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.
Marvel Month concludes with possibly the second-worst season of SNL ever. We talked about probably the worst season of SNL on episode 97, about the 1980-81 era. Now, we look at the 1985-86 season, a transition season of sorts, when most of the cast lasted just this one season if not less, and the writers lasted just as long, ushering in one of the best eras in the show's lengthy history.
For the 109th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking last year, we looked at S.O.S. Titanic, a TV movie from 1979 with Susan St. James among others. (UH OH!) This year for the 110th anniversary, we're covering a much more light-hearted take, answering the question "What if Disney made a movie about the Titanic?" Thanks to Robert Smigel, we think it might look a little like Titey.
In the early 90s, if you had a beef with someone, you couldn't necessarily take them to a TV courtroom. Enter a show with boxing, trash cans, and feather dusters, where combatants took their issues to the ring. The Grudge Match is a show we have wanted to cover for some time and thanks to another podcast, a full episode made its way online recently.
We wrap up our Halloween trifecta of shows with some humor, straight from the minds at Saturday Night Live. In 2016, David S. Pumpkins appeared on a Halloween sketch. He proved to be so popular that he got his own half-hour special the following year.
ANY QUESTIONS?!?!
Simultaneously one of the most brilliant things on TV the last decade and one of the most bizarre, Too Many Cooks aired in the dead of night on Adult Swim. Within days, it was viral and repeated often. We offer a live commentary while watching the show and get into details about some of the production, and what happened to some of the actors and actresses.
We have honored TV celebrities in the past. This episode, we pay tribute to an icon from the 80s and 90s, Larry "Bud" Melman. Not only was he a comic foil on Letterman's shows, he had bit parts in other TV shows and movies, he was a writer, he was a spokesman, and he even had his own workout video...sort of. Grab your Toast on a Stick and enjoy this installment of It Was a Thing on TV.
1995 was a tough time for baseball, in the middle of a strike and using replacement players in spring training. Andy Richter lightened the mood by visiting the Mets in Port St. Lucie, FL, interviewing replacement players, informing people about the real St. Lucie, and visiting Butterfly World.
Also, we meet, the man, the myth, the legend, DIESEL!
Our tribute to Conan O'Brien continues with his rough and all too brief era hosting The Tonight Show back in 2009. We look at some of the memorible moments of this era of Conan from the Twitter Tracker to Shatner recites Palin to In The Year 3000.
All in all, Jeff Zucker did Conan real dirty, all because of a certain Mr. Black (Not THAT one, the OTHER one). You all know who we're talking about.
Houston's NBC affiliate did Conan real dirty, airing his show at 2:40 AM local time for a period. Conan went deep in the heart of Texas to see it for himself, and encountered some interesting characters in the process.
Complete segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQs_oRJtcno
In 1997, Conan O'Brien had an audience of just kids. What kind of mayhem could happen? Just don't end up in Naughty Land and don't awaken the Boredom Monster.
Complete episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFHKnq5MQb0
