The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

A Longhorn Network tradition becomes an It Was a Thing on TV holiday tradition as we watch the University of Texas' live mascot, Bevo, in his natural habitat to muzak of songs from the holiday season. We also share some fun facts about Bevo and the University of Texas while watching Bevo.

You can follow along with us at the following link from the Longhorn Network website. - https://watch.longhornnetwork.com/video/651299

We did it!  600 episodes!  As we do with milestone episodes, we cover a very special topic.  No topic is more special or more appropriate for this podcast than one of television's biggest bombs ever.  People thought the Happy Days magic would last via another spinoff.  Audiences initially said yes, but that quickly changed to a no, and the storybook relationship between Joanie and Chachi would end just as it began.

Greg and Dane go all the way to the UK for this edition of the SCTM filled with "great surprisements" as we have a fatal four way match between Stone Cold, Mankind, Undertaker, and Kane with Vinnie Jones as a guest enforcer. We also got Vince at Oxford University, D'Lo Brown touring London, and Christian teaming up with Sable?

Buckle up because it's gonna be emotional! 

The Little Rascals shorts were very popular in syndication during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, to the extent that NBC ordered an animated Christmas special based on the shorts in 1979. Spanky and Porky have to retrieve a coat that their mother sold with the help of the gang, but all sorts of hilarity ensue. Can the gang get Spanky and Porky's mother's coat back in time for Christmas?

As we have done for years, we let you, the listeners, decide which of three series will be covered through our Viewer's Choice vote.  You have spoken loud and clear that you want us to talk about a live action kid's show from 1976 where a science teacher has a little sip from The Fountain of Youth while visiting Florida.  At that moment, he gained the ability to become a younger version of himself, but had no control over when the transformation happened.  The trademark Sherwood Schwartz hilarity definitely ensued.

In the latest edition of the SCTM, Greg and Dane look at the Thanksgiving 1986 Episode of the syndicated wrestling newsmagazine show "Pro Wrestling This Week" hosted by Gordon Solie and Joe Pedicino, looking at the various wrestling territories around the world.

In this episode, we get reports on Ricky Steamboat's injury at the hands of Randy Savage, Bill Apter's thoughts on Starrcade '86, Jimmy Snuka in a neckbrace cutting a hilarious promo on Col. DeBeers, a $100K tag team battle royal in Continental, a pre-Typhoon Uncle Fred in Memphis, a Gary Hart editorial on the dangers of drugs, Gordon Solie conducting a poolside interview, and a ladies battle royal in blindfolds! OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

You can follow along with the episode at this link on YouTube (Credit: 4WrestlingFans) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvSrtGOfNOk

Health clubs and aerobics were all the rage in the early 80s, thanks to Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.  Eventually, this trend was bound to hit scripted television.  It did, in comedic form with Leslie Nielsen playing a former health show host turned health club owner.  Alas, this show didn't pump up the viewership and its membership was cancelled after just 5 episodes.

With the enduring success of a TV series comes the inevitable spinoff.  The first spinoff of Cheers was this entry about Carla's ex and his new trophy wife, and Carla's two kids.  13 episodes later, it was clear the spinoff went to the wrong character, something which would be righted years later.

You have had your Thanksgiving dinner.  Now it's time for dessert, the final Thanksgiving parade of the 1980s.  As always, highlights of pop culture from the year make appearances, as well as ads for the must-have items for the holiday season.  In 1989, we also get a weird appearance from The Joker (no Cesar Romero and his orange wedges) plus a troupe of dancing chickens.

Way back when, in the first year of the Podcast back in 2019, we covered the 1983 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Episode 9, and we've done the following year's edition every year since. Given we've now had a set formula for covering these parades since, we decided this year to do a "Revisited" for the 1983 edition.

We got Shirt Tales, Jon Bauman, Yogi Bear, Charley Pride, the Superman balloon that hides in the corner depressed, Woody Woodpecker, a drunken Bullwinkle, Leonard Frey, and Mr. Smith!

Plus, we also get some hot Atari 2600 commercials and some early info on buying VCRs for Black Friday 1983 during the parade! The second part of our Thanksgiving Day Parade Extravaganza will be posted at 12 Noon later today when we discuss The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.