Light, enjoyable, early 80s fantasy/sci-fi.
Continue reading ‘The Powers of Matthew Star’: Cute 80s sci-fi/fantasy diversionTag Archives: 1980s
‘The World of Strawberry Shortcake’ (1980) & ‘Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City’ (1981): Charming, unpretentious
‘Hammer House of Horror’: Early 80s UK anthology sports tight scripts, nimble direction
The Complete Hammer House of Horror is perfect Halloween viewing for anyone interested in 80s UK horror and the Hammer Films studio: the scripts are tight, the direction nimble, and the performances spot-on…with plenty of gore and slight nudity to keep you tuned in.
Continue reading ‘Hammer House of Horror’: Early 80s UK anthology sports tight scripts, nimble direction‘The Love Boat’ (Season 4): The ABC juggernaut’s highest-rated season
Welcome to the fourth DVD voyage of The Love Boat’s Pacific Princess, where the hook-ups are plentiful and the penicillin shots are always free!
Continue reading ‘The Love Boat’ (Season 4): The ABC juggernaut’s highest-rated season‘I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later’ (1985): Eden & Co. try to rekindle magic in mid-80s reboot attempt
Sad news: funny actor Bill Daily passed away this week. Pulling the rare trick of appearing in two iconic TV comedies—I Dream of Jeannie and The Bob Newhart Show—Daily was one of those actors lovers of vintage television took to their hearts like a cherished friend. He’ll be missed. So…in that spirit, let’s look at one of his lamer outings: I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later.
Continue reading ‘I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later’ (1985): Eden & Co. try to rekindle magic in mid-80s reboot attempt‘The Jeffersons’: Norman Lear sitcom disrespected, but gets the love
The strangest thing: my younger kids think television coming over our old aerial—complete with commercials and limited choice of channels—is the coolest thing now (high tech burnout was inevitable). And one of their favorite digital channels is our local MeTV outlet, with its old timey sched of classic television fare (yes, they have taste, but of course, I’m shilling for a potential job offer, too…). So the upcoming “Summer of Me” programming change this Monday should be a lot of fun for them—and for you, too, particularly since The Jeffersons will be movin’ on up into the primo 6:30pm (Eastern) timeslot (now you don’t have to watch the fake news!).
Continue reading ‘The Jeffersons’: Norman Lear sitcom disrespected, but gets the love‘The Transformers’ (Season 1): More, in ’84, than meets the eye
You thought it was a giant toy commercial, and it was. But there was more than meets the eye…especially if you were in the target audience.
Continue reading ‘The Transformers’ (Season 1): More, in ’84, than meets the eye‘The Yellow Rose’: 80s primetime soap could have been a contender
All the talk this week about the 40th anniversary of Dallas’s debut got me thinking about one of the many pretenders to its prime time network soap opera throne—NBC’s The Yellow Rose—right before I saw word this morning that actress Susan Anspach had just passed. She was quite good in this expensive, all-star outing from NBC, so in memory of Miss Anspach, let’s look back at The Yellow Rose.
Continue reading ‘The Yellow Rose’: 80s primetime soap could have been a contender‘Crossbow’ (Season 1): Late ’80s adventure brings William Tell legend to life
Sharply plotted, exciting and serialized(!) – exactly what you don’t expect from a throwback ’80s syndicated adventure series.
Continue reading ‘Crossbow’ (Season 1): Late ’80s adventure brings William Tell legend to life‘Dynasty’ (Season 2): Joan Collins to the rescue!
Ah, yes…round two of the original Dynasty: the bastard child of night-time super-soap Dallas.
Continue reading ‘Dynasty’ (Season 2): Joan Collins to the rescue!‘Wiseguy’ (Season 1): Stephen J. Cannell gets edgy, serious, & serialized
Classic TV fans will no doubt want to cut a slice of birthday cake today for Stephen J. Cannell, the prolific creator of such muscular, iconic tube fare as The Rockford Files, Baretta, Baa Baa Black Sheep, The A-Team, Riptide, and 21 Jump Street. For a birthday treat, let’s look at the first season of Cannell’s critically acclaimed cop/mob series, Wiseguy.
Continue reading ‘Wiseguy’ (Season 1): Stephen J. Cannell gets edgy, serious, & serialized‘Magnum, P.I.’ (Season 5): Quintessential 80s detective show still delivers
Sad news: versatile character actor John Hillerman passed away the other day, so we thought we’d dig out a Magnum, P.I. season five review, featuring Hillerman in his most recognizable role as the indomitable Higgins.
Continue reading ‘Magnum, P.I.’ (Season 5): Quintessential 80s detective show still delivers‘Benson’ (Season 1): Robert Guillaume steals the show
With the death of Robert Guillaume, we thought it would be a nice tribute to go back to the first season of Guillaume’s best-remembered role, Benson.
Continue reading ‘Benson’ (Season 1): Robert Guillaume steals the show‘Dynasty’ (Season 1): A soap in search of a villain
As we await the CW’s way more Hispanic, way more gay Dynasty reboot this October, why don’t we go back to the all-white, just a tad gay original ABC primetime soap opera that debuted in 1981.
Continue reading ‘Dynasty’ (Season 1): A soap in search of a villain‘The Love Boat’ (Season 3): Everything that’s great & terrible about escapist TV
Anchors aweigh and get another bottle of bleach: they don’t call it “The Love Boat” for nothing!
Continue reading ‘The Love Boat’ (Season 3): Everything that’s great & terrible about escapist TV‘Falcon Crest’ (Season 1): Intrigue, drunk on wine
We like our 80s prime time soaps here at Drunk TV. Oh yes we do.
Continue reading ‘Falcon Crest’ (Season 1): Intrigue, drunk on wine‘GLOW’: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling invade Netflix
If you’re an old-old school pro wrestling fan, you may remember the real life GLOW wrestling promotion from Las Vegas, which produced a low-budget female version of what fans enjoyed with the more mainstream World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Continue reading ‘GLOW’: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling invade Netflix
‘Police Squad!’: Six 30-minute Naked Guns
Did You Know: The Naked Gun movies actually began life as a revival of a short-lived ABC TV series?
Continue reading ‘Police Squad!’: Six 30-minute Naked GunsPODCAST: ‘Pac-Man’ series premiere
For our first Juice Box edition, Jason & 10-year-old Wesley discuss the first episode of early 80s Pac-Man from Hanna-Barbera. Continue reading PODCAST: ‘Pac-Man’ series premiere
PODCAST: ‘Cheers’ series premiere
Things get a little faded as Jason & Del discuss the very first meeting of our favorite drinking buddies at Cheers. (Mildly NSFW for language.) Continue reading PODCAST: ‘Cheers’ series premiere