The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

Our SNL 50th birthday celebration wraps up with a contender to the throne which was a direct rip-off of SNL; the head of ABC admitted as much!  Fridays had its moments, but it sorely missed making recurring characters who would be remembered nowadays.  It also had thrilling guest hosts like Henny Youngman!  Grab a bite to eat, as this is one of our longest shows to date.

The 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live's premiere is happening next week, on October 11th. As the 51st season of SNL starts tomorrow night, we decided to look at another disastrous SNL season, having covered Season 6 (episode 97) and Season 11 (episode 265) previously.  SNL was at a time of weakness, having lost key contributors in the previous year.  The show lost even more contributors in S20.  To add insult to injury, there would be a new kid on the block on another network.

In the television landscape of 1998, there was a need for late night programming on FOX and other channels not part of The Big Three networks, something to fill the void when The Arsenio Hall Show ended.  Enter the NBA hoopster with a million dollar smile and the energy to match.  Unfortunately, said hoopster didn't have the chops to host.  It didn't help the show's sidekick got the boot during the 3rd episode.

In 1985 and 1986, David Letterman presented two special episodes of Late Night with David Letterman around the holiday season highlighting short films by various celebrities. We analyze these short films and offer our commentary in this holiday episode of It Was a Thing on TV.

1985 segments

"PMS - Premenstrual Syndrome" (Andrea Martin/Catherine O'Hara) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwLTCayIeSw (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"Angst on a Shoestring" (Bette Midler) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Jfs8bK6WQ (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"Dress Cool" (Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band ft. Dave) - https://youtu.be/eTRc_IIMtk4?si=qba3H9i_xS-K6aYf&t=92 (Uploaded by the Letterman YT Channel)

"The Making of You Wouldn't Believe Our World" (Harry Shearer ft. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Marcia Strassman" - https://youtu.be/eTRc_IIMtk4?si=qba3H9i_xS-K6aYf&t=92 (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"But I'm Happy" (Michael Keaton ft. Ron & Clint Howard) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq88ORPeQAQ&t=183s (Uploaded by the Letterman YT Channel)

1986 segments

"Feelin' In Love" (Dave ft. Paul Shaffer and Hal Gurnee) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtGaNgZyUUU (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"My Day With the Stars" (Jonathan Winters) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7LMSRFBKAE (Uploaded by Darian Glover)

"Chris Elliott: A Television Miracle) (Chris Elliott ft. George Takei, Don King & Dave) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKqko5ZvMA (Uploaded by Darian Glover

"Diane Sawyer's Shocking Expose" (Diane Sawyer ft. Mike Douglas & Andy Rooney) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rweOsVEfI_M&t=146s (Uploaded by the Letterman YT channel)

"The Ice Man Hummeth" (Michael J. Fox ft. Howie Mandel) - https://youtu.be/56lk7cp5Umg?si=O_9gQ6ZDQey2fb5Z&t=93 (Uploaded by the Letterman YT channel)

National Sex Day is happening on Friday of this week!  (6/9...nice)  We're doing three episodes with related titles, though only this episode is really about the act itself.  This short-lived WeTV entry could be summed up as sex therapy in The Cube.  We advise listener discretion.

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.

It's time for Mike's annual Money in the Bank selection.  This year, he went with a comedy set around a puppet, her life, and her TV show.  Madame's Place was racy and had big guest stars.  But when you're going up against late night fare like Carson, it won't end well.

January 4 was National Trivia Day.  In honor of the event, we look at a Japanese show which made the translation to American television about weird and wonderful trivia.  Give a listen to Hey! Spring of Trivia and there may be some melon bread in it for you, and the melon bread is shaped like a brain.

They're a staple on TV today, specifically in the overnight hours.  Half-hour infomercials came on the scene in the early 90s, filling holes in television schedules at all hours of the day.  In this installment, we look back at 9 such infomercials from the 1990s and talk about how cheesy they were and memories we had watching them.

In 1986, NBC expected to air Saturday Night Live in its usual post-news time slot.  The New York Mets had other plans, forcing SNL's hand to record that night's show in the dead of night, and causing the episode to air weeks later.