RSS Amplifier

Podcast

Battle of the Network Shows

Each week, hosts Rick Brooks and Mike Cowgill explore the TV of the '70s and '80s through hand-picked episodes.

battleofthenetworkshows.comSource feed ↗10 episodes

Live Last read · last published · next check

Latest episodes

Saves to your Listen queue, to pick up on another day or another device.

Episode 13-15: It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown

We round out season 13 by taking a look at the Peanuts non-holiday TV specials. Most folks have fond memories of the holiday specials, but do they remember ones about camp, decathalons, school, motocross, and more? We give special attention to It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown , an hour-long special made up of shorter pieces adapted from the comics, including "The Kite-eating Tree" and the classic…

Play

Episode 13-14: The Partridge Family

In the early 1970s, a fictional family became a fictional band, which became a real phenomenon. For a while the Partridge Family ruled the hearts and minds of teeny boppers across the country with a mix of music and laidback family comedy, and David Cassidy became a worldwide sensation. In the fictional world of the Partridges, young Danny reads an article that praises him above the others, and he…

Play

Episode 13-13: Retro Retro: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

For this season's Retro Retro episode, we asked listeners to vote on one of three suspense anthologies, and they overwhelmingly selected Alfred Hitchcock Presents . The original half-hour version aired for seven seasons around the time Hitchock was also making classic films like North By Northwest , Vertigo , and Psycho . Besides lending his name and likeness to the show, he starred in intro and…

Play

Encore: Game Shows

With the Big Game and the Big International Sporting Competition in the air, we thought it would be a good time to revisit the truest form of competition known to humankind--the game show! In this season two episode, we dive into the world of game shows with a look at the syndicated "Face the Music" and NBC's fast-paced "$ale of the Century." Plus, an all-new TV Guide Game! Will one of us go home…

Play

Encore: The Muppet Show with Steve Martin

Far be it from us to hop on a hype train, but with a new Muppet Show special arriving soon, we figured it might be a good time to revisit our season one episode about the TV classic. Featuring guest and human Muppet Steve Martin (at the height of Steve Martin mania), the episode breaks the Muppet Show's usual format but still provides plenty of variety-style comedy and music and Muppet-style…

Play

Episode 13-12: Too Close For Comfort

In Too Close For Comfort, the great Ted Knight played cartoonist Henry Rush. He and his wife Muriel (and eventually baby Andrew) lived upstairs, and their two adult daughters Jackie and Sara lived in an apartment downstairs. After a few seasons, Sara's friend and Henry's nemesis Monroe moved into the attic. They all lived on ABC for three seasons, then moved into first-run syndication. All along,…

Play

Episode 13-11: The Harlem Globetrotters

Just in time for their centennial, this week, we talk about the Harlem Globetrottres. Like Doug Henning from earlier this season, the Globetrotters seemed to be all over TV in the seventies and early eighties. From ABC's Wide World of Sports to guest appearances, two cartoons and a Saturday-morning variety show, the Globetrotters brought their special brand of basketball and entertainment to…

Play

Encore: The White Shadow

In our second episode ever, we talked about CBS MTM high scool basketball drama The White Shadow, and we share it again for no particular reason. In "The Death of me Yet?" (Season 2, episode 22) the Carver High basketball team tries to win the city championships while grieving the loss of one of their own and worrying whether Coach Reeves will leave Carver for a job at a fancy college. Also, What…

Play

Episode 13-10: The Amazing Spider-Man

At a time when Superman made us believe a man could fly, the Hulk rampaged across American TVs, Wonder Woman dazzled audiences, and even Doctor Strange and Captain America starred in TV movies, one of comics' greatest heroes also swung his way onto the airwaves--Spider-Man! In a short-lived, often rescheduled TV series, Nicholas Hammond starred as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and while the translation…

Play

Episode 13-9: HBO

This week, we take a special look at the early days of Home Box Office, better known as HBO. Long before The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, and all those other shows, Home Box Office started as a gamble during the fledgling days of the cable TV industry with a smattering of movies, hockey, basketball, comedy specials, concerts, and polka competitions. As it expanded, the movies got better,…

Play