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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

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.

Saturday May 13, 2023
Episode 379--Baffled! (1973 NBC backdoor pilot)
Saturday May 13, 2023
Saturday May 13, 2023
As we have mentioned previously, ESP was popular in the 60s and 70s. What happens when a racecar driver starts having psychic visions? Lots of stuff in England, enough to make the casual viewer feel Baffled!

Thursday May 11, 2023
Episode 378--Stick Around (1977 ABC pilot)
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
In 1977, Andy Kaufman was an up and coming comic. ABC cast him as a robot servant in the year 2055 with a distinct voice, one which would become associated with Kaufman on another ABC show a year later, Taxi. Why didn't this work? We blame the mood synthesizers, AKA the "ass toasters."

Tuesday May 09, 2023
Episode 377--Bob Rooney Day on Late Night with David Letterman
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Today, May 9th, marks 40 years since David Letterman dedicated an entire day to an assistant sound engineer on his show. We go back and relive that day with a beer, a BLT, and another beer.

Sunday May 07, 2023
It Was a Thing on TV Instant Reaction--Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
Sunday May 07, 2023
Sunday May 07, 2023
This weekend Marvel Studios released the final chapter of James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy. Greg had a chance this weekend to see the movie and give his thoughts on if it measured up to the two previous films and if it was better than some of Marvel's recent theatrical releases.
NOTE: There's a discussion about the end credits scene, which will spoil the movie. Greg will give a warning followed by a few seconds of silence to let you stop the recording and go back later if you plan to see the movie.

Saturday May 06, 2023
Episode 376--Stacked (2008 UK pilot)
Saturday May 06, 2023
Saturday May 06, 2023
A pre-Doctor Who/Guardians of the Galaxy Karen Gillan appeared in this British pilot, which apparently was the best thing at a certain network's disposal. This was so wrong on so many levels, so much so that we're asking for listener discretion. It did give us 4000-pound breasts.

Thursday May 04, 2023
Episode 375--Red Dwarf (1992 NBC pilot)
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Here's another case of a show working overseas but failing domestically. The Brit show Red Dwarf has been on the air for a combined quarter century. Could it have worked here? Who knows, thanks NBC smegheads.

Monday May 01, 2023
Episode 374--Sailor Moon (1994 US pilot)
Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
In the last year, one of the most sought after pieces of lost media was discovered. FOX passed on a US version of Sailor Moon in 1994, and all that existed was a brief video from 1995.

Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Episode 373--Pointless (2017 GSN pilot)
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Pilot Month 2023 starts now! Over the next month or so, we will cover 11 pilots. The first pilot is an American adaptation of a popular British game show. Alison Sweeney and a judge from 25 Words or Less take their shot at Pointless.