The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

Minisode 35--The 1985 NBA Draft Lottery

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 with Ewing? Also, we look at how one of the teams that missed out on Ewing ended up scoring big later in the '85 Draft.

Episode 558--Star Words

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 appears that CBS passed on Star Words, and opted for one of the most popular games in history, Press Your Luck.

Episode 557--The Saint in Manhattan

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.

The Squared Circle Time Machine: Episode 10 - WWF In Your House I

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!

The Best of It Was a Thing on TV: Episode 22 - Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time

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.

Episode 556--Rex is Not Your Lawyer

Pilot month resumes with this entry about a lawyer who has a habit of having panic attacks while litigating cases.  The cast was loaded.  It had potential.  Unfortunately, beyond panic attacks, this show had an identity crisis and did not make NBC's fall schedule in 2010.

Episode 555--Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour

Yesterday, May the Fourth have been with you.  Because of the unofficial holiday, this installment will cover a facet of the Star Trek universe.  (How many of you checked out after that intentional faux pas?)  The Ewoks were the breakout stars of the 3rd released movie of the Star Wars franchise, while droids were a big part of the series from the start.  Combine the two in separate Saturday morning cartoon franchises, and that means kids will want the toys, adding gobs of money into several coffers.  The cartoons themselves?  Typical disposable Saturday morning fare.

The Squared Circle Time Machine: Episode 9 - Paul Bearer's Hits from the Crypt

In the newest edition of "The Squared Circle Time Machine" Greg and Dane return to an old WWF Coliseum Home Video recently uploaded onto the WWE Vault YouTube channel. Paul Bearer in this VHS tape selects some of his favorite matches while giving us a tour of an old theater where he and The Undertaker hang out. Also, we get Stan Lane and Gorilla Monsoon not giving two f**ks who's watching this tape!

Episode 554--In the Lion's Den (1987 pilot)

It's the start of our annual Pilot Month and we're starting off with a pilot two of the three of us didn't see much of, so one of us took one for the team.  There's a kids show with a lion puppet and Marcia Gay Harden is involved.  That's about all we cared for.  It was a CBS Summer Playhouse entry, so it was earmarked for failure.  We promise it gets better from here.

The ”It Was a Thing on TV” Hall of Fame Class of 2025

It's our fourth annual Hall of Fame class here at "It Was a Thing on TV" and we induct 17 worthy inclusions to our Hall. They include a non-human, a former James Bond, and someone who wants to know what was in that danish.