As a longtime TV fan, there are a bunch of shows that I have followed over the years. Unfortunately, many of these shows have faded from syndication. On the other hand, you have some (I Love Lucy, Friends, The Brady Bunch, etc.) which get rerun to death. Come on TV Land, instead of showing reruns of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", how about dusting off some of these shows? For the titles in dark type, you can click on the link to watch the opening credits or promo for the show. In the case of The Mothers-In-Law, you can also watch about 7 minutes of an actual episode.
1. The Wild, Wild West- Robert Conrad as a 19th century James Bond, with the late Ross Martin as his sidekick, master of disguise Artemus Gordon.
2. Route 66- I used to watch this all the time during the early years of Nick At Nite. Tod and Buz roaming the country in a Corvette to the sound of one of the best theme songs in TV history.
3. House Calls- Based on the Walter Matthau/Glenda Jackson movie, this sitcom starred Wayne Rogers (who I think got a raw deal on M*A*S*H) as Dr. Charley Michaels. Ironically, during its primetime run, it aired after M*A*S*H on Monday nights.
4. Up & Coming- I haven't seen this show since it originally aired on PBS in the early 1980s. It was a solid drama about a black middle-class family living in San Francisco. Playing the role of the teenaged daughter was Cindy Herron, who went on to multi-platinum fame as a member of the female singing group En Vogue.
5. Doogie Howser, M.D.- Remember how Doogie's horndog pal would always climb through Doogie's window? How about when Doogie would write in his electronic diary on his PC at the end of every episode?
6. The Mod Squad- I still haven't figured out who or what Pete, Linc, and Julie were running from in the opening credits sequence!
7. Too Close For Comfort- Ted Knight was hilarious as Henry Rush, the cartoonist for Cosmic Cow. His lovely daughters (Jackie and Sarah) weren't bad to look at either!
8. Riptide- I remember that this show, about private eyes Cody Allen and Nick Ryder, used to air right after The A-Team. Nick and Cody were helped on their cases by the nerdy genius Boz (he built a robot called "Roboz").
9. Herman's Head- This was back when the Sunday night lineup on FOX was one of the best on TV (The Simpsons, ROC, In Living Color, etc.). Every week, we were treated to the 4 conflicting aspects of Herman's personality. The 4 personalities appeared in human form (their names were Wimp, Animal, Genius, and Angel). Appearing as one of Herman's co-workers was Yeardley Smith (aka the voice of Lisa Simpson).
10. The White Shadow- Another great series with an awesome, funky theme song. This show did an excellent job of mixing drama with comedic situations. It also featured a character with one of the all-time great nicknames... Salami.
11. The Mothers-In-Law- Thanks to You Tube, I was able to watch snippets of an episode. Other than that, I haven't seen this show in well over 30 years. This late 60s sitcom starred the great Eve Arden (one of my all time favorite actresses) and Kaye Ballard (sometimes referred to as the poor man's Martha Raye).
12. ABC After School Special- Child abuse, adoption, divorce, teenage alcoholism... these specials covered all the hot topics! I also remember that alot of commercials for Bic pens and the Trapper Keeper (remember those?) aired during these specials. One of the segments that sticks out is the one titled "Please Don't Hit Me Mom". It starred Patty Duke Astin as an abusive mom. The object of her abuse was played by her real-life son Sean Astin. Also starring in this episode was "Facts of Life" star Nancy McKeon as the neighborhood babysitter who uncovers the deep dark secret.
13. Room 222- How many of us wished our high school's faculty included caring adults like teachers Pete Dixon and Alice Johnson, guidance counselor Liz McIntyre, and principal Seymour Kaufman? Richard Dreyfuss, Glynn Turman, Rob Reiner, Kurt Russell, and Teri Garr are just a few of the soon-to-be stars who did guest shots as high school students on this comedy-drama. Also, who can forget Bernie's gigantic orange fro?
Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)
1. Silencer76 lists 13 wrestling greats.
2. Amy (author of The Real Bee Log) tells you 13 things you need to know about jury duty
3. Ed's TT tells you about a software tool he is developing
4. The Crux lists 13 U.S. political scandals/flaps
5. Gattina's TT is all about things you should never say when "making the beast with two backs"
6. Lori's Old School Mix shares with us 13 voices that she misses
7. Mama Lee tells us about 13 of her favorite things
8. Jessica the Rock Chick gives us 13 reasons to send her to the A-list
9. Puss Reboots shares 13 pics from preschool graduation
10. Marina lists 13 of her favorites from the world of literature
11. Jessica Morris gives us 13 reasons why things between her and Mr. Coincidence couldn't have worked out.
12. Noelle tells us 13 things about herself
13. Boliyou lists 13 movies that she owns... and why
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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24 comments:
Your list brought back a lot of memories for me. I watched every episode of "Mod Squad" and "Room 222". In fact I watched at least a few episodes of every show you mentioned. "Doogie Howser" was an 80's favorite, and yes I do remember Doogie's cheesey, oversexed buddie Vinnie climbing through the window in nearly every episode.
Did you know that the "Mod Squad" was then struggling producer, Aaron Spelling's breakthrough hit? Also you can get the premiere season of "Route 66" at this website http://www.timvp.com/route66.htm
I miss The A-Team and Hunter. They used to be on TV Land, only to disappear in a flash of Gunsmoke and Bonanza reruns that I have no interest in seeing.
How can you go wrong with Hannibal, Face, Murdock and good ol B.A.?
Doogie!! I remember him! And the music that went along with it!! =)
I LOVED Room 222!!! What a blast from the past, thanks!
Room 222, Doogie, and Mod Squad. Who could ask for more. Thanks for the memories.
Ed
http://edsthread.co.nr
I've only watched the MASH's with Wayne Rogers.
The White Shadow was a great show. I didn't like the later team as much--that first cast was great...
Heh, heh, the Mothers-in-Law, I used to love that show.
Hey Malcolm! I loved the Mod Squad. When I was six, I wanted to be Julie.
Man, I had such a crush on Robert Conrad. Do you remember when Gabe Kaplan beat him in a race on Battle of the Network Stars? That was classic.
Unfortunately I don't know any of these !
Malcolm,
I thought I was the only one who watched and enjoyed the show "Up & Coming" (smile). Oh, and I used to love those ABC After School Specials. Wouldn't it be great to see shows like that on TV again?
Rm 222? Wow, now that takes me WAY back. And wasn't Linc "da man" in "Mod Squad?" (LOL) I think might see if I can't find "The White Shadow" on dvd for my basketball crazy son.
Actually, as far as those last two shows are concerned, every now and then I've caught them in rerun.
Another show I'd add to my list would be "ReBop," a show I used to watch on PBS, if I'm not mistaken. It came on Saturday afternoons and showcased the lives of kids/teens from around the country/world. Loved it.
Thanks for yet another trek back down memory lane. I have my own list of "13 Voices I Miss" posted on my site:
http://loridjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/08/thursday-thirteen.html
I loved me some Doogie!
Happy TT!
I remember most of these shows!! One of my favorites that I can't even find in reruns anywhere was "In The Heat of The Night" with Carroll O'Connor. I know it wasn't the greatest of shows, plots or whatever, but there was something just plain old comfortable about it and I really liked it!!!
Great list! Too Close For Comfort rocked!
Happy TT
Jessica The Rock Chick
I remember many of those shows. Happy TT.
Agreed on Room 222 and Mod Squad! I'll have to make my own list someday, which will include The Flying Nun and Family Affair.
Happy TT!
http://texasfarmwife.blogspot.com/2007/08/thursday-13-2-13-things-i-have-learned.html
I haven't seen or heard of any of those, but I checked out the mothers in law one and it looked like fun!! I checked Netflix for it and they don't have it... :(
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by my blog! Unfortunately, I don't remember any of those shows, (well I take that back, I think I do remember the after school specials.)
Noelle
http://lifes-adventures.net
Battle of the Network Stars! Oh Beckeye, they should bring it all back.
Night Gallery, The Six Million Dollar Man, Square Pegs
Definitely bring back Herman's Head! I loved that show. I do remember some of the After School Specials, but I didn't watch most of the others.
I wish they'd bring back "The Powers That Be." Far too short-lived, but a great sitcom.
I liked Doogie... Happy TT13!
I bow before your pop culture knowledge. Do you remember the show 'Lottery' or how about 'Automan?' Those were some shows that lasted maybe a season or two, but I was addicted to back when I was a wee lad.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'll be back!
I don't know any of these shows or maybe under a french title, lol !
I love that you remember so many details...the trapper keeper commercials...thanks for remembering it was Rosalind Shays in the elevator!! I had been trying to remember that name all day!!
Pjazzy: Good pull on the Aaron Spelling mention. Alot people forget that he produced The Mod Squad. Thanks also for letting me know about Route 66 upcoming DVD release. I'll be placing a pre-order within the next few weeks.
Jason Elias: Although I have seen every episode of M*A*S*H, the Trapper/Henry era is superior to the later years. I sometimes play in mind how some of the earlier characters might have interacted with the ones that joined the show later during its run. I also feel the same way as you about the 3rd season players from The White Shadow. However, I do give the show credit for being realistic and allowing some of the players to graduate. Do you remember the alumni game they had in the last season when they brought back Gomez, Hayward, and some of the other originals?
The Crux: I'll bet there were alot of kids just like you. I think I probably wanted the big fro and shades just like Linc!
Beckeye: Although I used to watch Battle of the Network Stars quite a bit, I don't remember the Kaplan/Conrad race. However, I have heard many people talk about it. They all said that Robert Conrad was pissed for losing to Gabe.
Lori: I thought for sure that BET would have brought back "Up and Coming" during the time that En Vogue were at their peak. Maybe it was a licensing issue, I don't know. I would have preferred seeing reruns of that instead of crap like Baby, I'm Back. I remember seeing Rebop in the TV Guide listings way back when, but never watched it for whatever reason.
Jessica the Rock Chick: The last time I remember seeing "In the Heat of the Night" in reruns was when TNT aired it a few years ago. Because it aired for such a long time and is fairly recent, I am surprised that another cable channel hasn't jumped on it.
Jessica Morris: It's a shame that cable channels won't take a chance on rerunning some of the shows that I listed. Otherwise, people your age won't get a chance to see many of these overlooked series (unless they can find them on DVD). It sucks that The Mothers In Law isn't available on DVD. If and when it does come out, I am there!
Boliyou: I am glad to see that there is another "Herman's Head" fan in the house! I watched the Powers That Be a couple of times and liked it. It did deserve a longer run. However, if it did, we wouldn't have been treated to the fine work of David Hyde Pierce in the role of Niles Crane on "Frasier". That's just the "glass is half full" attitude in me.
Thomas: Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the kind words! I do remember "Lottery" and "Automan". Unfortunately, they came and went before I had a chance to see them. I think that TV Land might have shown reruns of "Automan" for a bit.
Mama Pajama: Thank you for the positive comments as well. I love it when I read something pop culture related and the writer mentions a tidbit that really takes me back. I was hoping that my mention of the Trapper Keeper commercials would jog a memory of someone. It's funny, because one of the DVD sets for the After School Specials is packaged in a Trapper Keeper style case. Also, glad I could help with the Rosalind Shays reference.
I'll definitely second you on the "Mothers-in-law"! I loved that show back in the day.
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