The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

NBC tried spinning off one of its most successful shows from the 80s, the drama Hill Street Blues, into a comedy/drama Beverly Hills Buntz.  The first episode brought great ratings, but that was thanks to a cushy time slot.  Naturally, the audience didn't carry over after moving to a not-so-cushy time slot and the show ended with 4 episodes still in the can.

The FBI was a stalwart on ABC's line-up from 1965 through 1974.  The network kicked the tires on a new, updated version of their venerable classic in 1981 with this show, which featured contemporary storylines and a more diverse cast of characters.  Audiences weren't buying what ABC was selling, as this new version lasted merely a season.

Almost five years ago, we started this podcast.  Now, we are celebrating our 500th episode by going back to an early favorite of ours and revisiting it, mostly for the caliber of guest stars that we didn't recognize back then.  Enjoy as we go back to one of the biggest flops in television history, as we prepare to do the next 500, leading to show 1000.

We put closure on this installment of Marvel month celebrating the release of "Deadpool & Wolverine" with a show that has been described not only as one of the worst shows of the 2000s, but in the history of television.  There isn't much good you can say about a show which, mercifully, lasted 2 episodes.  The best part of this installment of the podcast is the introduction of a new character, thanks to MeTV Toons.

We begin our salute to the upcoming release of Deadpool & Wolverine with a show so bad it almost made Deadpool quit acting altogether. Imagine a run of the mill high school where “another day, another drama” isn’t just a saying, it’s a way of life. It really is an awkward stage and a difficult age when you’re… Fifteen.

(Note: Apologies for some background noise you might hear. Me and Chico recorded on Skype and you might hear a popcorn-ish sound which is the sound of my wood chair creaking. - Greg)

It’s a classic story: member of the 1% needs an image makeover and decides to adopt not one, but six…err, five… girls. The audiences loved them on Sunday, but NBC thought they’d love them even more on Friday. It’s a classic “Rags to Riches” story… that lasted only 20 musically tinged episodes.

This year's Lost in Translation block concludes with an import from the UK about a police detective who was hit by a car in 2008, but ends up in 1973 after regaining his consciousness.  Life on Mars was part of a powerful ABC Thursday night line-up, but lasted only one season.

CBS' most hyped show in 1987-88 was Frank's Place, about an academic who inherits a New Orleans restaurant.  There was so much publicity for it that its two main stars hosted CBS' series of unsold pilots in Summer 1987.  Despite the hype and critical acclaim, it was done in a season.  There was one big name who admits to liking it and recording it.

Steven Bochco, the genius behind hit shows including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and Doogie Howser, created Cop Rock, which was labeled as being revolutionary and potentially changing the landscape of television.  Despite tons of promotion, the show ran 3 months and has been deemed one of the biggest failures in television history.  Not only do we cover the series as always, but we will feature one song from each episode.

In our annual episode where you pick the topic, we gave you 3 shows from which to choose.  The show with the most votes was this one, a one-season classic about an Old West bounty hunter avenging his father's death, with science fiction and steampunk elements.