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S8 E12 Pilot Season Finale "Bosom Buddies"

All good things must come to and end as this is the Season 8 finale.  But, we're going out with a bang as we take a close look at the (kind of?) classic sitcom, Bosom Buddies.  Was it a little too "out there" and farcical? Yes.  Did it die a quick death? Yes.  Did it launch some epic careers?  You bet!  Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari, Wendie Jo Sperber, Holland Taylor, and Telma Hopkins to name a few.  Oh yeah, and Dan Aykroyd's wife, Donna Dixon.  So, sit back, put on your favorite blouse and enjoy the pilot episode of Bosom Buddies.

Boxed In - Trapped in 80s Television! Fast Times edition!

My book is finally here and available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09jGbH3d
After years of writing down every thought I've ever had about 1980s television, my book is finally complete and on its way to you!  It's a 750 page opus that I think you will love!  If you are already an 80s TV aficionado, I promise you will earn even more.  If you have zero interest in 80s TV, I promise you'll laugh your ass off.  This book is for everyone and I am super proud of it.  Enjoy this mini episode.
 
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Boxed In - Trapped in 80s Television! The Incredible Hulk Edition!

My book is finally here and available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/09jGbH3d
After years of writing down every thought I've ever had about 1980s television, my book is finally complete and on its way to you!  It's a 750 page opus that I think you will love!  If you are already an 80s TV aficionado, I promise you will earn even more.  If you have zero interest in 80s TV, I promise you'll laugh your ass off.  This book is for everyone and I am super proud of it.  Enjoy this mini episode.
 
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Boxed In - Trapped in 80s Televsion! Tony Danza edition!

My book is coming!  After years of writing down every thought I've ever had about 1980s television, my book is finally complete and on its way to you!  It's a 750 page opus that I think you will love!  If you are already an 80s TV aficionado, I promise you will earn even more.  If you have zero interest in 80s TV, I promise you'll laugh your ass off.  This book is for everyone and I am super proud of it.  Enjoy this mini episode.
 
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S8 E11 Pilot Season "Saturday Night Live"

Before there was SNL, there was NBC's Saturday Night.  There was also Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell (Don't worry, it will all make sense when you listen to the episode).  There's nothing I can say about SNL that hasn't been said already, so sit back, relax, and let me tell you about the first episode, how it came about, how it was cast, and how half of Hollywood takes credits for helping Lorne create it.  Like success, SNL has many fathers.  Apparently.

S8 E10 Pilot Season "The Jeffersons"

If it weren't for this series, I would probably be frying fish in my kitchen and burning beans on my grill.  Oh boy, do I love this show.  Easily the best theme song in sitcom history, and in my not so humble opinion, the best leading man in 70s sitcom history!  The Jefferson broke new ground by showcasing an affluent black family achieving the American Dream.  As it turns out, money doesn't automatically erase prejudice, social tensions, or personal flaws.  Huh.  Who knew?  Join me as I dissect the pilot and what this series meant to American television.  Dry cleaning just got sexy.

S8 E9 Pilot Season "Barney Miller"

Show of hands.  Who enjoys dry humor, ensemble casts, urban blight, and weary sarcasm, most of which is largely confined to one room in a grimy, confined 1970s NYC police precinct?  If your hand is raised, than Barney Miller is the television program for you!  I love this series and you should too!  It's smart, impeccably acted, and funny as hell.  However, the pilot was a little underbaked and I'm not sure the producers really knew what they wanted this series to be.  So grab a cup of bitter coffee and let's chat about this 70s gem.

S8 E8 Pilot Season "What's Happening!!"

Call me crazy, but this series was likeable as hell and enjoyed a shockingly successful life in syndication.  It gave us the big personalities of Fred "Rerun" Berry, Shirley Hemphill, and Danielle Spencer.  It also gave us the charisma blackholes that are Ernest Thomas and Haywood Nelson.  Never too broad, nor confrontational like a Norman Lear show, this fun little program lived somewhere in the middle.  Real, but not too real.  Urban, but not too urban.  And good, but not too good.  Enjoy the podcast!  Hey Hey Hey!!

S8 E7 Pilot Season "Chico and the Man"

"Chico, don't get discouraged, the Man he ain't so hard to understand."  Ah...Chico and the Man.  I have to admit, this was a really fun rewatch.  Freddie Prinze was full of charm and optimism and Jack Albertson was...well...Jack Albertson.  This show isn't talked about as much as it should be as it was cut short for obvious reasons.  In a TV Landscape dominated by Norman Lear, this series was "controversy light".  It shined a light on urban blight, blue collar struggles, and racial clashes in a very easy to swallow pill.  So, sit back and enjoy while I give 'ol Chico the credit he deserves.

S8 E6 Pilot Season "The Bob Newhart Show"

This was a listener request and I was glad to deliver!  Bob Newhart is a comedy legend and this pilot episode is arguably one of the best pilots I've ever watched.  Watching our guy Bob weave his way through life all calm and collected while everyone around him is batshit crazy is...well...comedy gold.  Newhart's comedy is seamlessly translated into a sitcom format and the supporting cast is superb.  Watch it, enjoy it, and then let me know how right I am!