Birds of Prey is on my to-watch list for this challenge. My DVD copy is STILL in its shrinkwrap. Now I have no excuse.

I've been meaning to get the DVD release more for the Gotham Girls web series. I remember streaming it once upon a time and enjoying it. I almost pulled the trigger when Amazon had it down to $13 or thereabouts last year at one point but for some reason didn't.

Also, I realize I totally dropped the ball on this weekend's trivia questions. I'll rustle us up a few shortly and we'll find Matlock The First Season a new home soon.

Sorry guys, slacking a bit...That'sAllFolks "Tales From the Darkside" should have gone out today but did not--I had a pretty serious weather/house related emergency.

The prize is in the outbasket though, packed, stamped and ready for pick up tomorrow.

I think we all agree that's a more important event than our little viewing contest. Hope everything is under control and that you and yours are okay.

Trivia Questions, Round Four

PM correct answers to all three questions by midnight Tuesday (18 January) to be eligible for the random drawing and you can be the winner of...

1. What was the first feature film produced for television?
2. Which TV doctor delivered the first baby on a television series?
3. Andy Griffith appeared as Ben Matlock on which television series in 1997?

And of course mail didn't run today anyway, right?

if you're reading this Undeadcow, it's January not October...

D'oh! And I WORK in mail order!

My mind was a mess yesterday.

Just a friendly reminder to PM those trivia answers by midnight to be eligible to win Matlock - The First Season!

Just blasted through the first season of United States of Tara today. What a great show!

It's funny; I find myself more and more drawn to cable television as opposed to network. There's only a handful of shows I watch on network television, with most simply out of habit (Grey's Anatomy, for example), but I want to watch every series on Showtime. I'd love to start Californication, The Big C, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, Big Love, etc.

Anyone else feel this way?

I gave up on "V" after about 2 episodes last season. Using this challenge to watch season 1 and hope that it got better!

I quit caring about most TV shows about a decade ago. After Deep Space Nine ended, the only show I bothered to keep up with at all was The Sopranos, which I rented from Netflix because we didn't have HBO. My wife is far more of a TV junkie than I am, so I've seen a lot in the last several years but I didn't really care about most of it. I wouldn't have chosen to watch House, for instance, had it not been for her.

Largely, I find myself enjoying USA's original programming (Psych and Burn Notice are two of the few shows I outright love) but I definitely understand the appeal of the premium cable programming you mention. Everything else just feels like it's already been done--and usually better. I think the most significant aspect of the premium channel shows is that they aren't written around commercial breaks, so the narratives are more organic and not stilted.

It's almost embarrassing watching older network shows on DVD and seeing them hold an image with the music playing going into, and then out of, the excised commercial break as though we're resuming right where we left off two minutes ago as someone reminded you to try a new peanut butter and that you, too, can afford a new car.

On that note, I love that cable shows can have an opening theme. I feel that the days of the television theme song on network television are over.

During this challenge, I've watched a little bit of everything and one of the things that struck me the most are the openings. We've gone from iconic openings such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Dallas, to what? The last popular television opening I can think of is Friends.

It's actually a little sad.

One more reason I appreciate Psych and its catchy, "I Know You Know" title song. They even frequently have episode-specific versions of it, which is above and beyond what other shows offer. Ultimately, though, the TV theme song is a thing of the past. I'm just surprised that networks continue to have more programming than advertisements in their scheduling--and if you count the on-screen graphics, that imbalance is actually a lot worse. Not only do theme songs not pay the bills, but they actually cost money.

The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, American Dad, Family Guy, The Office, Parks And Recreation, Raising Hope, How I Met Your Mother, Parenthood, and Community all have opening themes or theme songs. And that's only shows that I watch that are currently on the air, I'm sure there's plenty I don't watch that also have opening themes or theme songs. Sure, some are longer or shorter than others, some are original compositions and others are previously recorded songs, but they've all got pretty distinct songs or music to open the shows.

The Simpsons originated in the era of the theme song, so it's a bit of an anomaly. Not sure why I forgot about Family Guy. As for the rest, I'm only familiar with The Office. It feels more like an extended jingle or an excerpt from a song to me rather than a full theme, but it's obviously intended to exist as it is.

A side topic for those who have been watching shows with theme songs, do you find yourself wishing they'd just get on with the episode and omit the themes? I could definitely see where they can become tiresome, especially if they're also used on the menu screens which I suspect we all leave playing for several minutes here or there as we rummage for munchies or have to leave the room abruptly, etc.

Seinfeld was the first show I recall watching that didn't have a theme song. Frasier had one, but it was over the end credits.

Perhaps the only show I watch that still has a theme song is Smallville, and I admit I usually listen to it. Most shows on DVD I will FF past the theme--kudos to the DVDs that start a chapter right after the theme so it's easy to skip past.

It was sad the year ER got rid of its opening theme.

Maybe it's just something I've gotten used to over the years, but I usually don't even notice where the commercial breaks used to be...maybe I've come to accept the musical climax for a commercial break scene as some sort of director's technique and it doesn't dawn on me that it was actually time to hear from the sponsors. I'm only bothered by it when dialogue or actions are repeated in the following scene, which doesn't seem to happen very often with the shows I watch.
On the other hand, QM Productions shows that were broken up into acts always remind me when it's commercial time...that method is just too tidy and artificial for my tastes, and it has a bad effect for me even on good shows such as The Fugitive.

Just finished She-Ra, Princess of Power Season One, Volume One (Ink & Paint release). Wow! Of course as a viewer you have to make allowances for the limited production budget (which translates into heavily recycled material) and the writers weren't as free to be sophisticated as those of today's animation. Still, there's quite a lot to appreciate here if you're willing to overlook those elements--which, admittedly, can be a detraction. If you're into feminism and gender equality issues, anti-establishment rebellion, conflicts between nature and industry or human rights issues there's a good chance you'll find at least an episode to appreciate here (despite a general lack of subtlety). The humor is sometimes clever, sometimes absurd and often based on bad puns, but that's part of the charm.

As for the DVD release, Ink and Paint really did an outstanding job here. If I had one complaint, it's that the first five episodes (collectively, "The Secret of the Sword") are presented as individual episodes the way they were broadcast on TV. I'd have preferred the singular, theatrical cut (yes, it was actually shown in theaters; my mom took my brother and me to see it as kids!). I understand that cut is on The Best of She-Ra, Princess of Power compilation release, but it would have been nice here. Regardless, there are two lively episode commentaries, a storyboard comparison version of the first episode and a very satisfying documentary spotlighting some of the key writers (including J. Michael Straczynski!) from the show discussing their contributions to the series. (Of less interest are the 50 Character, Creature and Artifact profiles.) Disc 6 also includes some DVD-ROM goodies such as five assorted scripts, a coloring book, a comic book version of "The Secret of the Sword" and the series bible, all as .PDF files. All in all, a very satisfying DVD release for a show that had more going for it than I was afraid I would find after all these years.

Congratulations to tellybox for winning Matlock - The First Season!

1. What was the first feature film produced for television?
   Spoiler:

   The Three Musketeers was the first 60 minute feature film produced for television as part of Magnavox Theater and aired 24 November 1950.
2. Which TV doctor delivered the first baby on a television series?
   Spoiler:

   Dr. Konrad Styner (Richard Boone) delivered TV's first baby in an episode of Medic on 26 October 1955.
3. Andy Griffith appeared as Ben Matlock on which television series in 1997?
   Spoiler:

   Diagnosis Murder

One of the toughest things about this challenge has been my constant wavering between newer anime series that I need to see and older stuff in my collection that I’ve been wanting to discover (or re-discover). The great thing about the older stuff is watching all the great actors in them. My “Naked City” DVD has four episodes from 1962. Robert Duvall is in two of them, Carroll O’Connor is in the other two. James Coburn is in one of the Carroll O’Connor episodes. In that one, Coburn plays chauffeur/lover to a neurotic rich girl (Salome Jens) and O’Connor, the future Archie Bunker, plays the blackmailing butler—with an English accent! Duvall is great in his episodes—he has this youthful Brando/James Dean type of thing going on. I’m surprised it took him so long to become a major star (ten years after this, when THE GODFATHER came out).

My “Death Valley Days” tape has three episodes. Ronald Reagan stars in one, as a tough ex-New York cop who becomes the marshal of Abilene, Kansas, during its peak days of being a lawless cattle town, and refuses to use a gun. It’s kind of funny to see Reagan, only two years before being elected Governor of California, shoving dudes around, literally knocking heads together, and overpowering fast draws with his bare fists. Amazing how history repeated itself in California with Schwarzenegger.

Another “Death Valley Days” episode, from 1956, follows the efforts of an entrepreneur to create a postal supply route to serve the miners during the California Gold Rush (1849-50). There’s one poor sad sack on the route who never gets a letter and never strikes it rich and finally gives up. The very last letter pulled out of the postman’s bag is addressed to that sad sack and the poor mail guy feels obligated to track him down to deliver it, with an interesting surprise ending result. The guy who plays the sad sack? A 26-year-old Clint Eastwood!

Buster Keaton on “Twilight Zone,” Orson Welles on “I Love Lucy” and Angela Lansbury as a lusty movie star on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” It don’t get better than that.

And the real revelation on “The Colgate Comedy Hour” is that Dean Martin was funnier than Jerry Lewis. Of all the things Martin and Lewis did in their decade together, this TV show was the only one that gave Dean the chance to show his superior comic gifts.

Check out my viewing list - it's the second from the top on page 2 of the TV on DVD List thread.

That's some serious diversity there, Ash! I've had a very rough last 48 hours with my guts; I slept most of yesterday afternoon and early evening, and have been up all night running in and out of the bathroom. The only upshot is that in between all this I've managed to watch all of The Dukes of Hazzard The Complete First Season (I'm on the 13th and final episode as I type). Not sure what's next for me, but I know my library doesn't run nearly as deep as yours. I think I may go for The 4400 The Complete First Season next just because it's so brief (4:15-ish for five episodes).

Also, look for more trivia questions later this afternoon. We'll be giving away Swamp Thing and the lucky winner gets two volumes! Stay tuned...!

Thanks, I got lazy in adapting my horror movie challenge template for this challenge.

It's been quite a while since I've seen any episodes of "The Partridge Family". I was suprised to see Mark Hamill and Richard Pryor in episodes during the first season. So far, the series is holding up quite well. Even the music is better overall than I remember. While it's *still* corporate Pop, for the most part it's at least listenable. That's more than I can say for most Pop music that appeared on TV shows during that era.

PM correct answers to all three questions by midnight the night of 24 January and you could win...



That's right; we're giving away two volumes of Swamp Thing!

1. The Dukes of Hazzard yielded two spin-off series. Name both of them.
2. Which James Bond hosted an episode of The Muppet Show?
3. Where was Swamp Thing originally filmed?

Please note: previous winners are ineligible to win another prize. Tryin' to spread the wealth here, folks.