Have You Watched…?

/ Kiki Writes

I’ve not watched all the reruns in the world, but it’s still a fair question to ask someone who proclaims themselves to be a rerun junkie if they’ve watched a certain rerun.

Frequently, my answer is yes, but not for a long time or I watched it back in the day, but haven’t watched it since, or I’ve seen a few episodes years ago. I consumed an unlikely amount of reruns as a child and many of them, I haven’t seen since. I don’t think I’ve watched a full episode of Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie in years, maybe not since grade school, but I know I’ve seen the entire run of both series while getting ready for school in the morning in the long, long ago of the ’80s.

I probably haven’t watched Airwolf since it first aired, but that was can’t miss TV for me back in the day. With the exception of a few episodes, I probably haven’t watched TJ Hooker or MacGyver since junior high. But I know I’ve seen almost every (if not every) episode of those shows, too.

So when I say I’ve seen something, I probably have. But it’s more than likely that it’s been so long that I don’t remember specifics about episodes.

Of course, there are series that I’ve heard of, but have never seen for one reason or another. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet come to mind. Sure it was one of those black and white reruns that tended to get early morning play around here, but I never watched an episode of it. Never really had the interest. Not every show that I have knowledge of and access to is going to be something I want to devote my time to watching, even for a rerun junkie like me. And that’s okay! It has nothing to do with the quality of the show. It’s just personal preference. You don’t have to watch everything to be a rerun aficionado.

Because there are shows that we know about, but don’t have access to.

And there are shows that we don’t know about yet.

It was only in the last few years that two of the shows I talked about on Eventually Supertrain came into my awareness –Automan and Tales of the Gold Monkey. I enjoyed both series and never would have known about either of them if it weren’t for a little happenstance -being a fan of David Hewlett since Stargate: Atlantis and learning through following him on Twitter that he’d starred in an Automan parody short called Hewlogram, and being absurdly smitten with Jeff MacKay and seeking out shows he’s been in for my viewing pleasure.

Speaking of Eventually Supertrain, how many short-lived shows that I’ve never heard of has Dan introduced me to and put on my watch list? The Immortal, Lucan, Shadowchasers, Cliffhangers…he’s doing the TV Lord’s work putting these sorts of shows on people’s radar.

So many shows I’ve never heard of came into my awareness through Book ’em, Danno guest star research. I don’t think I ever would have known of David Cassidy -Man Undercover otherwise. It became a Holy Grail Show for me, one of those shows that I just had to see, but there didn’t seem to be a way to view it. I lucked out big time when it was made available on Crackle.

My other Holy Grail Show is Trauma Center, which was the fourth Glen A. Larson show released in 1983 (the other three being Manimal, Masquerade, and Automan, all of which have been covered on Eventually Supertrain). It doesn’t seem to be available anywhere, but one day, I will find it. And I will watch it. And it will be glorious.

There’s no telling how many shows there are that I haven’t discovered yet. And my list of shows to watch is growing. But I have seen quite a few now.

So go ahead. Ask me if I’ve watched a show.

We might all discover something.

6 thoughts on “Have You Watched…?”

  1. I consider myself a rerun junkie too. So many shows I’ve never heard of came into my awareness through visiting relatives in Detroit when I was a kid and perusing their Sunday Detroit News Magazine insert in the paper. (I lived in Memphis at the time). I asked myself what were these shows about? Were they dramas or sitcoms (Alias Smith and Jones and Petticoat Junction were foreign to me, for example)?

    So have you watched …
    Ellery Queen (with Jim Hutton)?
    Alias Smith and Jones?
    It’s Your Move (’80s sitcom with Jason Bateman)?
    The Real McCoys?
    Nanny and the Professor?
    The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (with Bill Bixby)?
    Lou Grant?
    The Ghost and Mrs. Muir?
    Logan’s Run ?
    The Bionic Woman (’70s version)?
    Apple’s Way?
    The Avengers (’60s British) ?
    Land of the Lost (’70s and ’90s versions)?
    Get Smart?
    The Man from UNCLE and/or The Girl from UNCLE?
    Hart to Hart?
    The Incredible Hulk?
    Remington Steele?
    Wonder Woman?
    The Invaders (a QM ’60s sci fi) ?
    A Man Called Sloane (Robert Conrad spy show)?

    The list above is just off the top of my head. I just don’t know what access you had to any of them. Some reruns came and went fast growing up in the ’70s and ’80s and you know the ones that had more staying power. Conversely, someone growing up the ’60s saw different reruns that came and went that I never saw an episode of. I hope you’ll indulge me if I think of others.
    Thank you.

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    • I ended up getting exposed to a lot of reruns as a kid because my grandma had better cable than us. lol

      So, let’s get to your list.

      Ellery Queen (with Jim Hutton)? -Yes! This is one of those I watched with my grandma back in the day.
      Alias Smith and Jones? -I have seen several episodes courtesy of Cozi-TV.
      It’s Your Move (’80s sitcom with Jason Bateman)? -I’ve not seen this and was only made aware of it with in the last few years even though it aired when I was a kid.
      The Real McCoys? -I’ve seen a couple of episodes in the last few years. I can’t remember which network was showing it.
      Nanny and the Professor? -A local channel played this when I was a kid. I never really had any interest so I don’t think I’ve seen any episodes.
      The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (with Bill Bixby)? -Yes yes yes. A local station played it when I was younger and I fell in love with Bill Bixby all over again (see: The Incredible Hulk).
      Lou Grant? -I watched a couple of episodes as a kid, but I was too young to appreciate it. I should probably revisit it.
      The Ghost and Mrs. Muir? -Like Nanny and the Professor, a local station played it when I was young, I didn’t have any interest.
      Logan’s Run ? -Yes. This was one I watched at Grandma’s when I was a kid.
      The Bionic Woman (’70s version)? -Of course. First saw it at Grandma’s and then watched it again when I was older.
      Apple’s Way? -Nope. I only became vaguely aware of it in recent years.
      The Avengers (’60s British) ? -Yep. Watched in at Grandma’s.
      Land of the Lost (’70s and ’90s versions)? -I lived for the ’70s version when I was a kid and I watched it again as an adult and still loved it. I had to look up the ’90s version because I totally forgot they did it. I can’t remember ever watching it.
      Get Smart? -Yep. It was on Nick-at-Nite during my youth.
      The Man from UNCLE and/or The Girl from UNCLE? -I’ve watched Man from UNCLE, but I’ve never been able to catch Girl from UNCLE.
      Hart to Hart? -Yes! I watched this in both reruns and first run, usually with Grandma.
      The Incredible Hulk? -Where my love of Bill Bixby began. Another show at Grandma’s.
      Remington Steele? -Another one I watched in reruns and first run.
      Wonder Woman? -First saw it at Grandma’s and relived it more recently on Me-TV (before I lost that channel).
      The Invaders (a QM ’60s sci fi) ? Another Me-TV blessing.
      A Man Called Sloane (Robert Conrad spy show)? -This one I haven’t seen, nor was I aware of (shame on me, as it stars Robert Conrad), but it’s now on my To Watch List.

      That’s a pretty good list. As I said, I was fortunate to have access to better cable at Grandma’s growing up, but some local channels really came through. Me-TV, Antenna TV, Cozi-TV, streaming, and the like are really helping keep a lot of those reruns alive. It’s definitely dicier when it comes to short-lived shows, but you never know what you might be able to find.

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      • Thank you for your response! Why was it our grandma’s place always had better TV?

        I thought of a few more if you don’t mind …

        Mission:Impossible (I have NO idea why I didn’t mention it earlier with your affinity towards a complex scheme or plan used in a story)?

        Quark (late ’70s NBC sci-fi/comedy)?

        The White Shadow?

        The Paper Chase?

        Misfits of Science?

        The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (from the ’70s)?

        Sweet Valley High (’90s, based on the books)?

        Quincy, M.E.? (Yes, I know; asking anyway, sorry)

        Other Krofft offerings like H.R. Pufnstuf, the Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmud and the Sea Monsters, and segments of the Krofft Supershow Dr. Shrinker, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Bigfoot and Wildboy, etc.?

        The Monster Squad (a pre Gopher Love Boat Fred Grandy brings wax monster statues to life to fight crime in this Saturday morning show) vs. guest star villains?

        Angie (late ’70s ABC sitcom)?

        Muggsy (’70s Saturday morning NBC show with a young teen girl who lives with older brother in trailer behind a gas station)?

        The TV Movies …
        Where Have All the People Gone (with Peter Graves)?

        Deadman’s Curve (Richard Hatch and Bruce Davison in a Jan & Dean bio)?

        Thank you!

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      • I don’t know why Grandma’s had better cable, but I’m thankful they did.

        Let’s look at this new list.

        Mission:Impossible (I have NO idea why I didn’t mention it earlier with your affinity towards a complex scheme or plan used in a story)? -Yes. Another show at Grandma’s.

        Quark (late ’70s NBC sci-fi/comedy)? -I’ve not seen this one and I’m not sure I’d heard of it until recently.

        The White Shadow? -I’ve heard of it, but haven’t seen it.

        The Paper Chase? -I only came across it while researching a little while ago.

        Misfits of Science? -Another one I’ve heard of, but have never seen.

        The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (from the ’70s)? -Yes, I’ve seen a few episodes.

        Sweet Valley High (’90s, based on the books)? -I’ve seen a few episodes of it, but my sister watched it more than I did.

        Quincy, M.E.? (Yes, I know; asking anyway, sorry) -Absolutely. Another one I watched with Grandma.

        Other Krofft offerings like H.R. Pufnstuf, the Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmud and the Sea Monsters, and segments of the Krofft Supershow Dr. Shrinker, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Bigfoot and Wildboy, etc.? -I’ve heard of all of these, but I’ve only seen a few episodes of HR Pufnstuf and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. I’d love to see Dr. Shrinker since Jeff MacKay was in it.

        The Monster Squad (a pre Gopher Love Boat Fred Grandy brings wax monster statues to life to fight crime in this Saturday morning show) vs. guest star villains? -Another one I’ve heard of, but haven’t seen. I’d love to watch it, though.

        Angie (late ’70s ABC sitcom)? I’ve heard of it, but haven’t seen it.

        Muggsy (’70s Saturday morning NBC show with a young teen girl who lives with older brother in trailer behind a gas station)? -This one is new to me and I am intrigued. There were never any parents anywhere in the ’70s and ’80s.

        The TV Movies …
        Where Have All the People Gone (with Peter Graves)? -I haven’t seen this one yet.

        Deadman’s Curve (Richard Hatch and Bruce Davison in a Jan & Dean bio)? -I remember watching this one as a kid and Jan getting hurt upset me greatly. Richard Hatch had my heart before I even watched Battlestar Galactica, I guess.

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  2. I’m not sure if my other reply/post took or not. I’ll redo it if I don’t see it later.

    At any rate since you mentioned Bill Bixby, I forgot to ask if you’ve ever watched …

    The Magician?

    Steambath?

    Goodnight, Beantown?

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