The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

Episode 561--Escapade

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.

Episode 560--Every Guest Star on Hotel

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 Francisco as we go through the entire guest list on "Hotel".

Live Show 53–Meet the Deedles

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+ history that more than one person watched this movie at one time.

The Squared Circle Time Machine: Episode 11 - The WWF SmackDown Pilot

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!

Episode 559--Herndon and Me

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 throughout the show.

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.