TV Thread

[Tom]

For anyone that’s a fan of Night Court, Brent Spiner made a return as Bob Wheeler. I forgot about his role and was not expecting the cameo.

[Tom]

Shogun on Hulu has been pretty good.

[mason reese]

Just finished Fallout on Prime. Got no familiarity with the game it’s based on, but it was a really good show

[CGVT]

Just finished Fallout on Prime. Got no familiarity with the game it’s based on, but it was a really good show

I am watching the 3rd episode right now. My son and daughter played the game for hours and hours. My son finish watching the show and liked it a lot.

I am enjoying it.

[Tom]

I liked the first two episodes of The Acolyte (Star Wars series) on Disney+.

[-Deborah-]

kayrone - thanks for the Loudermilk tip! We've enjoyed it a lot.

Not on the same level as Loudermilk but some good laughs and a really quick and easy binge:

[El Axe]

I liked the first two episodes of The Acolyte (Star Wars series) on Disney+.

I'm looking forward to it. We're finishing up a rewatch of Ahsoka after rewatching the entire Mandalorian series.

We've been watching the live Star Wars and then following up by watching the reaction compilation videos on youtube. It's been a lot of fun. The follow-up videos give us so much more insight into the episodes. The editor of the compilation does a great job, capturing the best insights and putting it all together cohesively.

Here's the one for the Mandalorian season 2 finale where Luke shows up to rescue Grogu (baby Yoda).

[CGVT]

kayrone - thanks for the Loudermilk tip! We've enjoyed it a lot.

Not on the same level as Loudermilk but some good laughs and a really quick and easy binge:

I love Loudermilk. I watched it when it first came out. Lots of laugh out loud moments. I think the bit where he is in the coffee shop and he is giving the girl shit for her vocal fry is hilarious.

I watched the first episode of Tires with my son a couple of weeks ago. He is a big Shane Gillis fan. I thought the first show was over the top and not really very funny, but I binged the rest of it the other day and was disappointed when the season ended.

[-Deborah-]

Yeah it was a little uneven. I think it was already renewed for a second season!

[froot loops]

I tried showing that Loudermilk clip to my youngest daughter. For some reason she didn't find the humor in it.

[edindetroit]

Just finished up a series on YouTube channel c90adventures where a guy drives a Chinese made mini jeep 1000 miles across Utah to get to Moab. Really fun and entertaining romp with all the troubles he runs into along the way.

[Cody_Russell]

Nervous to even try ‘The Acolyte’ based on what people have generally said. Such as being worse than TLJ (remember, I like that film) and Rise of Skywalker.

Read up into the discussion across the internet and you’ll see. Not that I should definitively say something having not seen it.

…

’House of the Dragon’ is off to a good start this season. Seems like they have been setting the table for something big in episode 2x04. Can’t wait for Sunday!

[Tom]

I’ve been watching The Acolyte. I think it’s been interesting. I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as people have said. I think a lot of the criticism is click-bait. The opening fight scene was pretty cool. The 2nd and 3rd episodes were kind of dull but I thought the 4th and 5th episodes were good. There’s a bit of a mystery building and I’m curious to see how it plays out. It could end up being a dud but I’ve been entertained so far.

[CGVT]

I don't know where else to put this, but I stumbled on it today and it cracked me up.



There was a show in the 70s that was called Battle of the Network Stars. It was a competition between the stars of the three major networks in athletic events, almost like a track meat. I never watched it, maybe a time or two, but I do remember it.

Apparently some of the actors took it seriously. Robert Conrad just about loses his mf'n mind. Others were playing it a bit tongue in cheek.
This is the 70s in a nutshell.

You all need to read this and watch the video. It is worth your time.

This cracked me up in the video, especially when Harrington chimed in.

At one point, NBC captain Robert Conrad (Baa Baa Black Sheep) says of CBS captain Telly Savalas (Kojak) and ABC captain Gabe Kaplan (from the high school sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter):
He [Savalas] is Greek, and Greeks are famous athletes; that's how this all started. He's [Kaplan] Jewish; he wants to arbitrate. I'm German; I want to kill both of 'em.

Out of nowhere, Pat Harrington (One Day at a Time) appears over Kaplan's shoulder: "I'm Irish; I'm looking for another Mick to hit."

The most 1970s moment in TV history: Gabe Kaplan vs. Robert Conrad in the Battle of the Network Stars

Ruben Bolling
9:12 am Mon, Jan 8, 2024
Please allow me the honor of presenting to you one of the great moments in the history of television in the 1970s. Up there with the Watergate Hearings, Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King, and Sammy Davis, Jr. kissing Archie Bunker.

I watched this as it was broadcast live, and I can't tell you how dramatic this sequence of events was, nor how incredulously and excitedly I viewed it.

In the annual Battle of the Network Stars TV show, actors from the various network television shows would compete on their network teams in various athletic events. These were popular shows, but especially for, let's say, a kid who watched a lot of television and may have been a little too interested in seeing certain actresses in skimpy athletic outfits.

The first Battle of the Network Stars was broadcast in 1976 on ABC, and controversy erupted when the NBC team was accused of a rule violation in the relay race that they won. NBC star Ben Murphy (Gemini Man) started his leg of the race considerably ahead of his mark, giving the NBC team an unfair advantage.

This led to all the actors/athletes standing around the track earnestly arguing about the race, and presenting their cases in interviews with ABC sports broadcaster Howard Cosell. There's no way this was staged or faked — these actors were genuinely passionate.

There's no cursing, but it's TV history 1970s, so there's plenty of smoking and plenty of ethnic accusations. At one point, NBC captain Robert Conrad (Baa Baa Black Sheep) says of CBS captain Telly Savalas (Kojak) and ABC captain Gabe Kaplan (from the high school sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter):

He [Savalas] is Greek, and Greeks are famous athletes; that's how this all started. He's [Kaplan] Jewish; he wants to arbitrate. I'm German; I want to kill both of 'em.

Out of nowhere, Pat Harrington (One Day at a Time) appears over Kaplan's shoulder: "I'm Irish; I'm looking for another Mick to hit."

When Howard Katz, the show's Director of Competition, penalizes NBC two seconds for the infraction and awards First Place to ABC, Robert Conrad is genuinely furious, exclaiming "Like Hell" four times. It's rare to see a celebrity lose his cool, but especially in the 1970s when there was no social media; you rarely saw actors out of character, and then only on carefully controlled publicity appearances.

Gabe Kaplan, a comedian, maintains a bemused demeanor, but Conrad can barely contain himself. Conrad mocks Kaplan: "'We're going for a little negotiation, technicality.' That's your captain. He lodged the protest."

Conrad then turns to Kaplan, and says, "You wanna run 100 to see who the fastest is?" Kaplan instantly replies, "Yes."

After some internal debate at ABC as to whether they should actually accept this challenge when they've already been awarded First Place, it's decided that they will have Kaplan run a sprint against Conrad for the First Place award.

Kaplan is a skinny comedian with a big fro and a mustache. Conrad is a handsome, fit, macho (as he'd be called in the 1970s) leading man.

As Kaplan later described the disparity:

Well, you see, Robert Conrad looks like a macho athlete. He was doing the knock-the-battery-off-my-shoulder deal at the time and people thought that he was a real athlete. And I look like a guy that should be hanging around a delicatessen, so it didn't seem fair that we were going to have a run-off on a disputed race.

You can guess who a comedy-nerd Welcome Back, Kotter fan would root for in this race against a blowhard from a war drama he'd never watch. But it seemed impossible that this awkward comic could win.

But incredibly, Kaplan does win, beating Conrad easily.

Turns out Kaplan ran track in high school and had aspirations of becoming a professional baseball player.

As Cosell interviewed the victorious Kaplan after the race, Conrad interrupts and spouts some nonsense meant to be defiant, but comes across as pathetic. He playfully/condescendingly/aggressively pats Kaplan on the face before stalking off.

Delicious.

There was no hyperbole when Howard Cosell ends the segment narrating the instant replay over "That the Way I Like It" by KC and the Sunshine Band:

And so Gabe Kaplan comes through in the clutch. He understands now why we call it the thrill of victory vis-a-vis the agony of defeat. Look at the smile etched in the visage as he pressed the tape

[Marko69]

That was both very funny and very entertaining. I love Robert Conrads will to win. His competitiveness is second to none. (And he is in my top 5 murderers in Columbo)
And Telly Savalas with the smokes at an athletics event 🤦♂️
Spoiler alert: Would never have bet on that result in the last race!

The entire video has forced me to post one of my all time favourite Telly clips. From “Capricorn One.”

https://youtu.be/S9EIFSWUoOc?si=EntcxliHOid8ofer