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.
Happy Easter!
In 2011, the BBC, the gold standard of TV networks in the UK, aired a late weekend afternoon game centered around a robotic rabbit in its own underground habitat. I wish this was a late April Fools joke. Don't Scare the Hare is as bizarre as TV shows come and, unsurprisingly, didn't have a very long shelf life.
Combine elements of Name That Tune and Password Plus, add an emcee with very limited hosting ability, throw in a singer and a band, and enter a legendary cheapskate of a producer and what do you get? One of the most memorable cult classic shows from the golden age of cable, Face the Music.
Pyramid was cancelled months earlier, Blackout wasn't getting the viewers, and CBS had Family Feud waiting in the wings in early 1988. Enter Wink Martindale with his format Top Secret which didn't crack CBS' lineup but had its own board game. Be warned there is some whispering, followed by louder audio. Respect your eardrums.
In the last month and a half, the game Wordle has taken the internet by storm. Many people don't realize that the game Wordle is similar to the Game Show Network show Lingo. Even fewer people realize that Lingo got its start as a Canadian production in 1987. Also, Greg makes a big declaration at the end of the minisode!
In 1989, Betty White got to do something on the final episode of Super Password which many people wanted to do and Bert Convy accidentally did--destroy "The Magic Toaster", aka the device which held a check and the password to win that check.
Your Number's Up may be a blip on the map of television history, but it holds a place in our hearts. Nipsey Russell hosted it! All the geriatrics in Burbank loved it. Need we say more?
It's the final edition of the It Was a Thing on TV remastered series and we're closing it with a look back at Episode 20 and the attempts to capitalize on the success of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? back in 2000.
We look at It's Your Chance of a Lifetime, Winning Lines and the 2000 version of Twenty-One. The gang talks about the greatness of the Wonderwall on Winning Lines and Mike talks about the time he auditioned for Twenty-One back in late 1999.
It only lasted 19 weeks but 1975's Musical Chairs was a landmark television program, as it was the first game show with an African-American emcee, in Adam Wade. It also had a fun theme song, a great cast of guests, and the cushy time slot after Match Game 75. It was also recorded at The Ed Sullivan Theater!
This is one show we have been anticipating for some time. Greg (for 20 or so minutes), Chico, and Mike watch the debut episode of the Legends of the Hidden Temple reboot. Since it is a live show and we like keeping as much of the show intact as possible, you'll hear the same technical difficulties we experienced.
The next-to-last edition of the It Was a Thing on TV remastered series looks at one of ABC's first experiments with summer game shows back in 1990 with Super Jeopardy! and Monopoly.
This episode has it all four player Jeopardy! games, stories of when Mike and Chico faced off against form Jeopardy! champions, Monopoly's way too complicated ruleset and the lady who played Lumpy in the Star Wars Holiday Special!
