Today on Battle of the Network Shows

 

 

 

Why is Dean Martin laughing? Believe it or not, he's not watching former BOTNS subjects like Alf  or The Facts of Life. No, he's enjoying one of the many Celebrity Roasts over which he presided for many years on NBC.

 

This week Mike and I talk about the show itself and the impressive roster of celebrities lined up to roast the Man of the Hour Peter Marshall! Click it right here to check out the episode, and don't ya dare miss it!

Classic Shows That Should Be Streaming: 5 for Hulu

Welcome back to my ongoing series identifying 5 classic TV shows that should be added to each of the major streaming video on demand services. The idea is that the shows are not currently streaming, and there might be some realistic chance of them appearing. I looked at Netflix and Prime Video, and today it's time to examine the other member of the SVOD trinity, Hulu.

Hulu has acquired so many shows in recent years that it is stockpiling them. I was told on Facebook that, in essence, it is spreading them out, hence the long delay for something like MASH, which was acquired over a year ago but still isn't there. Owned by several major industry players, Hulu should have at least a foot in the door in trying to get some of these series. It has relationships with all the big content providers, so I consider just about everything on the table, but I am not including the Fox and MTM shows because supposedly they are already coming and because many of them are there now in partial form.

1) The Love Boat: CBS' sloooooow pace of DVD releases shouldn't be an obstacle to a big streaming deal. Hulu is a service about TV and celebrating TV, and what show is more quintessentially showbiz and TV-y than Love Boat, with its cheesy theme song, its endless guest stars, and...pretty much everything about it. Beautiful-looking videos of the episodes have circulated online. Bring it to streaming, where we don't have to watch all 250 installments (though I might) but we can seek out interesting guests and goofy plotlines.

2) The Drew Carey Show: This series tailed off a bit in its later years but at its peak was one of the best sitcoms on the tube. Warner Brothers has done very little with it, only releasing one season on DVD and licensing it to little-known diginet Laff.

Would you believe this ran for 9 years and over 230 episodes? That's a staggering total--great inventory for a big streamer like Hulu. The show was hilarious at its best and deserves better than the semi-obscurity it now endures. Carey himself said music clearance issues prevented further DVD releases and streaming deals. Is that true? I don't know; it doesn't seem like streaming always follows the DVD rules, but what do I know? I tell you what I know: I know that I want to see those early seasons of this series again.

3) Columbo: Now we get to the "used to be on Netflix" portion of the list. Netflix used to have a broad deal with Universal that gave it access to tons of classic TV from that studio. At first I thought maybe Universal (Comcast/NBC/whatever it calls itself now) denied a renewal of the deal so it could save properties for its own streaming services. Then SeeSo came and tanked, and we never got the classic cop/detective show service I thought we might. Netflix didn't bother replacing any of it, and now I think Netflix just didn't want to pay for any of it.

Well, that leaves a whole lot of stuff floating around without a streaming home. Cloo was supposed to be the cable home of the old detective shows, but that didn't work out so well. You can still see Columbo on Hallmark and Me-TV but it needs a streaming home for uncut episodes. Hulu would be a great spot for the show.

4) Quincy, M.E.: See above. Hulu has made a habit of picking up shows that Netflix loses, including Universal properties like 30 Rock, so why not add another one? Yes, I want to see Quincy on Hulu.

5) Leave It to Beaver: One of the iconic baby boomer sitcoms deserves a spot somewhere. It's another Universal show in limbo after leaving Netflix, and Hulu could stand to beef up its library from this era after hitting the 90s and up hard the last couple years. There are 234 episodes for the taking here.

Shout Factory licensed home video rights years ago and put the series out on DVD, but does it have streaming rights? I dunno. If it does, hey, my feelings won't be hurt if the series appears on Shout! TV, but since Shout and Hulu already have a working relationship, I think one way or another The Beav could make a great addition to either service (The Munsters is in a similar situation, only with about a couple hundred less episodes).

'Mooners Monday: A great reaction in "Unconventional Behavior"

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Nothing wrong with a 'Mooners Memorial Day, is there?

In "Unconventional Behavior," the handcuffs stuff is the showpiece of the episode, but it also has some of my favorite Ralph Kramden "takes." Maybe the best Gleason/Ralph bit is when he hears something that doesn't register at first, gives an innocuous response, and walks into the bedroom...only to return seconds later with an outraged "WHAT?!"

This episode has a doozy. Alice tells Ralph, hey, it's nice of you to invite me and Trix to the Raccoon convention this year because I was all set to give you the money to go by yourself.



"Oh!"

That middle frame cinches it--the brief but notable moment when Ralph is totally off camera as we build in our minds the anticipation for seeing how he is going to react once it hits him that he offered to take Alice "for nothing." It's brilliant and another example of The Great One's greatness.

Streaming Video Power Rankings #112

This was a good week for streaming, and a good week for  me watching TV since I had a little more free time than usual. Some big guns are bumped out of the list this week. I could have easily gone 15 deep this time.

1) Netflix deserves the nod this week for the second batch of The Toys That Made Us, my favorite TV documentary right now, and it comes right as I finish The Wild, Wild Country. I still feel icky about 13 Reasons Why, but I may get to that eventually. New this weekend is Michelle Wolf's new show and a Steve Martin/Martin Short comedy special. Hopefully some of this makes up for my massive disappointment with the new David Letterman series.

Now for the "my kids" report: My kids tore through Nailed It, which I mentioned last week but repeat now, and to my surprise, they got back into The Who What? Show. I didn't think that would have rewatchability, but it's a big hit at my place, and I have found myself chuckling to it as well.

2) Hulu: I read about a site redesign and dreaded it, but maybe that was just the live TV side. Somehow I think I am giving Hulu credit for not screwing up its interface, even though I still don't like the current one, which I considered a screw-up from its previous one.

As far as actual watching goes, I have rediscovered Seinfeld on here, plus I am still watching a few older shows I don't want to mention until they show up on Battle of the Network Shows. Hulu hasn't excited me much in a while, though, and could use another batch of classic shows. Hey, it just so happens I will name 5 good fits for it on Tuesday as part of my series on shows that should be streaming! (That's two shameless plugs in the same entry! Yeah, baby!)

Have all these DC Comics animated movies been on here all this time, though? I discovered a whole category of them the other day, and though I think I've seen them all, I credit Hulu for having them.

3) WWE Network: The announcement that the Hidden Gems feature will now be a weekly drop solidifies my feeling that this outfit is finally getting right as far as delivering classic content. Of course, now that WWE is getting massive amounts of cash from USA and FOX to show its flagship programs, I kind of feel like it should be paying US to watch the network. Come on, share the wealth!

4) YouTube: The Museum of Classic Chicago Television channel posted a special edition of NBC Nightly News that aired after Egypt announced it was recognizing Israel. It's a fascinating watch and a nice glimpse into the times (including the original commercials).

5) MLB.TV: It gets docked a few points this week for a quirk that really annoys me: an automatic commercial when you load a game. So if you are watching one game and find out about something going on in another one--like a no-hitter in progress or someone at bat you want to see--you have to sit through an ad before the live game loads. That's absurd.

6) Tubi TV: I watched a certain early nineties action movie on here the other day. It's too embarrassing to say twice, so I will reveal the title in another post. However, I was reminded how much there is and how much variety there is on the free but ad-supported Tubi. It adds titles throughout the month, too, not just at the beginning. I saw a nice big list of movies coming in June, too. Tubi is one of the more underappreciated services out there.

7) ESPN-Plus: I am still irritated that ESPN is moving so much previously "free" content here from ESPN 3, but the massive UFC deal it announced this week ensures a lot of exclusive programming for the new service. It will also put a ton of CFL football on here .It's an interesting line ESPN is walking here, trying to add attractive stuff without taking it from "regular" ESPN. It's moving in the direction it needs to go, but I don't know if it has enough to demand an extra 5 bucks a month just yet. Actually, I should say that the reaction I see online is almost all negative to this service. ESPN better hope a lot of UFC fans sign up for this thing.

8) Hoopla: I watched a couple of movies via this library-related streaming service, and I think there is a problem with one of them, but I don't blame Hoopla, which is offering a valuable service. I would advise anyone interested in the old Disney live-action movies to get Hoopla and watch them on it before Disney pulls them for its own streaming service.

9) Filmstruck: As I mentioned last week, I do not currently have Filmstruck, but it uploaded a bunch of Joan Crawford and Peter Sellers movies (or I should say Joan Crawford movies and Peter Sellers movies; I don't know if they collaborated very often). I mean a LOT. We're talking Trog on the Crawford side.
 
10) Boomerang: Right after I give the service a fairly negative review (it's OK, but not enough value for the price), it adds one of my favorite cartoons of all time, Top Cat. I want to recognize Boomerang for adding it, and in fact it makes me want to watch the series again, so I will...but I will dig out my DVDs.

What kind of comics do you get in a $6 grab bag at Ollie's? Let's find out

I made my first foray into Ollie's Bargain Outlet a few weeks ago. Ollie's is a confusing joint. It looks like Big Lots, it smells like Big Lots, but it isn't Big Lots. Or is it? Well, no, it's not. Actually it's pretty straightforward now that I think about it.

One of the items Ollie's carries is a grab bag of 10 comics for 6 bucks. You can see the front and back issues, but other than that it's a mystery unless you decide to be an ass and open the package. I figured, what they hey, it could be fun to see what's inside. The bags make a DC or a Marvel, and usually one of the older issues, visible in each package, but there is no guarantee of what else is in there. I got a mix of Bronze Age, Independent, Modern Age, DC, Marvel...a real grab bag, if you will. Here is the rundown:

1) Superman #372 (DC, 1982): For some reason, it amuses me that this one came bagged and boarded (the only one of the 10 with that distinction). This one takes me back to my childhood with the creative team of Cary Bates/Curt Swan. I had a ton of Superman comics at this time, but I don't think I ever had this one.

 

2) Kirby: Genesis Silver Star #2 (Dynamite, 2011): Other than the credit of "Art Direction and Story by Alex Ross" and the apparent Jack Kirby connection, this looks inessential.

3) Dead Letters #2 (Boom, 2014): I have no idea what this is about.  It looks gritty, and the art is...idiosyncratic. It won't be at the top of the pile, but I will keep an open mind.

 

 

4) What If? #1 Infinity Inhumans (Marvel, 2015): The one Marvel book in the bag. I am not a fan of the art, but I am glad this is a self-contained story (I think). Oh, how I wish it were one of the original What If? issues.

 

 

5) Sky Wolf #1 of 3 (Eclipse, 1988): Billed as an "Air Fighters Mini-Series," it has a cool enough cover. I laughed because as soon as I saw the publisher logo and title, I thought, well, must be a Chuck Dixon book.  It is!

 

 

6) Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters #1 (Eclipse, 1986): Nothing like a little black-and-white vintage Eclipse. I am actually amused to have this even though it looks amateurish. Isn't this one of the seminal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ripoffs?

 

 

7) Medic #1 Flatline (Double Take, 2015): Co-written by Bill Jemas. It has a striking painted cover and good production values--maybe the best paper quality in the bag--but the interior art looks idiosync--no, awful. I'll just say that to me the art looks unappealing.

 

 

8) Time Twisters #1 (Quality, 1987): An anthology that reprints stories  from the British 2000 A.D. This issue features all Alan Moore stories. Artists include Alan Davis, Dave Gibbons, Paul Neary. I think this may be one of the more pleasant surprises of the grab bag.

 

 

9) Giant Size Red Sonja #2 (Dynamite, 2008): I am sorry to report that the first thing I thought when I saw this was, "Giant Size Thingies." This anthology has an interesting cast of writers, including Christos Gage and Roy Thomas; plus a story written and drawn by Frank Thorne that looks pretty cool.

 

 

10) The Twilight Zone #4 (Dynamite, 2014): The other visible title besides Superman, and it helped me choose this bag over the one with a cool vintage Marvel Team-Up because I was curious what a modern Zone comic would be like.  It's by J. Michael Strazynski and Guiu Vlanova (is that a pseudonym?).Unfortunately, this is 21 pages of story for the cover price of 3.99 and looks like a ripoff at 3.99. Perhaps I will get 60 cents of entertainment from it, though.

 

 

When I first opened this, I felt a little embarrassed that I impulse-bought it for 6 bucks. Even at 60 cents per issue, I was thinking I would be better off buying stuff from a 25-cent, 50-cent, or even a dollar bin somewhere. Yet it was a fun "lottery ticket" of sorts, and when I list all the comics like this,, I am satisfied even though I wouldn't have picked up any of these in a bin except for the Superman comic.

 

Today on Battle of the Network Shows: Dynasty!

The podcast that discusses TV of the 1970s and 1980s one episode at a time looks at one of the biggest hits of the Reagan years...for a while, anyway! We dive into a season finale of Dynasty despite not having seen any episodes in decades...if ever. Will we figure out what's going on? Do we need to figure it out? Does the presence of Grant Goodeve make up for the absence of Emma Samms?

Find out by heading to our website or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't you dare miss it!