Cop Rock, The Show Where Police Sang As They Solved Crimes
Today in 1990, the premiere of one of the most bewildering TV experiments of all time: Cop Rock. We'll explain how the show happened and why it didn't quite catch on.
George Jetson Has Just Been Born, According To The Internet
If you look really closely at the futuristic cartoon show’s backstory, the main character, George Jetson, may have just had his birthday.
The Time Geraldo Rivera Opened Al Capone’s Vault And Found A Whole Lot Of Nothing
Today in 1986, I was one of millions of people who watched Geraldo Rivera host the infamous live TV special "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault." How did it come to be, and why did it go so far off course?
This Is The City: Public Affairs DR-12 (Dragnet Season 3, Episode 8)
This episode arguably has the most clinical episode title in TV history, and the show that follows isn’t a whole lot more exciting than the title. And yet I kind of love it.
When A Saturday Night Live Fan Got To Host Saturday Night Live
Today in 1977, the Not Ready For Prime Time Players were joined by perhaps the most unusual guest host ever: Miskel Spillman, an 80 year old grandma from New Orleans and the winner of the "Anyone Can Host SNL Contest."
Eugene Polley Let The World Change Channels Without Getting Up
Today in 1915, the birthday of an inventor who would change our viewing habits for the better: Eugene Polley, who created the first wireless remote control system for TVs.
The Star Wars Holiday Special Brought Extra Weirdness To The Galaxy
Today in 1978, "The Star Wars Holiday Special," aired on TV. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's the only one that has a Jefferson Starship video, a Bea Arthur-owned cantina and opening dialogue that's entirely in Wookiee.
Carlton Fisk’s Home Run Wave Changed TV Sports, But It Almost Didn’t Get Filmed At All
Today in 1975, game 6 of the World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. The iconic clip of Carlton Fisk waving his game-winning home run fair was caught by the camera kind of by accident.
Pigeons Would Make Pretty Good Art Critics
Today in 2001 that a scientific journal published a study with an interesting name, which read in part: “Van Gogh, Chagall and pigeons." There's been a lot of research into how pigeons take in and process visual information, like art, and apparently it's pretty complex.
The Jetsons Gave 1962 A Glimpse Of The Future
Today was the day in 1962 that “The Jetsons” premiered on ABC. Fitting for a show about the future, it was the first color broadcast for the network.