The Lookback : TNBC

The Flashback  NBC 

    This another re-write edition, where I take an old post and re-do it to see how it can be improved. I originally did the the TNBC block post in back in 2014, but I also combined it with UPN Kids. This time,  I'm going to just focus on TNBC, and there's something  big to tell. TNBC, is not as well known, but it's place in history is important, not just for the block but what it was a sign of in the future.

            Our story begins in 1988, the idea of concept of giving up Saturday Morning cartoons was bubbling up. Even a rumor in 1987 about deciding to drop the concept themselves. The idea is that the ratings were slipping, or the real reason: business. NBC was #1 in ratings on Saturday Mornings, but being #1 doesn't matter if you aren't making money on that.  Around this time, syndication (so not really cable affecting anything just yet) was booming for kids programming.  Kids had more options beyond Saturday morning and also content that might have made it to NBC, CBS, and ABC weren't and showing up on UHF 53 or something instead.  Around that time, the average cost of a Saturday morning cartoon episode was $300,000.   

       Brandon  Tartikoff  was running NBC at the time, he was one of the most  successful NBC presidents in their history. He had said there was other potential for Saturday Morning, beyond cartoons. He was thinking about news  (more on that later) travel shows, and well anything else. A think of note here is that Saturday Morning , along with other day parts, were produced by outside companies. Hanna and Barbera, for example. Why not have NBC Studios make stuff instead, in house is cheaper than paying some cartoon to make a cartoon that'll last maybe 13 episodes. 

        

         (source:  https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/19/business/the-media-business-nbc-considers-scrapping-saturday-cartoons.html) 

           That didn't happen. Well, in 1988, or 1989, or 1990, but it was coming. Funny enough, Tartikoff left before TNBC was launched, but there is something we have to do before we get to TNBC. (This is a long story)   Tartikoff had tasked a man named Peter Engel (get used to him) to work on a new series for NBC primetime, back in 1986.  That brings us to a series that first pilot aired in 1987.   

        Let's take Hayley Mills and make her a teacher. (Wonderful!) That's fine enough but she needs some interesting students. Let's see, how about a boy who is kind of mischievous and scheming named Zach Morris. Let's  also have other characters named Lisa Turtle,  Samuel "Screech" Powers  and Mikey. Maybe some more to round it out. The pilot of this series aired in June of 1987 and NBC decided that no never mind we don't want it.  

          "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" was the name of this proposed series, but even though, NBC passed it over, it did get to have 13 episodes that aired on The Disney Channel (back when Disney Channel had a The like it thought it was better than everyone else)  Disney was going to air more, but the show was retooled and they passed up on it. 

    

        Now, the spark to help begin the TNBC story!  This is when Tartikoff felt taking this series and redoing it with new elements, new time slot, and different spot.  That's right this  is "Saved By The Bell" .  Saved by the Bell was launched in primetime in 1989, but it's main drive would be part of Saturday Morning as a way to get older kids who NBC felt they were losing in ratings.  This was new, usually any live-action on Saturday morning for kids would be those teen shows, or those specials programming.  

more after the jump

The Lookback: Fox Kids Fall 2001

The Flashback 

    The 2001-2002 season of TV was an interesting one for FOX Kids since it was to be the last season of FOX Kids.  In July 2001, Fox announced they were selling  Fox Family Worldwide to The Walt Disney company, FOX Kids was moved to the oversight of Fox TV. This was going to be the last season of Fox Kids with two big endings happening.  

   

      In January of 2002, FOX has washed their hands of the entire thing and let a company called 4 Kids buy their Saturday block hours.  FOX  Kids had been a successful block, causing the WB to make their own, let NBC give up on kids shows in 1992, and made Disney nervous. But it's reign near the end started to change completely.  

     Disney's One Saturday Morning seemed to issue the first blow, though I could add that cable and Nickelodeon in direct answering wouldn't be making things better for FOX Kids. Warner Brothers had left the network, but that was more a road bump than a real blow. Kids WB was a force though, a diversion for kids' attention. More choice isn't really the concept of a good thing, it just makes us feel better. All the kids programming blocks and networks were in competition  for the choice. FOX Kids  in 1998 had to compete against ABC, CBS(uhhh) , UPN (uhh) , Kids WB, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, the newly non premium Disney Channel, the final ashes of syndication, other forms of entertaiment for children,  new government rules,  Pokemon (which was in syndication then later Kids WB),  Sleeping, their own stations, and themselves (Fox Family).  That's a different landscape than they had when they entered the market.  

   

            They were seeing the writing on the wall with making Fox Family, they kind of wanted to have a children's /family network to compete against Nick, when that failed, they were ready to give up.   

   Back to January 2002, Fox Kids had it's death row date ready and this is our look at FOX Kids' final season.

 

     Weekdays!  Uhh 

 

     This is where is FOX was more at odds with it's own stations, FOX local stations felt that the weekday hours should not be kids' programming anymore.  Before 1998, FOX and the FOX stations co-owned Fox Kids, they also cut the weekday block to two hours.  Two reasons: 1. The new E/I rules and 2. their local stations wanted to expand in the morning with more profitable to them, local news.   FOX local stations, in general, felt  they didn't want kids programming in the afternoon. (there's more to this but that's a longer more annoying thing to bring up so, nah)  The other big stations affiliated with CBS, ABC, and NBC didn't do that and why should they? They aren't a small network, FOX is the big 4, so time go. More on that though as I go through the weekday block.

     

  The weekday block on some stations were moved to other stations, in New York and LA they moved the block to their new UPN sister stations (FOX bought stations of the former UPN co-owner, long story not for this post)  so that's a sign.  

        

       The  weekday block was two hours and to help their stations comply with E/I rules, help meaning eh here you go one show. They ended up with "The Magic School Bus" in 1998. It was a PBS series and PBS was done with it , so why not air that?    The Magic School Bus later would move to TLC. 

   If you don't know what "The Magic School Bus" is (insert joke here) it was 1994 TV series that ran on PBS based off books of the name, about a magic school bus. (duh?)  The series about a class, a small class, and their quirky teacher, being quirky deciding the best way for her students to learn science stuff was to take them on a magical living bus, and take them into the human body, space, anywhere to learn about science. That's why FOX aired it as a E/I show. The show had 52 episodes, they were airing them 5 days a week, so every 11 ish weeks they'd reset. 

        More after the jump

NewsNation to expand into daytime

Newsnation Cable TV News   

    

       Cable news and entertainment network , NewsNation,  is making changes from September 19th by expanding live programming.    The news that Chris Cuomo is coming to Newsnation  (Ed note: I'm not a fan  of)  has meant sadly, NewsNation's mission of just having the news in primetime is really over as  NewsNation Prime with Marini Hughes will be ending.  

    Hughes will be moving to a new 2 hour block called "NewsNation Live"  which will air weekdays 10am-12pmet replacing  2 hours of "Blue Bloods" the network has been shedding away it's non live programming, it seems that "In the Heat of the Night" has left.    "NewsNation Live" will premiere on September 19th.  Hughes is the last standing of the original three NewsNation anchors from the launch, she had been holding the primetime slot solo for a year, so no more primetime news programming and now talk reigns. 

   

        Cuomo will be sliding into primetime in October.   

 Here's the line up from September 19th (all times ET)

                                                 6am  Early Morning

                                                  7am  Morning in America 

10am NewsNation Live with Marni Hughes 

12-5pm  Syndicated rerun programming        

Press release after the jump

Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween 2022 schedule

Halloween Freeform

 

    It's that time of year again as fall is about to be upon us, Freeform has announced their schedule for their annual 31 Nights of Halloween. 

       

      Of note, Freeform has picked up the rights the 1990 movie "The Witches" based off the Roald Dhal story of the same name.  Also acquired is "The Quiet Place" the 2018 version of "Halloween" , "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ,  "Get Out" , "Happy Death Day",  and "Happy Death Day 2 U".  

Saturday, October 1

7:00a/6:00c - Edward ScissorHands

9:10a/8:10c - The Witches (1990)

11:20a/10:20c - The Haunted Mansion (2003)

1:25p/10:20c - Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

3:05p/2:05c - Hotel Transylvania

5:10p/4:10c - Hotel Transylvania 2

7:15p/6:15c - Hocus Pocus

9:25p/8:25c - Beetlejuice

11:30p/10:30c - Ghostbusters (1984)

Sunday, October 2

7:00a/6:00c - The Witches (1990)

9:10a/8:10c - Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic

10:10a/9:10c - Halloweentown

12:15p/11:15c - Hotel Transylvania

2:20p/1:20c - Hotel Transylvania 2

4:25p/3:25c - Maleficent

6:30p/5:30c - Beetlejuice

8:35p/7:35c - Hocus Pocus

10:45p/9:45c - Ghostbusters (2016)

Monday, October 3

1:00p/12:00c - Freeform Premiere Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)

3:00p/2:00c - Ghostbusters (1984)

5:30p/4:30c - Ghostbusters II

8:00p/7:00c - Ghostbusters (2016)

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Tuesday, October 4

11:30a/10:30c - Ghostbusters (1984)

2:00p/1:00c - Ghostbusters II

4:30p/3:30c - Edward ScissorHands

7:00p/6:00c - Maleficent

9:00p/8:00c - Hocus Pocus

12:00a/11:00c - Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Wednesday, October 5

12:00p/11:00c - Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

2:00p/1:00c - Madagascar

4:00p/3:00c - Hotel Transylvania

6:00p/5:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

8:00p/7:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Thursday, October 6

11:00a/10:00c - Madagascar

1:00p/12:00c - Hotel Transylvania

3:00p/2:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

5:00p/4:00c - Shrek Forever After

7:00p/6:00c - Halloweentown

9:00p/8:00c - Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Friday, October 7

10:30a/9:30c - Scared Shrekless

11:00a/10:00c - Shrek Forever After

1:00p/12:00c - 11:00p/10:00c - Family Guy

12:00a/11:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

Saturday, October 8

7:00a/6:00c - Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic

8:00a/7:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

10:00a/9:00c - Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

12:05a/11:05c - Ghostbusters (1984)

2:35p/1:35c - Ghostbusters II

5:05p/4:05c - Beetlejuice

7:10p/6:10c - Hocus Pocus

9:20p/8:20c - Maleficent

11:25p/10:25c - Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Sunday, October 9

7:00a/6:00c - Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins

7:30a/6:30c - Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

9:35a/8:35c - Ghostbusters (1984)

12:05a/11:05c - Ghostbusters II

2:40p/1:40c - Beetlejuice

4:45p/3:45c - Hocus Pocus

6:55p/5:55c - Freeform Premiere Get Out

9:25p/8:25c - Freeform Premiere Halloween (2018)

11:55p/10:55c - Freeform Premiere A Quiet Place

Monday, October 10

11:30a/10:30c - A Quiet Place

1:40p/12:40c - Get Out

4:15p/3:15c - Halloween (2018)

6:50p/5:50c - Freeform Premiere Happy Death Day

9:25p/8:25c - Freeform Premiere Happy Death Day 2U

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Tuesday, October 11

12:30p/11:30c - Maleficent

2:30p/1:30c - The House with a Clock in its Walls

5:00p/4:00c - The Haunted Mansion (2003)

7:00p/6:00c - Hotel Transylvania

9:00p/8:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2 

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Wednesday, October 12

10:30a/9:30c - The House with a Clock in its Walls

1:00p/12:00c - Hotel Transylvania

3:00p/2:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2 

5:00p/4:00c - Ghostbusters (2016)

8:00p/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Thursday, October 13

10:30p/9:30c - Frankenweenie (2012)

12:30p/11:30c - Edward Scissorhands

3:00p/2:00c - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

6:00p/5:00c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

7:30p/6:30c - Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

9:00p/8:00c - Beetlejuice

12:00a/11:00c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Friday, October 14

10:30a/9:30c - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

1:30p/12:00c - 5:00p/4:00c - Family Guy

5:00p/4:00c - Beetlejuice

7:00p/6:00c - 11:00p/10:00c - Family Guy

12:00a/11:00c - 2:00a/1:00c - Family Guy

Saturday, October 15

7:00a/6:00c - Hook

10:15a/9:15c - How to Train Your Dragon 2

12:25p/11:25c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

2:25p/1:25c - Toy Story of TERROR!

2:55p/1:55c - Scared Shrekless

3:25p/2:25c - Shrek Forever After

5:30p/4:30c - Hocus Pocus

7:40p/6:40c - Hotel Transylvania

9:45p/8:45c - Hotel Transylvania 2

11:50p/10:50c - Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Sunday, October 16

7:00a/6:00c - How to Train Your Dragon 2

9:10a/8:10c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

10:45a/9:45c - Scared Shrekless

11:15a/10:15c - Shrek Forever After

1:20p/12:20c - Hotel Transylvania

3:25p/2:25c - Hotel Transylvania 2

5:30p/4:30c - Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

7:40p/6:40c - Hocus Pocus

9:50p/8:50c - Maleficent

11:55p/10:55c - The Witches

Monday, October 17

12:00p/11:00c - Ghostbusters (1984)

2:30p/1:30c - Ghostbusters II

5:05p/4:05c - The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Pop 'N Knowledge Double Feature

7:10p/6:10c - Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

8:50p/7:50c - Hocus Pocus

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Tuesday, October 18

10:30a/9:30c - Ghostbusters (1984)

1:00p/12:00c - Ghostbusters II

3:30p/2:30c - Fright Night (2011)

6:00p/5:00c - Ghostbusters (2016)

9:00p/8:00c - Beetlejuice  (Pop 'N Knowledge )

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Wednesday, October 19

10:30a/9:30c - Fright Night (2011)

1:00p/12:00c - Ghostbusters (2016)

4:00p/3:00c - Maleficent

6:00p/5:00c - Beetlejuice

8:00p/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Thursday, October 20

11:00a/10:00c - The Witches (1990)

1:00p/12:00c - Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

3:00p/2:00c - Halloweentown

5:00p/4:00c - Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge

7:00p/6:00c - Hotel Transylvania

9:00p/8:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

12:00a/11:00c - The Witches (1990)

Friday, October 21

10:30a/9:30c - 5:00p/4:00c - Family Guy

5:00p/4:00c - Hotel Transylvania

7:00p/6:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

9:00p/8:00c - 11:00p/10:00c - Family Guy

12:00a/11:00c - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Saturday, October 22

7:00a/6:00c - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

9:00a/8:00c - Maleficent

11:00a/10:00c - Ghostbusters (1984)

1:30p/12:30c - Ghostbusters II

4:00p/3:00c - Ghostbusters (2016)

7:15p/6:15c - Beetlejuice

9:20p/8:20c - Hocus Pocus

11:30p/10:30c - The House with a Clock in its Walls

Sunday October 23

7:00a/6:00c - The House with a Clock in its Walls

9:30a/8:30c - Ghostbusters (1984)

12:00p/11:00c - Ghostbusters (2016)

3:10p/2:10c - Beetlejuice

5:15p/4:15c - Hocus Pocus

7:25p/6:25c - Monsters, Inc.

9:30p/8:30c - Monsters University

12:00a/11:00c - Shrek Forever After

Monday, October 24

12:00p/11:00c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

2:00p/1:00c - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

5:00p/4:00c - Shrek Forever After

7:00p/6:00c - The Haunted Mansion (2003)

9:00p/8:00c - Maleficent

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Tuesday, October 25

10:30a/9:30c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

12:00p/11:00c - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

3:00p/2:00c - Halloweentown

5:00p/4:00c - Hotel Transylvania

7:00p/6:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

9:00p/8:00c - Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Wednesday, October 26

12:00p/11:00c - Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge

2:00p/1:00c - Hotel Transylvania

4:00p/3:00c - Hotel Transylvania 2

6:00p/5:00c - Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

8:00p/7:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Thursday, October 27

11:00a/10:00c - Ready or Not

1:00p/12:00c - Maleficent

3:00p/2:00c - Ghostbusters (1984)

5:30p/4:30c - Ghostbusters II

8:00p/7:00c - Ghostbusters (2016)

12:00a/11:00c - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Friday, October  28

10:30a/9:30c - Ghostbusters (2016)

1:30p/12:30c - 11:00p/10:00c - Family Guy

12:00a/11:00c - 2:00a/1:00c - The Office

Saturday, October 29

7:00a/6:00c - How to Train Your Dragon 2

9:10a/8:10c - Edward Scissorhands

11:40a/10:40c - Frankenweenie (2012)

1:40p/12:40c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

3:35p/2:35c - Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

5:40p/4:40c - Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

7:20p/6:20c - Hotel Transylvania

9:25p/8:25c - Hocus Pocus

11:35p/10:35c - Ghostbusters II

Sunday, October 30

7:00a/6:00c -  The Witches (1990)

9:05a/8:05c - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

10:45p/9:45c - Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

12:50p/11:50c - The Haunted Mansion (2003)

2:55p/1:55c - Hotel Transylvania

5:00p/4:00c - Beetlejuice

7:05p/6:05c - Hocus Pocus

9:15p/8:15c - Maleficent

11:20p/10:20c - Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Monday, October 31

10:30p/9:30c - Ghostbusters (1984)

1:00p/12:00c - The Haunted Mansion (2003)

3:00p/2:00c - Beetlejuice

5:00p/4:00c - Maleficent

7:00p/6:00c - Hotel Transylvania

9:00p/8:00c - Hocus Pocus

12:00a/11:00c - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror Episodes

Will be updated with press release later... 

Afterschool Sessions: The Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip

The Flashback   Afterschool Specials   

           It's time to look at another ABC Afterschool Special, this time we go back to the early days of AAS (I'm glad the acronym wasn't something else) back to 1973, which is the part of the first "season" of the anthology.  Our look is a live-action and animated hybrid, more on that soon, called "The  Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip".  The special was written by Guy Fraumeni, who worked in children's television before this as a writer for NBC's Experiment in Television and NBC's Children's Theatre, he also worked in graphic arts.   The other writer was Larry Spiegel who did the teleplay writing and worked a couple other AAS.  

  

    

     Like I said this is an animation and live-action hybrid special the special starts with live-action and two kids named  Missey and Joey.  Missey is played by Kim Richards whom you might know from many things, but I'm going to mention she was on James at 15/16  as Sandy Hunter.  Joey is played by Michael Link who will also 2 more specials later on, and he's done a few things but we'll mention he was on the sitcom "Julia".  They are laying on the floor looking at a book, and an old man is sleeping in a chair. (He might be 30 so, "old")  

Looks like fun, that rug though. 

            Then the book starts to wink at them and they are more just amazed instead of going AHHHHHHHHHH oh noooo ahhhh!   Then they hear a voice and instead of going (we did this joke) they see a small cartoon guy, they mention he's a cartoon. This is a character named Timer, voiced by Len Maxwell,  This character will actually show up later in ABC history when he was apart of some PSA interstitial called "Time for Timer"  that ran in 1975, with a different voice provided. 

What was in that cup? 

   

    Back to IMPMT, the kids are not shocked that a cartoon character is in their house, and he introduces himself that he's the keeper of body time, so he's like the reason you're hungry.  He says he's on vacation, he tells the kids if they smile  he'll make them smaller for some reason.  The kids don't believe this for a second, because that's an odd thing here.  So he sings and makes them smaller and into cartoon characters. 

That Time I woke up as a cartoon character 

     

         Joey and Missey's  animated characters are not voiced by their live-action actors. Instead, Joey is voiced by Peter Broderick  and Missey is Kathy Buch.  I forgot to mention the sleeping man, that's their uncle Carl he's  played by Hal Smith, who's listings are long and long. He did some ABC Weekend Specials, provided voices on countless projects,  like the voice of John Whittaker in the Adventures in Odyssey. He was in "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" , voiced Goofy.  Just long list of stuff. 

     Here is in live-action and he drinks his niece and nephew who were small and on the cup. (oops)  The special was produced by David H. DePati and  Friz Freleng so we're getting everything here. 

       The kids are in uncle Carl's mouth...(ummm no) which is animated because that'd be disturbing if it it wasn't.  They meet mouth general who is there to protect the teeth and there's  decay germ who is going after the teeth. Joey is not very impressed and wants to get out, but he doesn't know there's like 32 more minutes, so yeah they are going down instead.  (So they get digested and died)  

You can say I won't stomach this adventure ! 

       They end up in Carl's lungs, which I like how they are animated and wish our lungs were this much fun. (This is in odd thing to say) Not everything in the lungs are good times, we meet "Sad Sack" who sad because Uncle Carl is a smoker.  This is like the really early time of now we're saying smoking is bad... cigarette ads were banned just about 3 years before this aired.  Since this is an Afterschool special they making the kids learn.  Odd to get this as a song, and odd close ups of man smoking is something.   The part where the air sacks are crying help us is kind of horrifying. (Don't smoke!) 

The Lungs, or Los Angles , 1972?  

        Now they kids finds out that Uncle Carl has fatty blockage near his arteries.  Oh my, anyway they meet the heart, and the heart looks like the Valentine heart so accuracy  destroyed!  Timer doesn't want the brain to find out that they are there because the brain has tough policies.  Back to the heart, it doesn't look good,  so this is the horrify the kids and tell them their uncle is about to die special. (dark) 

This would make a great Valentine's Day card 

        Uncle Carl is carrying a television set, because he wants to watch Football game in bed. (With the TV in bed? That'd be silly) This is kind the fun trippy 70's animation that existed and it very creative on how it's showing the human body, and having things act like a country, is creative. 

         To the spine which is being portrayed as a contemporary style computing system, because it's the central network of the body, get it?   The kids later end up at Carl's stomach and since it's 1973, there's a hippy.  The kids are being told that their uncle eats too much.  If you don't like close ups of guy eating then you might need a little break here. 

       Now Missey gets a song at the ribs because sure.  She's sad that she's on her uncle's ribs and not outside back home. Which I mean, does make sense. We do have like 17 minutes left so no going home yet. 

17  minutes ? 

       Joey ended up at the uncle's left hand, which guess what? It's infected!  This man is a mess.  Missey and Timer are going to look for Joey before the infection gets him. I'm concerned that Uncle Carl hasn't noticed his niece and nephew aren't anywhere. It looks like Carl is going down. 

        

     Ooh good, he's stopped from dying by the power of water, and  Missey has found Joey.  There's a battle between  Carl's immune system  versus forces of infection, and Carl doesn't have the best immune system since well look at his bottle.  It does mention death too... so wow. 

I'm Joey, the killer of infection, pray to me! 

            Joey decides to all start fighting infection because that's a power move and so does Missey for a second.  (This is the least strange episode of Magic School Bus I've seen)  Timer says that Uncle Carl needs to change his bad habits and to make sure his body can fight.  There's one more place to go  and that's the Brain. Joey and Missey meet the brain the tell him that they are tired and want to go home, which he knows, because brain.  Timer tells them this was all his plan because of course, he wanted them to help Carl.  The brain says that Carl has to help himself as well. The brain song because cool.  

Come together! 

     Eventually, they get to go home after some more 1970's happens.  Finally, they are outside of their uncle's body and they decide to tell their uncle they were inside his body. (I'm just glad they didn't go out the bad way) Uncle Carl is like "that's nice" and keeps eating.   Will Uncle Carl live? Nobody knows. 

         This is a fun outing, and I liked it. It has the right mixture of 70's oddness and cheese while being creative and fun. It's a fun special showing the kids traveling through the body, and I like how the body was shown as a country and how creative it was. The characters are kind fun, though the children are kind of flat (literally) but they are kind of like our self insert inside the body. The special gives an interesting look at the idea of taking care of your body, and even mentioning death is big.  The songs are there, but aren't too bad, they maybe don't stick out as memorable. 

   

         The character designs are simple but a nice classic simple you see in older cartoons, I like the aesthetic.  So it's a fun one. Give it a look.  That's our look, tune in next time when we venture enter a body to see if we can find a signing heart.  

A Charlie Brown Watch: Lucy's School

Peanuts 

 

      Another special?  WildBrain and Apple have decided that after like 10-years of no new specials to just make a bunch and release them over a period of 8 months.  They made 4, this is the 4th one , now in total count of television specials we've reached 49.   They did the Snoopy Presents title again, and it's just "Lucy's School", so that's fun.   Actually, that they've not done much Charlie Brown focus in these specials is something else as well.  Part of this post will be me being pedantic, but that's how I am with Peanuts. 

          It might be hard for some to remember, while for others it might be fresh, but I am talking about the last day of school, for the school year. Though, not the way it's depicted here waiting in the classroom for the the final minutes, my last day of schools were always more casual, and  had sometimes had a mixture of melancholy because some wouldn't be coming back the next school year for whatever reason. I grew up in a place where some of the kids were from military families and moved and stuff.  The special starts with the feeling you get on the last day of school a countdown to beginning of what's seen as the best time of the kid year- summer vacation. 

They want to have their 104 days of summer vacation/Copyright Peanuts 

   

    It shows the school empty except this one classroom where Charlie Brown and friend are quiet, minus Peppermint Patty snoring, and the only noise you hear is the clock deeply ticking. You get the feeling of tense waiting and it's well done. They also get to show off some of their animation which again, in these specials have been nice. 

    Nit Pick #1 It shows Peppermint Patty and Franklin in the same school as Charlie Brown, so yeah holding that well guys. Though sometimes in some specials they would be shown in the same class/school as Chuck it's a something to nitpick.    

   

        

      The bell rings and it's summer.  There's a summer song that sounds like someone wanted the Beach Boys, but also wanted the Chordettes, and wanted them to be drunk. It's a montage song and pretty fun to see the fun of summer. (Even though summer is hot and annoying) It's still kind of funny to see them have Patty and Peppermint Patty co-exist.  The song dies and there's a giant sign that says "Back to School Sale" coming. I like how that's depicted too, it's like a looming danger which it does feel to a kid, the looming danger of the end of fun.  

Doom / Copyright Peanuts 

           The one week left until school, also apparently the Peanuts tribe are going to a new school, which brings me questions.  Mostly, what? Why? Did they age the peanuts oddly, what?  I'm confused. The others are nervous that the new school is huge and different. Lucy wasn't nervous but then gets more nervous. 

    

     I guess the idea here to show the fear of starting a new school, though being oddly vague at the idea that they apparently are going to a school where there are also bigger kids, that would only imply like middle school or something, which is what?   

More after the jump

Weekendering: The Weekenders : Season 2: Episode 2: To Each His Own/ Diary

The Weekenders  Disney 

Previously: Radio Drama causes drama and traditions are important   Read here 

Episode 2a: To Each His Own

          Usually the focus of this show is seeing the whole group usually doing weekend stuff together, hence the name of the show. They do have common interests and are good friends but they also have their own interests.  They are having a meeting about what they want to do for the weekend, since the last weekend was all homework. (fun)

        They all have different things they want do; Tina decides to channel his mother and have them compromise and they all do everything, which is a good plan. Will it go well? (That's the question) 

       Carver's event  is looking at new shoes, because he likes shoes. The others aren't having fun. Then it flips to Lor's event which is Scottish games. Which is interesting. The other aren't enjoying this either.  Next, it's Tish's event and the same thing happens where only one of them is enjoying and the rest are bored out of their minds. 

          Here's where the episode makes a turn, Tino's event is the next day, The Capitan DreadNaught convention. Carver decides he's not going to go to the event, this causes the other two to join in.  Even though, Tino did sit through their events, and he couldn't enjoy the convention.  Tino's mom tells him that maybe they should have compromised by finding something they all like. 

      This is a good episode, and it expresses the good characterizations of the characters and showing how they do find things they have a shared interest in and wanting to keep some bonds even if they have separate things they want to do.  7//10

More after the jump

Coming Through the Back Door: The Brady Bunch: Kelly's Kids

Backdoor Pilots   The Brady Bunch  The Flashback 

      I haven't done a post related to a back door pilot in sometime or the Brady Bunch, which is also odd, so let's do it! 

 

            I remember this episode of The Brady Bunch  watching it (reruns) as a kid and being confused as to where the Bradys went.   Being a kid and not knowing everything (what?)  and not knowing a) this was reruns and b) what a backdoor pilot was, this episode got to me.   I came here to watch "The Brady Bunch" where are they?  

       

         This backdoor pilot is from season 5 which would also happen to be the final season of the series.   Season 5 is genuinely kind of odd it kind of becomes.  There's an episode where  Greg steals a goat and the parents think that he's hiding a girl in his room which is the goat, but woah.  There's an episode where Greg gets Peter to dress up as a some other guy named "Phil Packer"  and it's gets weird.  Though I do like there's a random episode where they go to Cincinnati, not often do you get shows just going to Cincinnati as a plot line.   I will add that I love "Never Too Young" (that's also my Bobby's my favorite kid Brady bias)  

      This is the season they really don't know what to do with Cindy, they want to keep her "the youngest one in curls" but she's not that young anymore and they didn't want to write older plots for her as much because they did it Jan before so... uhhh I don't know. They also added Cousin Oliver, who really can't be blamed for "ruining the show" the show was dying, he came in January 25, 1974, the series finale aired on March 8th  so really at this point the network was like "ehhh, who cares we're not going to continue this" but you know reasons. 

     

     Oh yeah our episode is from January 4, 1974, it's called "Kelly's Kids" . You can also tell maybe that Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, was also looking to find another show make, feeling that this show was on the way out.  

   

            You what be interesting? The Bradys have neighbors but we see them so why not make up a neighbor couple and see where that goes. (The pitch meeting for "The Ropers")  This back door pilot starts with telling you that Ken Barry  and Brooke Bundy are in this episode.

      Ken Barry, oddly, had experience in taking over a show after the main actor leaves and becoming it's own show.  He was featured in episodes The Andy Griffith Show as a widowed father named Sam Jones to then take up the leading role in the spin-off called "Mayberry R.F.D" where he plays a single widowed father with a young son. (So the viewers wouldn't be scared that Andy left or something,)  That show was purged during CBS' we need TV shows to be hip  modern and no more rural...  era.   In this Brady Bunch episode he plays a man maned Ken Kelly. 

     Brooke Bundy was doing roles in different shows since the 1960's she was in alot of shows like "The Donna Reed Show" , "My Three Sons" , "Wagon Train", etc.. if "Kelly's Kids" had become a series, it would have been her first starring TV show role. She played Kathy Kelly. (They need to calm down) 

           The episode starts by tricking the Brady Bunch viewers into thinking it's a normal episode, like that episode where Mike's Grandpa ends up marrying Carol's Grandma.  Then it goes to the family room and Carol and Mike are talking to Kathy and Ken. Ken is talking about they are adopting a child.

So we noticed you have 6, can we have one?/ Copyright Paramount

 

     

       The Brady Bunch was a unique  show at the time, there wasn't really anything about a blended family in a show.  We don't get it much it much now in TV.  The idea of a show about a family with adopted son is very different to what TV was doing at the time... interesting for the concept.  

     

       The adopted child is named Matt, who is played by Tood Lookinland, this kid is the younger brother of Mike Lookinland who is Bobby Brady. (fun) Like his brother, he also was doing some acting and  he would even appear in a an American adaptation series of the Swedish movie "The New Land" later in 1974.   

   

          Like I said, the episode baits with Brady's and switches to show us  Matt Kelly now being introduced to his family and we are in their house.  The laugh track needs to calm down.  Anyway,  you know what a spinoff needs there's a woman named Mrs. Payne (obvious name is obvious)  her job is to be annoying. She comes in and says "uh you have kids, ew" even more "eww, adopted child, I don't have children, eww boys ,eww children"  This is also Molly Dodd's second time playing in the show and she's a good actress, and she's good here playing this woman we aren't supposed to like or something.  Laugh track tells me I'm supposed to laugh. 

ha ha ha? / Copyright Paramount

          Kathy was talking to Carol on the phone, and that's for us to remember this is supposed to be "The Brady Bunch"  she is worried that Matt is lonely so her idea is to get another kid.  Matt's been with them for... 1 day... and she's worried he's lonely. What? This is kind of forcing things, they barely showed Matt being lonely or whatever.  The next day, they decide to go to the adoption orphan house whatever it is , and they ask for a 2nd kid. (can we do that?) 

                                  I'm stunned most people drop off kids not come back for more/ Copyright Paramount

    They are interested in two good friends of Matt named Dwyane and Steve. To add a little more to this, Dwyane is African American and Steve is Asian.  Back to how much speed running is going on here. the Kellys are thinking up something the original idea was to adopt one more kid, on the 2nd day they just adopted one, but you know speed running, but now as they talk to the Bradys because they are trying to remind me that this is in fact, the Brady Bunch.  

    Anyway, the Kellys decide the logical choice is to adopt both Dwayne and Steve. We're 9 minutes in and about 2 days of stuff and they've too fast. (I wouldn't trust this couple they do things too on the fast lane, they need to calm down and think) 

More after the jump