 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.

4 days ago
Episode 386--The Big ShowDown
4 days ago
4 days ago
The 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.

6 days ago
6 days ago
Our 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.

Thursday May 25, 2023
Episode 384--18 Wheels of Justice
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
We'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 may drop in and out at points. It should be corrected by next week.

Monday May 22, 2023
Episode 383--Howie (1962 CBS pilot)
Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
A 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.

Saturday May 20, 2023
Episode 382--Call Her Mom (1972 TV movie/pilot)
Saturday May 20, 2023
Saturday May 20, 2023
On 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?

Thursday May 18, 2023
Episode 381--Dick Tracy (1967 pilot)
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Batman 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.

Wednesday May 17, 2023
Live Show 42–The Cube Season 2 Premiere
Wednesday May 17, 2023
Wednesday May 17, 2023
After 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.

Monday May 15, 2023
Episode 380--King of the Building (1987 CBS pilot)
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
One 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.

Sunday May 14, 2023
Live Show 41–The 2023 XFL Championship Game
Sunday May 14, 2023
Sunday May 14, 2023
The 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.