Retro TV Channels: ”The Good Old Days of Television”

[Tom Holmberg]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

they think the viewers are low hanging fruit for scams.

Especially anything sold by Hunter Ellis (whoever he is) and that Flex Seal guy.

[jjj]

3 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I like that they think the people who watch the retro channels are on their last legs and have one foot in the grave already, what with all their moderate to severe ailments, lack of oxygen and fear of break-ins.

And falls.

(Not minimizing that falls to the elderly are very serious-- just know that everyone I know who watches these channels is far away from needing all these products.)

[roseha]

I will keep an eye on Youtube TV and see if Decades remains there.  It's currently still on 2-2 in New York City OTA (over the air), it seems to me that they might create another sub-channel and place it on 2-3 since it appears that 2-2 will be going to the new channel, though I have no idea whether that would weaken their signal or not.

[chessiegal]

My Decades is CBS Baltimore and listed as going away.. I am so bummed. MeTV doesn't carry much that I'm interested in.

[Jaded]

On 8/6/2018 at 2:42 AM, ratgirlagogo said:

We get MeTV, Cozi, Antenna, GetTV, Movies!, and Heroes and Icons.  Terrible old horror movies?  Damn! I wish we got that one!  I also wish we got Comet because they have Mystery Science Theater 3000.

I stumbled upon a RiffTrax stream on the Twitch.TV site that's done by some of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 people. There's a link to their website under the stream where more movies can be viewed.

[shapeshifter]

BUZZR advertised their free streaming site across the bottom of the screen: http://buzzrplay.com

I guess those terrible over-the-air ads aren't making any money, but online at least they get click credit?

[ratgirlagogo]

3 hours ago, Jaded said:

stumbled upon a RiffTrax stream on the Twitch.TV site that's done by some of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 people. There's a link to their website under the stream where more movies can be viewed.

Wow, thanks!  I didn't realize that was a free site.

[friendperidot]

Cross posting from the Monk thread. I was watching Numb3rs on H&I today, I'm enjoying their new daytime schedule. But I don't watch tv by watching the screen, I listen while I do other things and glance at the screen now and then. I think I heard Monk theme music a couple of times and the last time, by the time it dawned on me what the music was and I looked at the screen, all I saw were some hands straightening out some paper. I think I heard coming soon. So, does anyone know if Monk is coming to H&I? I looked on their site, they're usually slow updating the website with changes they are making. They just stopped showing Hill Street Blues and replaced it with Numb3rs. I was ok with that, I love Hill Street Blues, but I'm ready for a break. Wish they would put The Commish on hiatus for about 10 years. Of their new daytime line-up, the only place I see a spot is replacing NYPD Blue with Monk. And even though I've seen NYPD about 4 cycles through, I don't think I'm ready to give up Sipowitz and crew.

There are a lot of the retro channels that air with an antenna in this area, but apparently I need a huge, tall roof antenna to get most of them. I get Ion, sometimes, I get ME and MY, H&I, Antenna, Grit, Comet, Get, H&I, Escape. The ones that air, but I can't get are This, I love a lot of the movies they show, but can't see them, Cozi, Decades, some MOVIES channel and something gameshows, but my indoor, high in the window antenna will not pull them in. A few months ago, I discovered Philo, a streaming service, I love it, no sports and very little news, none of the big cable channels like TNT or USA, but lots of Discovery, Discovery Science, DIY. 

[opus]

58 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

Cross posting from the Monk thread. I was watching Numb3rs on H&I today, I'm enjoying their new daytime schedule. But I don't watch tv by watching the screen, I listen while I do other things and glance at the screen now and then. I think I heard Monk theme music a couple of times and the last time, by the time it dawned on me what the music was and I looked at the screen, all I saw were some hands straightening out some paper. I think I heard coming soon. So, does anyone know if Monk is coming to H&I? I looked on their site, they're usually slow updating the website with changes they are making. They just stopped showing Hill Street Blues and replaced it with Numb3rs. I was ok with that, I love Hill Street Blues, but I'm ready for a break. Wish they would put The Commish on hiatus for about 10 years. Of their new daytime line-up, the only place I see a spot is replacing NYPD Blue with Monk. And even though I've seen NYPD about 4 cycles through, I don't think I'm ready to give up Sipowitz and crew.

There are a lot of the retro channels that air with an antenna in this area, but apparently I need a huge, tall roof antenna to get most of them. I get Ion, sometimes, I get ME and MY, H&I, Antenna, Grit, Comet, Get, H&I, Escape. The ones that air, but I can't get are This, I love a lot of the movies they show, but can't see them, Cozi, Decades, some MOVIES channel and something gameshows, but my indoor, high in the window antenna will not pull them in. A few months ago, I discovered Philo, a streaming service, I love it, no sports and very little news, none of the big cable channels like TNT or USA, but lots of Discovery, Discovery Science, DIY. 

 Looks like H&I just released their fall schedule. Monk's on it.

 

 

[shapeshifter]

Yay, Monk! 

But House instead of Early Edition? Hrmph.

[opus]

If anyone is interested, here's the METV schedule effective 9/3/18

(Not sure why they're posting a bit blurry)

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by opus

[friendperidot]

Quote

But House instead of Early Edition? Hrmph.

That will free up my Tuesday afternoon. While I like Monk and may tune in, I will miss NYPD Blue.

Thank you for the schedule, Opus, I looked on their site, but I didn't look at schedule, Monk wasn't listed in the "Shows" or "Stories".

[WendyCR72]

Regarding the fall H&I schedule, I saw that NYPD Blue will go back to airing on late night during the week. Apparently, Saturday will now have 3-hour blocks of Hunter and The Commish, expanded from 2 hours, as well as another show I'm blanking on. Of the Saturday shows, I'll miss getting my eye-candy Ken Wahl fix as Wiseguy seems to have been pulled. Sigh. Oh, well.

[Tom Holmberg]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 8:38 PM, shapeshifter said:

But House instead of Early Edition? Hrmph

These "Retro" channels eternally push forward what's retro.  They start out with "Sgt. Bilko" and end up showing "The Office".  Nothing wrong with "The Office", but I wouldn't mind seeing shows like "Love that Bob" or "The People's Choice" or "Fractured Fairytales", etc. on one of the channels.

[Cobb Salad]

6 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

These "Retro" channels eternally push forward what's retro.  They start out with "Sgt. Bilko" and end up showing "The Office".  Nothing wrong with "The Office", but I wouldn't mind seeing shows like "Love that Bob" or "The People's Choice" or "Fractured Fairytales", etc. on one of the channels.

Yes, especially when some of these newer shows are shown on other channels already.  

[WendyCR72]

7 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

These "Retro" channels eternally push forward what's retro.  They start out with "Sgt. Bilko" and end up showing "The Office".  Nothing wrong with "The Office", but I wouldn't mind seeing shows like "Love that Bob" or "The People's Choice" or "Fractured Fairytales", etc. on one of the channels.

In the case of the '50s retro shows, though, maybe it also depends on rights holders, clearance, and the condition of the material. I know some are fit to air, like 77 Sunset Strip, but maybe the condition of the lesser-seen/remembered shows have not fared as well.

[chessiegal]

I remember watching Miss Brooks growing up. There is a show of the same era called I Married Joan that I don't remember ever seeing. Maybe my Mom didn't like it.

[Cobb Salad]

@chessiegal,

Both of the shows you mention are on Decades each morning during the week. 

[chessiegal]

29 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

@chessiegal,

Both of the shows you mention are on Decades each morning during the week. 

Yes, I've watched them, I remember Miss Brooks, but don't ever remember watching I Married Joan growing up, which I don't find particular entertaining. Maybe my Mom didn't either. ;-}

[Maverick]

 MeTV has released their fall schedule.   They're adding In the Heat of the Night, Green Acres and Buck Rogers.  Not excited about any of those.  Star Trek and Batman are out.   Sundays have the worst change.  Three hours of Gilligan's Island.  Ugh, seriously?  Then they're adding an hour of MASH to Sunday.  Unpopular opinion, but I hate that show.  Every channel seems to show it and every channel that shows it seems to do so incessantly.  So let's clutter up another day with an hour block of it.  Brilliant!   I wish they'd bring back I Love Lucy.  I usually can't watch when it's on Hallmark and besides it's preempted about a third of the year for their stupid Christmas movies.   

[auntjess]

5 hours ago, chessiegal said:

There is a show of the same era called I Married Joan that I don't remember ever seeing. Maybe my Mom didn't like it.

I loved "I Married Joan," and still remember the theme song.  Joan Davis co-starred with Jim Backus.  
I even remember Our Miss Brooks from radio.
Growing up, we never watched I Love Lucy at home, because our tv didn't bring in CBS or ABC, just NBC and DuMont.

[Tom Holmberg]

9 hours ago, Maverick said:

 I wish they'd bring back I Love Lucy. 

And "The Dick van Dyke Show"

[Kemper]

I hate that block of westerns in the afternoons on...is it MeTV?  I wish there was one channel that showed nothing but westerns because I know a lot of people (my mother was one of them) who loved westerns.  I am not knocking them...the genre has sadly vanished.  They are just not my cup of tea...sadly, my grown daughter reminds me....It's Not Always About You.  But it is.  And I hate that Twilight Zone is on after Perry Mason every night.  They just don't go together.

[shapeshifter]

27 minutes ago, Kemper said:

[Westerns] are just not my cup of tea...sadly, my grown daughter reminds me....It's Not Always About You.

No, it's always about me and you, heh. I would support the idea of relegating Westerns to just one channel, but then one cursed dark and stormy night, likely that would be the only station my antenna was able to pick up.

[Kemper]

My grand idea is that when Hallmark and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries goes full-on Christmas around Halloween time...that would be the ideal time for Cozi, MeTv and a couple of the others to show Murder, She Wrote...Matlock...Perry Mason..Diagnosis Murder and maybe Hart to Hart (not one of my favs) from 11:30 on.  I know millions and millions of people love the Christmas movies; but there are probably millions who do not and kind of resent their late-night viewing being usurped by Father Christmas for over 2 months every year.  Carve out time on the weekends for Twilight Zone and maybe some other Sci-Fi shows.  I think the change-up for a couple of months could be a ratings (and advertising) winner.

[opus]

4 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

And "The Dick van Dyke Show"

Dick Van Dyke (although I'm guessing you probably know), is currently languishing in the 4-5am EST time slot on Cozi

[Tom Holmberg]

28 minutes ago, opus said:

Dick Van Dyke (although I'm guessing you probably know), is currently languishing in the 4-5am EST time slot on Cozi

When I moved my cable provider switched, and the new one unfortunately doesn't carry a lot of the retro channels, including Cosi, Decades, BUZZR and Antenna. But that time slot for "DVD" is the pits. "DVD" and "I Love Lucy" are among the greatest TV shows of all time, they should get more respect.  

[auntjess]

A lot of shows that I loved at the time, I don't care to watch anymore.  Watched one Our Miss Brooks.
The Odd Couple and Bob Newhart are the exceptions.
I'd like to see a spot for episodes of shows that maybe only have a few episodes saved, maybe they might find a Big Story, or Ethel & Albert.

[rcc]

7 hours ago, Kemper said:

I hate that block of westerns in the afternoons on...is it MeTV?  I wish there was one channel that showed nothing but westerns because I know a lot of people (my mother was one of them) who loved westerns.  I am not knocking them...the genre has sadly vanished.  They are just not my cup of tea...sadly, my grown daughter reminds me....It's Not Always About You.  But it is.  And I hate that Twilight Zone is on after Perry Mason every night.  They just don't go together.

There is a westerns channel - Grit.

[freddi]

13 hours ago, opus said:

Dick Van Dyke (although I'm guessing you probably know), is currently languishing in the 4-5am EST time slot on Cozi

If your carrier still has Cozi -- which Comcast has dropped in my market in the past year.  :(

[peacheslatour]

On 8/21/2018 at 10:45 PM, freddi said:

If your carrier still has Cozi -- which Comcast has dropped in my market in the past year.  :(

Same here. Thank god for Hallmark, they still have Columbo.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

On August 22, 2018 at 12:45 AM, freddi said:

If your carrier still has Cozi -- which Comcast has dropped in my market in the past year.  :(

Same here

Isn't COZI free over-the-air most places? I'm 30+ miles away from a major city, but it's the one free channel I always get. Of course, if you're TV is only set up to get cable and you want to keep your cable service, you'd probably have to get a switcher or a splitter so you could get antenna too.

[freddi]

17 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Isn't COZI free over-the-air most places? I'm 30+ miles away from a major city, but it's the one free channel I always get. Of course, if you're TV is only set up to get cable and you want to keep your cable service, you'd probably have to get a switcher or a splitter so you could get antenna too.

I'll check about Cozi -- I did not think I could get online access.  I kind of liked having it as a late -night option on the actual television!  

[shapeshifter]

32 minutes ago, freddi said:

I'll check about Cozi -- I did not think I could get online access.  I kind of liked having it as a late -night option on the actual television!  

I don't get COZI online, I have a Mohu antenna attached with a cable. The Mohu leaf is taped in the window. There is also a Key antenna that just screws onto where a cable would go, but I am surrounded by tall trees and buildings, so I need something a little stronger.

[friendperidot]

I really, really wish H&I would put The Commish on hiatus for about 10 years. I am so sick of it. I liked it for a while, but enough is enough and Teresa Saldana was a terrible actress. I know she went through some horrible things and she did some very good things for victims of stalkers, but she really couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. I admire her as a person, I just think she was a terrible actress.

I just looked at H&I's schedule, Saturday mornings, starting 9/8 are airing MacGyver at 10 AM from the pilot and The Pretender at 3 PM from the pilot in the afternoon. I haven't seen the early Pretender in many years, I may check in now and then. I like the early episodes of MacGyver, so I may watch them, but 4 hours of The Commish! Good thing I'll be asleep in those hours. Wiseguy is moving to 10 PM Eastern on Sunday nights, so those of us who like Ken Wahl eye candy can still see it. And, I can't help myself, I love 21 Jump Street, it's moving to 2AM Eastern Monday mornings, that's a much better time for me. I have crushes on every single actor on that show, I know it's cheesy, and not always well written and their "gang" shows were incredibly stupid, but I love 21 Jump Street! And I'm glad NYPD Blue is coming back after Star Treks, I'll be staying up too late again. I've missed it in that time slot.

Edited August 26, 2018 by friendperidot

[WendyCR72]

5 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Wiseguy is moving to 10 PM Eastern on Sunday nights, so those of us who like Ken Wahl eye candy can still see it.

As I was the one that thought Wiseguy was a goner, thanks for the correction! Glad I'll still have that eye candy.  :-)

Sometimes, I really can't get over the complete 180 Michael Chiklis managed to do for The Commish versus The Shield. I guess that makes him a good actor. Though, I read after The Commish ended, his wife and he worked on "changing his image" so he could get weightier roles. Guess it worked! The younger actor, Geoffrey Nauffts, who was the young uniformed cop, popped up all over the Law & Order franchise, on Original Recipe, Criminal Intent, and Special Victims Unit, in numerous roles, so he did okay, too.

As for Ms. Saldana, I do admire her going to bat for victims' rights. It's a shame she died so young. I recall she did an episode of Hunter called "Any Second Now", which was art mirroring life with a variation of her character being stalked and attacked as Saldana was. A part of me wonders how she could play that out again, even in fiction, but she did it, so she had guts, anyway.

[Kemper]

19 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Same here. Thank god for Hallmark, they still have Columbo.

Until Halloween.

[freddi]

I just saw a MeTV promo of Columbo impersonations, by other actors-- it is hilarious.  Looks like it has been on the air for a few years, but I never saw it.  Ed Begley Jr is particularly good:  

 

9 hours ago, Kemper said:

Until Halloween.

Yes, I saw a commercial for the Christmas movie season that will last two months!  ?

[freddi]

Oh, I just saw a Hallmark commercial that said the Christmas movies start October 26!  So really need these retro channels! 

[dalek]

I wasn't happy when RCN replaced MeTV with Charge!.  I miss Wonder Woman, Night Gallery, Kolchak and WKRP.  OTOH, Charge! now shows The Avengers in the afternoon and martial arts movies from the 70s and 80s  on Saturday night and I'm enjoying seeing a lot of old Shaw Bros. and Golden Harvest films.  THey've also been showing a bunch of old Jackie Chan films.

[friendperidot]

for the person who enjoys their Ken Wahl eye candy, I misspoke about it being on H&I on Sundays. I looked at the wrong date in the calendar. I can't find it on their schedule anywhere and I also can't find Early Edition. I wish they had run it a couple more months, it was only on a short time and I didn't get to see it all.

[shapeshifter]

I hope they'll bring Early Edition back in the next reshuffle.

[Tom Holmberg]

13 hours ago, dalek said:

The Avengers in the afternoon

That makes up for some of the change!

[chessiegal]

It's bad enough my market is taking Decades away for some stupid channel I will never watch, today they started airing promos for it every damn commercial break. I see a station in DC carries Decades over the air. I may invest in an antenna and hook it up to an older TV I don't use.

[auntjess]

Is the Flip Wilson Show ever on anywhere?  I was thinking of an old bit of his, recently.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, chessiegal said:

It's bad enough my market is taking Decades away for some stupid channel I will never watch, today they started airing promos for it every damn commercial break. I see a station in DC carries Decades over the air. I may invest in an antenna and hook it up to an older TV I don't use.

By "older," do you mean it's a digital TV or a really old tube TV? One of the great things about free Over-The-Air TV is that it's digital. Back when I was paying for cable, it wasn't the "premium" digital package. I was delighted when I "cut the cord" and discovered that I now had the major networks in high definition digital.

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

By "older," do you mean it's a digital TV or a really old tube TV? One of the great things about free Over-The-Air TV is that it's digital. Back when I was paying for cable, it wasn't the "premium" digital package. I was delighted when I "cut the cord" and discovered that I now had the major networks in high definition digital.

The TV is a small older flat screen - not Hi Def. I guess I could get a splitter to use on our larger TVs?

[opus]

10 hours ago, auntjess said:

Is the Flip Wilson Show ever on anywhere?  I was thinking of an old bit of his, recently.

It had been on ASPIRE recently (which to me means in the last few years), but it's gone now.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

The TV is a small older flat screen - not Hi Def. I guess I could get a splitter to use on our larger TVs?

Yes. I use a splitter so I can record shows I get with the antenna.

But probably try out the antenna on your small TV first to see if you can get good enough reception. Putting the antenna in a window facing the source of the signal (probably the nearest big city) is best.

My TV is just 21" and 10 years old. I didn't realize it could pick up Hi Def until I got the antenna.

[WarnerCL45]

On 2018-08-30 at 2:57 AM, dalek said:

I wasn't happy when RCN replaced MeTV with Charge!.  I miss Wonder Woman, Night Gallery, Kolchak and WKRP.  OTOH, Charge! now shows The Avengers in the afternoon and martial arts movies from the 70s and 80s  on Saturday night and I'm enjoying seeing a lot of old Shaw Bros. and Golden Harvest films.  THey've also been showing a bunch of old Jackie Chan films.

I used to love Kolchak!