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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
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Episode 324--Hollywood Squares derivatives
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Merrill Heatter found his greatest success with Hollywood Squares. After it was cancelled in 1980 (see episode 68), Heatter tried the Squares format, but with some twists. In this show, we briefly cover 4 titles--Battlestars, The New Battlestars, All-Star Blitz, and the unsold 1993 pilot Hollywood Teasers.
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Episode 310--Whew! Revisited
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Our 4th show revisited is a show that was beloved among fans for decades, which unexpectedly turned up on BUZZR in 2021. Before then, roughly 15 episodes were available. We felt we needed to revisit this classic since we now know much more about Whew!
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Episode 308--Mindreaders
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
As we've said many times, NBC in 1979 was desperate for anything that would draw eyes. Mindreaders was helmed by a former NBC primetime personality, trying to capitalize on an ESP craze at the time. If only the people behind this show had ESP and could see this show not lasting all that long...
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Episode 307--Split Personality
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
This week, both episodes are previous entries from BUZZR's annual "Lost and Found" marathon, which usually happens this time of year. (No details about this year's marathon, BUZZR?) The week starts with a show from the 1950s, hosted by podcast favorite Tom Poston. Split Personality didn't last long, though it technically aired in the 50s and 60s.
Saturday Aug 13, 2022
Minisode 20--George Peppard’s rant on Password Plus
Saturday Aug 13, 2022
Saturday Aug 13, 2022
In 1979, early on in Password Plus' run, George Peppard made an appearance as a celebrity player. On the first show, Peppard put his foot in his mouth, while ranting about forms NBC (and presumably other networks) had people sign. As a result, Peppard never played another game.
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Episode 296--Uh Oh!
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Susan St. James' 75th birthday is happening this Sunday, and we mark the occasion the only way we know how--by utilizing a running gag on this show. Uh Oh! was a Canadian game show for kids, despite an antagonist who looks like he should be running a sex dungeon. A kid's show with who appears to be a dungeon master ran for six seasons in Canada!
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Episode 290--Stumpers! and 50 Grand Slam
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
We're giving you two shows for the price of one this episode. These shows premiered on the same day, the shows aired consecutively on NBC, and both looked technologically amazing for late 1976. Alas, technology couldn't save the pair, as their final shows aired on the last day of the year.
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
Episode 276--The WTF Prizes of Press Your Luck
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
Thursday Jun 02, 2022
"The Whammy" is your guide to one more episode related to Press Your Luck. This time, Greg and Mike talk about some of the oddball prizes from all versions of Press Your Luck, including the current version, Whammy!, and the one-off Game Show Marathon episode.
Monday May 30, 2022
Episode 275--Second Chance (1977)
Monday May 30, 2022
Monday May 30, 2022
One of our favorite revivals in recent years is returning for a 4th season. This week, both shows are related to Press Your Luck. To start, we look at the OG version, 6 years before the popular 80s version. Second Chance had no whammies, had a boring board, had a weird question structure, and lasted a little over 4 months in 1977 on ABC.
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Episode 259--Don’t Scare the Hare
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
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.