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.
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
In honor of Conan O'Brien's TBS show coming to an end, we're devoting most of the next two weeks to the legend. We start at the beginning, with the first episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He was nervous, he was unfinished, but some of what was seen was the Conan O'Brien comedy fans would love for over a quarter century.
The First Episode of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q471WB5Tgw
Conan O'Brien on Late Night with David Letterman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJKKy2X4mb0&t=939s
The Valentine's Day week tribute continues with a fun little game that didn't have the run it deserved, the late-90s Annie Wood speed dating game Bzzz!
Happy New Year! We're releasing the second of our two Director's Cut versions from Place to be Nation POP to start 2021 with a bang!
The SNL Doumanian Season Episode is presented with extended bits from the season to add proper context to the episode including the legendary Al Franken "Limo for the Lame-o" sketch.
Over two years, The Morton Downey Jr. Show took the nation by storm. It was all over by Fall 1989, maybe because it was too controversial but also because the new late night show on the block at the time also took the nation by storm, The Arsenio Hall Show.
