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


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(edited)
On 6/27/2019 at 3:49 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

I was on vacation in Canada and got to catch some "Murdoch Mysteries", which are hard to find in the US (

A lot of public TV stations run them in a spotty way (WLIW around here).  Just to make it harder it was apparently called The Artful Detective in the United States until this year.  Ovation has been running the current  12th season, and showing episodes from seasons 10 and 11 during the week, out of order.  But I don't know of a broadcast or cable US station that is running the entire series.  I only started watching it last year and I'd love to be able to find someplace to watch it from the beginning.

Edited by ratgirlagogo
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On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 3:15 AM, ratgirlagogo said:

Ovation has been running the current  12th season,

I was aware of Ovation and its "The Artful Detective", but my cable package doesn't include it.  MeToo runs it but they keep moving it around the schedule without warning, making it hard to keep up with where it is.  A lot of "Corner Gas" is on YouTube.  For those who watch it, there were ads for the animated "Corner Gas" series on Canadian TV. 

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8 hours ago, dalek said:

COZI TV runs Murdoch Mysteries at 4am Sunday/Monday

Another channel my cable provider (AT&T) doesn't provide. 

FETV has dropped "Route 66" starting July 1 and replaced it with extra showings of "Perry Mason". It was only on for one month and they got through 60 episodes (2 a day), leaving the last 2 episodes of Season 2 unaired. If they'd shown it another month they could have gotten through all three seasons. :(

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(edited)
4 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Another channel my cable provider (AT&T) doesn't provide. 

FETV has dropped "Route 66" starting July 1 and replaced it with extra showings of "Perry Mason". It was only on for one month and they got through 60 episodes (2 a day), leaving the last 2 episodes of Season 2 unaired. If they'd shown it another month they could have gotten through all three seasons. 😞

They've gotten bad about not adding channels that would be popular otherwise.  I don't watch anything on the CW (might if it was an easily accessible channel) but they dropped the channel they carried for locals here from a state over almost four years ago and never picked up the actual local one after it quit being exclusive to Cable One in the area. They use the excuse that in most instances they don't carry sub-channels. Luckily they happen carry the sub-channels that air Antenna TV and ME TV locally.

Edited by Jaded
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1 hour ago, Jaded said:

Luckily they happen carry the sub-channels that air Antenna TV and ME TV locally.

We have MeTV, MeToo and H&I, but none of the others, Antenna, Cozi, Decades, Buzzr, etc.  Comcast, my former provider, carried all of them. AT&T notoriously refuses to carry the rest despite numerous requests.  Not sure what they are thinking.

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(edited)
On 7/1/2019 at 1:34 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

We have MeTV, MeToo and H&I, but none of the others, Antenna, Cozi, Decades, Buzzr, etc.  Comcast, my former provider, carried all of them. AT&T notoriously refuses to carry the rest despite numerous requests.  Not sure what they are thinking.

The problem is AT&T isn't thinking. They have their hands in so many pies that each of the businesses under their huge umbrella keeps getting crappier. Cable One (forgot what their stupid new name) is the only cable alternative here and their channel lineup is so bad that they don't really even acknowledge even having one. I forgot about H&I being included since it's in Uverse's regular lineup and not grouped in with the the local channels. I'm regretting resigning with Uverse this year though due to billing issues. I watch Buzzr through their website and the Stirr app using my Fire TV. 

Edited by Jaded
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On 6/18/2019 at 12:31 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

Two good episodes last night from Season 2. Ethel Waters as a dying jazz singer who wants to band back together and gets Tod and Buz to help her (also in the episode jazz great Coleman Hawkins plays "Snooze").  The second has Robert Duvall as a heroin addict who Tod tries to get to go cold turkey.

I saw both of those also, they are excellent.  There was another fine Route 66 I saw on Prime, where it's revealed that Buzz never knew his mother, and they run into a look alike rural family and on this evidence think they are going to be able to track her down and reunite them.  It has quite a twist ending.

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5 minutes ago, roseha said:

I saw both of those also, they are excellent. 

An interesting episode, "A Fury Slinging Flame" is coming up (on ZLiving) with Leslie Nielsen as a scientist who's convinced that there's going to be an atomic war on New Years Day and he decides to take his son and a small group of followers into Carlsbad Caverns to wait out the apocalypse.  Also in the episode is old-time movie star Conrad Nagel. An interesting look at the early 1960s mentality about nuclear war.

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4 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

ZLiving, a self-help channel I was unaware even exists, has started showing "Route 66" in the early morning (overnight).  They show 3 episodes in a row. They must have just started as they are only about 6 episodes into Season One.

I didn't know they aired anything besides Dr. Oz (🙄). (That's sarcasm towards the channel itself)

I looked at Titan TV's listings and saw they air some other stuff too. There's an old TV movie on this evening that I've never seen that looks interesting to me that I might DVR.

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On 6/27/2019 at 3:49 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

I was on vacation in Canada and got to catch some "Murdoch Mysteries", which are hard to find in the US (apparently Canadian FX shows reruns) and "Corner Gas", which some US cable channel should pick up.

I discovered Corner Gas while vacationing in Newfoundland years ago (though I think it was being broadcasted from Halifax) and I just love it.  It's a brilliant comedy.  There are certain episodes - Blog River, in which slacker extraordinaire Hank decides to impart his ramblings to Dog River online, makes me laugh out loud every single time.  I actually bought all the DVDs from Amazon Canada, and there is also a follow up movie which I haven't seen.  Sadly, Janet Wright, who played Brent's mother, has passed away since the show ended.

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4 hours ago, roseha said:

it's revealed that Buzz never knew his mother, and they run into a look alike rural family and on this evidence think they are going to be able to track her down and reunite them.

Yes, that was a good episode.  They had one this morning with Suzanne Pleshette ("The Strengthening Angels") being picked up by Tod and Buz after they almost hit her on the highway in the rain.  They take her to the nearest town where all the people want to lynch her.  Buz, as usual, gets in a fight protecting her and they all wind up in jail, where they learn (after Buz and the sheriff have a fight in the police station) she murdered a beloved citizen of the town, the younger brother of the sheriff.  The story doesn't evolve exactly the way you would assume.  Pleshette was very good in a well-written role.

4 minutes ago, roseha said:

I actually bought all the DVDs from Amazon Canada, and there is also a follow up movie which I haven't seen.

There's also an animated series!

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On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 7:07 PM, msrachelj said:

Direct tv doesn't offer any of these channels

I periodically scroll through the guide because AT&T adds channels without any notice or I discover channels that have interesting programming. This is esp. true of the higher number channels or the non-HD channels (MeToo is only non-HD in my selection).

5 minutes ago, opus said:

If you're not currently getting Decades you may be in luck

Fox Television Stations To Carry Weigel Broadcasting’s Decades TV Network Beginning in Q3

https://deadline.com/2019/07/fox-television-stations-weigel-broadcasting-decades-television-network-1202644017/

No Boston unfortunately.

4 minutes ago, opus said:

If you're not currently getting Decades you may be in luck

Fox Television Stations To Carry Weigel Broadcasting’s Decades TV Network Beginning in Q3

https://deadline.com/2019/07/fox-television-stations-weigel-broadcasting-decades-television-network-1202644017/

Appears not me - I don't see DC or Baltimore. Boo.

11 minutes ago, opus said:

If you're not currently getting Decades you may be in luck

Fox Television Stations To Carry Weigel Broadcasting’s Decades TV Network Beginning in Q3

https://deadline.com/2019/07/fox-television-stations-weigel-broadcasting-decades-television-network-1202644017/

Whoo Hoo! NY is listed!  It’s about time!

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Two interesting "Route 66" episodes on FETV this weekend set in Chicago.  On Sat. at 5 pm (CST): "Man Out of Time", Tod and Buz are working as cabbies in Chicago and are hired to chauffeur a Prohibition-era gangster just out of prison around his old haunts.

On Sun. 6 pm (CST): "Lizard's Leg and Qwlet's Wing", Tod and Buz are working as guest relations reps at the O'Hare Inn in Chicago, their guests are a convention of cute secretaries and the not-so-cute Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Peter Lorre secretly meeting about making an "old fashioned" horror movie. Chaos ensues. 

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8 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Two interesting "Route 66" episodes on FETV this weekend set in Chicago.  On Sat. at 5 pm (CST): "Man Out of Time", Tod and Buz are working as cabbies in Chicago and are hired to chauffeur a Prohibition-era gangster just out of prison around his old haunts.

On Sun. 6 pm (CST): "Lizard's Leg and Qwlet's Wing", Tod and Buz are working as guest relations reps at the O'Hare Inn in Chicago, their guests are a convention of cute secretaries and the not-so-cute Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Peter Lorre secretly meeting about making an "old fashioned" horror movie. Chaos ensues. 

Also on Saturday this weekend "Ever Ride the Waves in Oklahoma?"  One of the most memorable episodes.  Buz on a surfboard!

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Actually I should have written the "route 66" title as "ever ride the waves in oklahoma?" because this is the way the titles appear on screen in line with the minimalist movement of the beat generation. ("route 66" was inspired by Kerouac.)  After watching the show for years I finally realized the titles were presented this way for a reason.

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"Route 66" episode "...and the cat jumped over the moon" (season 2, episode 12) has both an almost unrecognizable Martin Sheen and James Caan in very early roles in their careers, playing juvenile delinquents.  Also featured was stand-up comic Milt Kamen as a social worker.  The episode was directed by the director of "Cat Ballou". 

The episode starts with Tod laughing maniacally, as if he's having a relapse from the previous episode's drug (LSD? presumably)-induced craziness.

Pictures here: http://sixtysixkicks.blogspot.com/2012/08/episode-analysis-s2-e12-and-cat-jumped.html

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On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 7:28 AM, Tom Holmberg said:

They've also dropped "WKRP in Cincinnati" for "Green Acres."

I loved Green Acres.  So surreal.  My brother once suggested what I thought was a great premise for a movie:  What if Superman, as a baby, had landed on the Douglas farm?  What a hoot that would be!

Does INSP fall into this thread?   I have recently caught up on The Waltons there, as well as some episode of Alias Smith and Jones.  Boy, those take me back!

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4 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

Does INSP fall into this thread?   I have recently caught up on The Waltons there, as well as some episode of Alias Smith and Jones

I mentioned "Alias Smith & Jones" in INSP earlier.  It falls in this thread. BTW,  ZLiving on Sunday isn't doing a marathon this week (except a movie "marathon"), but they will be showing "Space 1999: Alien Attack"!

On 7/11/2019 at 1:39 PM, opus said:

If you're not currently getting Decades you may be in luck

Fox Television Stations To Carry Weigel Broadcasting’s Decades TV Network Beginning in Q3

Yay, Phoenix!

But I am a confused, stupid girl.  What does it mean that Fox is going to carry Decades on their stations?  Wouldn't they have to dump whatever they're already showing?

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(edited)
1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

Yay, Phoenix!

But I am a confused, stupid girl.  What does it mean that Fox is going to carry Decades on their stations?  Wouldn't they have to dump whatever they're already showing?

The networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX still own some of their affiliates. That means the ones that FOX still owns in the cities mentioned will carry Decades on one of their sub-channels. When a lot of FOX assets like the movies and etc. were sold to Disney the original FOX still kept the original FOX Network, the affiliates owned along some other things. 

Edited by Jaded
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Tonight (or tomorrow morning, really) ZLiving will be running the "Route 66" light-hearted episode "journey to Nineveh." Tod and Buz are going fishing in rural Missouri when they pick up sad sack Buster Keaton as a real-life Jonah returning to his family homestead, while his brother, rubber-faced Joe E. Brown, tries to retrieve the engagement ring his daughter lost before the local gang led by weaselly John Davis Chandler turn on them. In cameos are John Astin and Edgar Buchanan. 

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2 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

R.I.P., "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" actor David Hedison passed away at age 92. Also known for "The Fly" and playing Felix Leiter in two Bond films.

"Help me!"

https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-07-22/david-hedison-actor-the-fly-dies-dead

That scene from The Fly has always creeped me out more than what Jeff Goldblum turned into in the remake.  That one was pretty gross.  

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Some schedule info on Decades' weekend binge programming: this weekend is The Fall Guy; 8/3-4 is The Odd Couple; 8/10-11 is Here Come the Brides (can't wait for that, haven't seen it since I was a little kid!); and then two weeks, both 8/17-18 and 8/24-25, of 77 Sunset Strip.

Route 66 is being shown on Sunday (7/28) on ZLiving, from 3-6 a.m. ET, with another marathon of The Saint from 1-8 p.m.

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3 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Some schedule info on Decades' weekend binge programming: this weekend is The Fall Guy; 8/3-4 is The Odd Couple; 8/10-11 is Here Come the Brides (can't wait for that, haven't seen it since I was a little kid!); and then two weeks, both 8/17-18 and 8/24-25, of 77 Sunset Strip.

Route 66 is being shown on Sunday (7/28) on ZLiving, from 3-6 a.m. ET, with another marathon of The Saint from 1-8 p.m.

Wish I could see The Odd Couple and The Fall Guy, but we don’t get Decades anymore.

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