The Land That Time Forgot: TV Shows That Haven't Aired In A Long Time

[Dr.OO7]

20 minutes ago, partofme said:

I've been reluctant to admit this is the reason I've never watched ER.  I loved Teddy and Falconer and was devastated when he died.  I didn't watch Sisters much longer after that.

Don't feel bad, I thought I was bonkers for feeling the way I did. If it hadn't been for the phenomenal episode "Hell & High Water", I probably would never have become a fan of ER.

[janie jones]

I watched ER because Falconer was on it!

[Bethany]

Going down an Internet rabbit hole I came across a mention of Tim Matheson which reminded me of The Quest - a western about 2 brothers searching for a long lost sister.  My sister and I loved that show and haven't seen it since it originally aired.  Looking it up I was surprised to see it only lasted half a year.  And I guess that means they never found their sister.

[andromeda331]

I love Jackie and Booker on Roseanne. I hated when he left and thought I'd hate him on Sisters but I loved his character. I loved Falconer and Teddy. I could never get into ER although my mom did. She loved Doug and Carol and hated when he left. She was happy that Carol ended up leaving to join Doug. 

[Egg McMuffin]

Anyone else remember that Paul Rudd played Ashley Judd’s husband on Sisters? He even played the role after Judd left.

On 2/23/2023 at 4:52 PM, Elizabeth Anne said:

Going down an Internet rabbit hole I came across a mention of Tim Matheson which reminded me of The Quest - a western about 2 brothers searching for a long lost sister.  My sister and I loved that show and haven't seen it since it originally aired.  Looking it up I was surprised to see it only lasted half a year.  And I guess that means they never found their sister.

Strangely, GetTV is running The Quest as I type this response! And I’ve seen the pilot run on Grit in the last six months or so.

[cynicat]

I just discovered Fantasy Island streaming on Tubi.  I'm starting to really love that channel!

Wow that sure was a cheesy show, but totally brought back memories of Saturday nights post Love Boat.

[GHScorpiosRule]

This seems to be the best place for this. This was a show that seems very appropriate. It was a great show and I can't recall if it was ever aired in syndication: L.A. Law.

We have all of Bochco's other shows airing/streaming now; and even David E Kelley, who I think was co-creator or something. We have all his shows streaming now as well.

But not L.A. Law!

[Blergh]

The talk of the  St. Elsewhere performer Ronny Cox on another SubForum reminds me of an older show he was on in which he played a very different character called Apple's Way (1974-1975) produced by Earl Hamner, Jr. which took place in a contemporary (mid 1970's) small town setting about a multigenerational family living under the roof of a working grist mill(!). However, the twist was that it wasn't either the crotchety grandfather or the hormonal teens who were hotheaded and always protesting but it was the protagonist father George Apple who took on the John-Boy role while his wife, offspring and father-in-law did their best to try to get him to be more levelheaded. Oh, and oddly enough, his wife almost always called her husband 'Apple' instead of by his given name despite the fact that she and their offspring also used the surname! Anyway, if one ever wanted to imagine how John-Boy might have been had he stayed a hothead as an adult instead of the chilled, zen Narrator in later years, this show fits the bill.

[Egg McMuffin]

CBS announcer: “If you like the Waltons, you’re gonna looooooove Apple’s Way!” LOL, not really. The Waltons could be surprisingly gritty at times, especially in its early years. George Apple was just an annoying buttinsky. And the opening credits were so wholesome that they made me want to gag.

LA Law never ran in broadcast syndication but it was on Lifetime and later on A&E. I thought it was on Amazon Prime not too long ago. They’ve got The Practice and Boston Legal, also from 20th Television, so you’d think LA Law would be there, too. They did a pilot for ABC for a revival last year, with Arnie and Jonathan running the firm, now called Becker/Rollins. And Ann Kelsey was now a judge. It didn’t get picked up, but I would have loved to have seen that.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Egg McMuffin

[magicdog]

On 3/19/2023 at 2:44 PM, cynicat said:

I just discovered Fantasy Island streaming on Tubi.  I'm starting to really love that channel!

It's also on GETTV.  

[Spartan Girl]

Does anyone remember Disney’s Sing Me A Story with Belle? It was basically a live action show where Belle post-BatB has bought the village bookstore and runs it with her puppet friends—a talking book and some literal book worms. And every episode she sing-narrates over a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon.

A cute kids show, but in one episode Gaston shows up. Yes, THAT Gaston. The one who’s supposed to be dead. Of course nobody acknowledged that but still. I’ll prove it:

I’ll age myself further by bringing up Dumbo’s Circus and Pooh Corner, both of which were basically people dressed up as those Disney characters. And I’d like to point out that none of these shows are on Disney+ as far as I know—or maybe Belle is? 

Come on Disney! If you’re going to make us pay more for subscriptions crack open your vault and give us more nostalgia bait, no matter how weird they seem now!!!!!

[Popples]

11 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I’ll age myself further by bringing up Dumbo’s Circus and Pooh Corner, both of which were basically people dressed up as those Disney characters. And I’d like to point out that none of these shows are on Disney+ as far as I know—or maybe Belle is? 

Come on Disney! If you’re going to make us pay more for subscriptions crack open your vault and give us more nostalgia bait, no matter how weird they seem now!!!!!

I loved Dumbo's Circus and Pooh Corner! I don't have Disney+ (yet), but if those were there and maybe Under the Umbrella Tree, I might break.

[BlueSkies]

Anyone recall episodes of Rin Tin Tin on a now defunct Family Network?  Like mid 90's 

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Does anyone remember Disney’s Sing Me A Story with Belle? It was basically a live action show where Belle post-BatB has bought the village bookstore and runs it with her puppet friends—a talking book and some literal book worms. And every episode she sing-narrates over a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon.

A cute kids show, but in one episode Gaston shows up. Yes, THAT Gaston. The one who’s supposed to be dead. Of course nobody acknowledged that but still. I’ll prove it:

I’ll age myself further by bringing up Dumbo’s Circus and Pooh Corner, both of which were basically people dressed up as those Disney characters. And I’d like to point out that none of these shows are on Disney+ as far as I know—or maybe Belle is? 

Come on Disney! If you’re going to make us pay more for subscriptions crack open your vault and give us more nostalgia bait, no matter how weird they seem now!!!!!

Actually, this wound up better than expected! Thanks @Spartan Girl!

It was cool to see Belle no longer being considered an outcast in her village for her love of reading but living her dream of running a bookstore AND being the babysitter/straight-woman to the village kids who flocked to the bookstore. If only bookstores were still considered the focal points of communities.

Yes, Gaston was back but, it seemed he was toned down from being an overt stalker,villain and threat to Belle (and the Beast. ..where was the newly restored Prince supposed to be in this?) to just being  comically smug egomaniac. .who somehow got spurred via the two vintage Disney cartoons Belle narrated  encourage the village to go to the kids' magic show instead of his own self-celebrating party and to seek to try to be kind and considerate by the close (even if he still abhorred the idea of . .a bad hair day)!

I guess I was too grown for the demographic to have sought this out back in the day but I'd much rather have shows like this which encourage younger viewers to be the best people they can be than what Disney has  had the last decade or so. Oh, and yes, I like that they celebrated books, reading. . and vintage Disney cartoons!

38 minutes ago, BlueSkies said:

Anyone recall episodes of Rin Tin Tin on a now defunct Family Network?  Like mid 90's 

I do- and they were great! Of course, I thought it was funny how the soldier would narrate the canine  adventures to the (1950's) contemporary visitors from c.1870s yet neither he nor Rinny had aged a day! LOL

Edited March 22, 2023 by Blergh

[BlueSkies]

Anyone recall USA Live in the mid 90s on USA Network? 

 

Like around lunch time a host and some guests I believe it was somewhere in NYC ate lunch while watching old reruns of The Love Connection and The People's Court with Judge Wapner.

 

I recall former NYC mayor Ed Koch was on it a few times.  I too remember Gary Sheffield as well.  I still remember he was talking about sports and he was really the 1st person to help me understand whenever you argue about something you're probably never going to change it but for the next time it happens 

Edited March 22, 2023 by BlueSkies

[MagnusHex]

Adding to my list of shows I'm binging is an old sci-fi show from ages ago. I needed a sci-fi/supernatural show to replace The X-Files and accompany CW's Supernatural (season 6 currently), but while The Leftovers has been... decent, it's also quite short in length in number of episodes per season and not a great companion piece alongside the 22-episode Supernatural S6.

Enter Star Trek: TOS. Been wanting to watch this forever now as part of my ongoing crusade to watch everything essential in pop culture history (Dr. Who, as in Classic Who, is on my radar as well, but I'm reluctant because it seems like a far dated show compared to ST). Just watched The Cage just now. It was better than I expected from a cult show like this. Good start. Pacing's a little bit slow and lots of scientific jargon, but nothing I've never dealt with before for a show like this. Theme music's funky in a charming way (I could've sworn Futurama replicated the entire theme in their Star Trek episode, not just parodying it).

Hope for great things to come in this final frontier.

Also, on that note, if there's any Whovian fans out there, would appreciate it if anyone could let me know if sitting through the entire legacy of Classic Who is worth it.

[Anduin]

7 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

Also, on that note, if there's any Whovian fans out there, would appreciate it if anyone could let me know if sitting through the entire legacy of Classic Who is worth it.

Not really. There are certainly highlights, but there's also lowlights. Colin Baker's run wasn't well received at the time. 30+ years on, I can't imagine it's gotten any better. Talons of Weng-Chiang is allegedly a classic, but I never saw the appeal. Good old Victorian attitudes and even some yellowface!

Then there's stuff like the Web Planet, which would be so wonderfully weird if only it were faster. Try watching an episode of Farscape at one quarter speed, I bet it would lose its charm really fast.

But then you get stories written by possibly the greatest writer the show ever had, Robert Holmes. And even Douglas Adams! Yeah, hunt down a list of highlights and follow it.

[ABay]

I recently decided to rewatch some classic Who and started with the post-Adric Peter Davison episodes and now I'm up to the C. Baker episodes. Ye gods. Teegan was obnoxious and Adric made me want to reach through the screen and bitch slap him, Peri is possibly the most grating companion until the Moffat years. Also, although the scripts were not the best (even Timelash which was by Holmes, I think), and the Doctor's wardrobe might induce seizures, it was the acting that really made some bits unwatchable.

I don't remember Sylvester McCoy's time well enough to comment. I do remember T. Baker, though, and those stories moved very slowly as stated by @Anduin. Avoid the one with Eldrad at all costs unless you want to hear how many ways Elizabeth Sladen can say "Eldrad must live."

The episodes set on Gallifrey and the ones with multiple doctors are fun so you might want to look for those. Episodes with the Master (and in one case, the Rani--that was the best of the C. Baker ones I've rewatched so far) were usually entertaining. My tolerance for Daleks, Cybermen, and Sontarans is low but some find them enjoyable.

Aren't you glad you asked?

[BlueSkies]

MTV's Remote control 

 

Loved that show as a kid.  some episodes are on YouTube. But forget ever seeing it replayed on MTV 😅

[MagnusHex]

Three shows possibly no longer airing. All having live action segments mixed in.

I vaguely remember this show, except its distinct intro that had its melody stuck in my head. I literally had to Google "magician princess cartoon" to find the title. lmao

It was a pretty neat cartoon though. I couldn't remember much of the plot, but I do recall some girl with real magic on the show but is also a real magician performing stage magic (voiced by Cree Summer, NUMBUH 5 from Kids Next Door!) while also appearing in a live action segment at the end of each episode, featuring the real life Japanese magician Tenko, Mariko Itakura, performing a magic trick on stage for the audience. That last part of the show was easily the most memorable part of it.

I don't remember the CG version of the show from 2000, but this above version with the live action segment, I remember quite distinctly. The theme song isn't as memorable for me as Tenko, but I still have some semblance of nostalgia for it. The line-reading of "Who am I?" in the intro was indeed goofy af though. lmao

The live action segment of this show is also featured at the end of each episode, where Jackie Chan would appear himself as he showed off a flurry of his martial arts moves.

To be honest, that first season end credit song ("Chan's the Man" by Wheatus) is the thing I remember more fondly than the opening intro. That being said, among the three shows, this one is definitely the one I remember the most as I was old enough by the time this show was broadcast (10 years old at 2000). Also helps that I grew up on the contemporary Jackie Chan movies like Who am I?, Mr. Nice Guy, and let's not forget, City Hunter. 

Plus, I found the premise of zodiac talismans that give you superpowers really unique and fun back then. This was around the time when I was watching other cartoons that also featured collecting things as the story as well, namely Cardcaptor Sakura and, of course, Pokémon.

Edited March 23, 2023 by MagnusHex

[magicdog]

On 3/21/2023 at 5:17 PM, BlueSkies said:

Anyone recall episodes of Rin Tin Tin on a now defunct Family Network?  Like mid 90's 

I remember watching it before that!  It was in syndication in the 70s (I'm assuming you're talking about the 50s TV series).  

I had a giggle when I saw silent serials featuring the original Rin Tin Tin on TCM!!

[Grrarrggh]

3 hours ago, magicdog said:

I remember watching it before that!  It was in syndication in the 70s (I'm assuming you're talking about the 50s TV series).  

I had a giggle when I saw silent serials featuring the original Rin Tin Tin on TCM!!

Wasn't there also a newer Lassie for a while? I used to watch the black and white Lassie on television, and for a while there was an obviously more up-to-date one. Then there was a not bad film too, with that same kid from The Sandlot. 

[andromeda331]

On 3/21/2023 at 6:17 PM, BlueSkies said:

Anyone recall episodes of Rin Tin Tin on a now defunct Family Network?  Like mid 90's 

My brother and I loved that show. We never missed an episode.

[Egg McMuffin]

10 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Wasn't there also a newer Lassie for a while? I used to watch the black and white Lassie on television, and for a while there was an obviously more up-to-date one.

Are you’re talking about the color episodes of the original series? Lassie worked with forest rangers for a while after Timmy moved away. Later on she lived on a ranch with a bunch of orphans.

About 15 years after the original series ended, there was a short-lived new series with Dee Wallace Stone as the mom and Jon Provost (who played Timmy in the original) as the uncle. They later clumsily tried to link it to the original series and said that the uncle’s name used to be Timmy but he changed it after his adoptive parents abandoned him. They even got June Lockhart to come back for that mess.

 

[BlueSkies]

4 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

My brother and I loved that show. We never missed an episode.

Rin Tin Tin I know was always around but sometimes I think I dreamed up that Family network channel.

 

If I recall late 90s Fox had a Family Channel that might have bought it? 

[magicdog]

6 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

If I recall late 90s Fox had a Family Channel that might have bought it? 

There was a network on cable once owned by Pat Robertson (and the CBN company he headed)  who dubbed it The Family Channel and it was meant to be just that - family friendly shows.  Most of the shows were syndicated shows from the 50s and 60s (especially westerns).  When it was sold, it was stipulated the channel would remained titled "The Family Channel" to help discourage radical programming changes.   

They did make some original programs later like Zorro (with Duncan Regher) and The Black Stallion (based on the books and movies) among other things.

[Egg McMuffin]

It was originally called CBN Cable, then later renamed The Family Channel (and later Fox Family and ABC Family). It’s currently called Freeform and still must contractually air The 700 Club multiple times daily.

[Grrarrggh]

I looked it up, and I'm thinking of The New Lassie 1989-92. 

[Haleth]

On 3/19/2023 at 7:10 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

This seems to be the best place for this. This was a show that seems very appropriate. It was a great show and I can't recall if it was ever aired in syndication: L.A. Law.

We have all of Bochco's other shows airing/streaming now; and even David E Kelley, who I think was co-creator or something. We have all his shows streaming now as well.

But not L.A. Law!

That was a great show.  What a fantastic cast!

[MaryMitch]

In the 80s the Family Channel had a 30 minute western called "Bordertown". It was about a town on the US/Canadian border that had both a Mountie and a US Marshall who shared a jail and office. There was also a pretty French widow who served as the town doctor, and of course the 2 lawmen were interested in her.

It was actually pretty good; I ended up buying the complete series on DVD. There were a lot of interesting characters. I think most of it was filmed on location in Canada; pretty scenery although it rained a lot!

[Bethany]

1 hour ago, MaryMitch said:

It was actually pretty good; I ended up buying the complete series on DVD. There were a lot of interesting characters. I think most of it was filmed on location in Canada; pretty scenery although it rained a lot!

I remember watching that!  I don't think I ever saw the whole series but I did see a few episodes and really liked them.  I just looked it up (BTW there are quite a few shows out there called Bordertown) and it was filmed near Vancouver which explains all the rain!  It was also a co-production between Canada and France - not as I would have assumed a US company.  

Edited March 25, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[BlueSkies]

90s kids would recognize this one

 

Wild and Crazy Kids on Nickelodeon 

[BlueSkies]

Maybe some sports fans here would recall these networks/programs:

 

Classic Sports in the 90s.  It was its own station at one time.  I remember vintage episodes of Home Run Derby on in the morning.  They used to broadcast calls sports games.

 

The New Sport network.  Mid to late 90s it was on.  Basically gave scores and highlights.  But from what I recall the hosts were pretty witty.

 

 

I could swear in the early 90's ESPN used to have a sports related game show on it at one point.  I think some episodes even took place in a football related environment.  I remember enjoying it.  Any help there would be appreciated! 

Edited March 25, 2023 by BlueSkies

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

90s kids would recognize this one

 

Wild and Crazy Kids on Nickelodeon 

Hell, yeah. Nickelodeon had great game shows in the '80s and '90s - that show, "Nick Arcade", "GUTS", "Legends of the Hidden Temple", "Double Dare", "Figure it Out"... I remember I always rooted for the red team on those shows (or if there wasn't a red team, the color closest to it, which was usually pink), simply because red is my favorite color :p. 

Speaking of Nickelodeon shows, I heard a reference to this show on some TV series the other night - "Mr. Wizard's World", anyone? 

I also remember a show called "Kids Court" that used to be on there - it was kind of like a lot of the court shows on TV, but obviously centered on settling disagreements between kids :p. I seem to remember that one being on super early in the morning on weekends. 

[BlueSkies]

VH1 was actually a good & solid channel back in its day. 

 

Women First was a good 1/2 hour or 1 hour show where they just showed music videos of female artists.  

 

VH1 Storytellers was pretty good

 

Pop Up Video was a pretty cool concept as well although sometimes I recall they kind of would goof on the artists.

 

Behind The Music was interesting even for lesser known artists 

 

There was another show I think I recall that was pretty good as well that had timelines over an artists career 

[BlueSkies]

E network in the 90s in retrospect wasn't bad.  Some shows I recall from it as well:

 

E Daily News with Steve Kmetko (RIP) and Jules Asner

Revealed with Jules Asner

The Gossip show (I thought it was a trashy show back in the day but it'd probably seem classy these days with social media)

E True Hollywood Story 

Talk Soup 

[Annber03]

"Talk Soup" was great :D. And I liked it when it turned into "The Soup", too. 

1 hour ago, BlueSkies said:

Behind The Music was interesting even for lesser known artists 

Yes! Didn't matter whether I was a fan of the artist in question or not, I still watched because they made every artist's story fascinating and compelling. Same with "E! True Hollywood Story" and the actors/TV shows and so forth they featured on there. 

[BlueSkies]

Another 90's Network: The Style Network.  

 

idk maybe it's still around?  I recall it had older episodes of Melrose Place on it.  Plus year in fashion specials.  They had a show that started on E! Model which would show on the style network as well.  Where they focused in on a famous model for a 1/2 hour.  I recall episodes on Tyra Banks, Rebecca Romijn, Yasmine Ghauri, Laetitia Casta, and Karen Mulder.  Karen was my favorite and sad what happened to her.

 

Speaking of that MTV's House of Style back in the day as well 

[Browncoat]

E! True Hollywood Story wasn’t always true — at least it was not with the Dirty Dancing one.  They completely omitted an entire filming location from that one.

[BlueSkies]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

E! True Hollywood Story wasn’t always true — at least it was not with the Dirty Dancing one.  They completely omitted an entire filming location from that one.

I wouldn’t dispute that.  But I think for the more casual observer the show still gave a decent general overview of the topic/persons 

[AstridM]

16 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

VH1 was actually a good & solid channel back in its day. 

 

Women First was a good 1/2 hour or 1 hour show where they just showed music videos of female artists.  

 

VH1 Storytellers was pretty good

 

Pop Up Video was a pretty cool concept as well although sometimes I recall they kind of would goof on the artists.

 

Behind The Music was interesting even for lesser known artists 

 

There was another show I think I recall that was pretty good as well that had timelines over an artists career 

I miss old school Behind the Music! So many great Sundays. 

[Blergh]

40 minutes ago, AstridM said:

I miss old school Behind the Music! So many great Sundays. 

I'd agree if it hadn't fallen into that rut of buying EVERY one of those performers' spins and refusing to admit that anything negative could possibly have been remotely said performers' faults while eagerly shilling their latest projects breathlessly predicting said projects putting the performers back into the top tiers of fame and fortune forever!  IOW, it started out good but quickly devolved into a predictable self-parody!

OTOH, I liked Pop-Up Video -mainly for the fact that they'd put in some interesting trivia about the shooting,locales,etc.  into even the most mundane and unentertaining videos they featured!

[DXD526]

I loved Classic Sports! I didn't have it when it first came on, but my parents did, and I'd watch it for hours when I visited! It was sold to ESPN in '97, and became ESPN Classic, and also became totally worthless. It was nothing like the original channel. ESPN Classic went off in late '21. 

I'd love to see Pop-Up Video again! 

[BlueSkies]

How about The Box?  That network you could pay to watch a music video you wanted to see

 

I still remember that was the 1st place I heard of Britney Spears 

[cynicat]

17 hours ago, AstridM said:

I miss old school Behind the Music! So many great Sundays. 

Roku has a whole bunch of great shows along those lines.  They have Breaking the Band, Behind the Music, and a slew of documentaries about rock bands under miscellaneous titles.  They all feel kind of the same, but I'm enjoying them

[Popples]

10 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

How about The Box?  That network you could pay to watch a music video you wanted to see

I loved The Box so much! I remember memorizing the three-digit codes to certain videos and getting excited when it would pop up in the lower right corner of the screen letting you know it was coming on.

On 3/25/2023 at 1:50 PM, BlueSkies said:

90s kids would recognize this one

 

Wild and Crazy Kids on Nickelodeon 

I had such a crush on Omar Gooding from that show. It was over 10 years later when I found out he was Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s brother.

[AstridM]

4 hours ago, cynicat said:

Roku has a whole bunch of great shows along those lines.  They have Breaking the Band, Behind the Music, and a slew of documentaries about rock bands under miscellaneous titles.  They all feel kind of the same, but I'm enjoying them

I saw that but none of the old school great Behind the Music episodes seem to be available.

[BlueSkies]

This show was on pbs in the 90s.  Bloopys Buddies.  I just thought Bloopy itself looked hilarious so I’d watch it.  With the big head and huge shoes.  At the time I thought it was funny to call my mom Bloopy for some reason.  
 

 

[Annber03]

8 hours ago, Popples said:

I had such a crush on Omar Gooding from that show. It was over 10 years later when I found out he was Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s brother.

...holy crap, today I learned... I was trying to remember the name of the host of that show, I don't know how I didn't put two and two together like that. 

[BlueSkies]

Pretty ironic as well the name of this show for this thread 😁

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by BlueSkies