Random Access Television

Happy holidays everybody, while we're on our hiatus we figured we'd give each other (and you) a Holiday treat of an episode where Zach & Nas give each other the gift of some of our favorite TV episodes in our Holiday Special Extravaganza! This has all the things that made your favorite Christmas Special great, mobsters, hillbillies, beatniks, Civil War ghosts & sociology students!

From the parking lot of the Oakland A's Coliseum to the top of the Billboard charts, MC Hammer emerged a 90s branding powerhouse. Out of his many endeavors, the Hammerman cartoon became a short-lived Saturday morning staple. Zach and Nas reminisce about early 90s mega-fads, awful animation, and possibly the most complicated theme song of all time. Graffiti: good or bad? MC Hammer can't quite decide, but it makes for an entertaining episode! Join us to discuss the rise and inevitable downfall of Hammer, who influenced a lot of kids to wear puffy pants. You can see the episodes we watched at our Youtube playlist linked below.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

As one of the longest running shows in history, if you haven't heard of Saturday Night Live, where have you been? On our spooktacular Halloween special we watch the October 30th, 1993 edition of SNL - guest starring Christian Slater and the Smashing Pumpkins! Nas is in 90s heaven as she gets to talk about one of her favorite bands and hero, Billy Corgan. Zach is also in heaven, because he loves SNL lore and trivia. Come for Chris Farley's golden era, stay for those Sassy Boys! But feel free to skip the Weekend Update, because it was dated and bad.

NOT the sitcom.Are you ready for the world's most sleepy show? Zach and Nas try not to fall into a deep slumber while recalling the precision, straight-from-the-manual schematics of World War 2 fighter planes! If you love planes, planes, and more planes, then Wings (the documentary-style show, not the sitcom) is for you. Content warning: we'll be talking about Nazis a bit in this episode, so if historically-minded dialogue about such bothers you, please feel free to skip to the next episode. You can see the episodes we watched at our Youtube playlist linked below.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

Zach and Nas take a look at this heartwarming adventure between a hearing impaired woman and her hearing-ear dog Levi. What ever happened to inspirational TV? The uplifting, feel-good stories of white women being girlbosses? With Sue Thomas, FB Eye, you can relive the early 00s in all its beige glory. We do have to praise Deanne Bray though, we stan an inclusive hero! It's awesome to see a disabled actor get a chance to play her character. In this episode, we discuss the now defunct PAX network, mean FBI agents, and Canadian acting.Sponsored by: Meatloaf, Ding Dongs, Expensive sushi, bad gasoline and the evil men who sell it.

Random Access Television is pleased to introduce our first guest: the talented Jamie! Join Zach, Nas, and our special guest as we converse about one of TVs longest running soap operas: One Life to Live. Soap operas were always outrageous, but they've gone through some changes over the years. Amnesia? Anagrams that reveal secrets? Crazy dreams? A gun wielding psycho wife who we all adore? SNOOP DOG? This show has it all! A rollercoaster from beginning to end. If you'd like to follow Jamie and check out her visually impressive, data-driven TV graphs, please follow her at @TVShowGraphs on both Twitter and Instagram. You can see the episodes we watched at our Youtube playlist linked below. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is widely considered one of the greatest shows to ever exist. As a sitcom spanning over seven seasons, Moore delighted audiences with hilarious skits and progressive plotlines. So where does one go after such a smashing success? Join Zach and Nas as they discuss Moore's follow-up endevor: The Mary Tyler Moore Hour. Come for the dancing, stay for the riveting song about Canada. Yes, that is indeed Lucille Ball, David Letterman, and Michael Keaton! The gang's all here.Sponsored by the Chiquita Banana lady, Irish coffee, and amazing 1970s outfits.You can see the episodes we watched at our Youtube playlist linked below. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

Spinoffs, spinoffs, spinoffs! Would this 80s era Cheers offshoot be as successful as its sister show, Frasier? Zach and Nas discuss the pitfalls and minor successes of this strange sitcom starring Nick Tortelli, estranged husband of Carla from Cheers. Travel with us to a Las Vegas suburb to join everyone's least favorite TV repairman and his sad adventures in obtaining a Frank Sinatra autograph. Oh hey, look! Cliff and Norm show up too! What makes a television show great? The Tortellis probably isn't going to help us answer that question. But we had a good time anyway. Well, Zach didn't, because he is tired of terrible pilot episodes.You can see the episodes we watched at our Youtube playlist linked below. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

Is Pete Rose going to break the 44 consecutive hit streak world record? Find out during this New York versus Philadelphia classic! You might notice that “Charlie Hustle” didn't play for the Mets or Phillies in 1978, and you'd be right! Nas and Zach grab some popcorn and a hot dog, settle on for the seventh inning stretch, and discuss baseball's TV history.Sponsored by the Italian Stallion Lee Mazzilli, Howard Cosell's yellow jacket, and our fabulous Hawaiian vacation!

Zach as Nas travel to the Wild West to discuss one of the longest running television shows to ever air! James Arness stars as the stoic Marshall Dillon, who works hard to keep Dodge City free of corporate capitalists. Come for the frontier shootouts, but stick around for Miss Kitty's excellent hairdos and calming demeanor. Sponsored by dust, desert sand, and other sweaty western things.

Does the world need ninety minutes of David Letterman? 1980s daytime TV definitely thought so. Join Zach and Nas as they travel to Long Island (both metaphorically and literally) to enjoy the musings of the future Late Show host. Come for the copious amounts of advertisements geared toward housewives, but please stay for Hester Mundis's riveting tale of raising a baby chimp in her Manhattan apartment. Sponsored by cleaning products, gym memberships, cat food, and uh…..douches. We'll explain, I promise.You can pre-watch this episode at the link below in our Random Access Television playlist of all the shows we've watched that are on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

Zach and Nas tackle the first two episodes of one of TV's most renowned shows! This intense hospital drama series had it all: terrorists, romance, and STDs. As a remarkable slice of 1980s workplace culture, we dissect how the show portrays the long hours, medical maladies, and bizarre casual racism exhibited by Mr. Feeny (William Daniels.) In what was one of the first types of shows of its time, Zach discusses the legacy of St. Elsewhere as found in more modern dramas.Small spoiler alert: This show does not pass the Bechdel test.We watched the first two episodes, currently available on Hulu

An entire show about song lyrics and trivia? Nas is in her element as she and Zach discuss the intricacies of this pop culture game show. Watch as the older generation faces off against the young in all matters of music, movies, and hip fashion. How did one contestant not know the lyrics to a hit Nirvana song? The 1990s is way more square than you remember it! However, 1969 is way more rad than you'd imagine. Check out our thoughts on teenage fads, Victor's excellent hair style, and Blockbuster gift cards.Sponsored by 1990s nostalgia: Panasonic televisions, CD-ROMS, and the smell of your local Blockbuster.

Take a trip to the 25th century and join the space adventure! For this classic 1970s television series, Zach and Nas discuss the impact of disco music on future generations and their galactic dance parties. This show has it all: time travel, sexy space princesses, apocalyptic Chicago, and a silver robot named Twiki. We also talk about one of our favorite media tropes: the impact of the Cold War on TV shows and the idea of the “nuclear holocaust.”We're contractually obligated not to compare this show to Star Wars, Star Trek, or any other “Star” series, so we'll just call it a “powerful, hero-driven space chronicle!”

Thunder…..thunder…..Thundercats!!! Whoops, wrong 80s cartoon. Zach and Nas put on their robes and wizards hats, and watch the first two episodes of the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. Do you love dragons, knights, talking mushrooms, and Peter Gabriel-era Genesis? This cartoon is for you. Amusement parks, Lord of the Rings, monsters, and fantasy plotlines abound!Sponsored by the One Ring to Rule Them All. Just kidding - it's sponsored by your local Dungeon Master!The two episodes we discussed are available to watch here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64oNeiUPOeg&list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

Is there anything as characteristic of 1990s sensibilities as the prime time family sitcom? The writing of Dave Barry gets television treatment, starring Harry Anderson as the title character. Zach and Nas discuss the multiple plot lines taking place in the Dave's World episodes we watched, including 1994s era movies, eating alone, annoying yuppies, disappearing lizards, and more! Mediocre television continues to be a hotly debated topic between your RATV hosts. Is it the focus on parenting? Nostalgia? Laugh tracks? Zach and Nas share an emotional moment over their love of weird television moments (but usually not the same moments.)The two episodes we discussed are available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64oNeiUPOeg&list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

An exciting new episode about a television show which follows the adventures of a man and his beloved puppet. If you like the 1950s media aesthetic, we have it all for you - there's singing, there's dancing, there's ventriloquism, there's housewives hawking Cheer detergent to a live studio audience. Spoiler alert: Paul Winchell is one of the most interesting people on the planet that you've never heard of. Listen to find out why!Aggressively sponsored by the most pushy Tootsie Roll advertising campaign that Zach and Nas have ever seen! The episodes we watched are available here: at our podcast YouTube playlisthttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_rgmo7DIqebwt8WwCwzCin6KCdPlLOA3

Ready yet, get set, it's All That! This episode Zach & Nas discuss the long running Nickelodeon sketch comedy show, past & present. We discuss Nas's lack of Nick nostalgia, himbos, Kenan Thompsons omnipresence and (sigh) Dan Schneider. Also, Nas completely loses it! The two episodes discussed are episode 201 from 1995 & episode 24 of the 2019 version.

Amy Grant serves up a triple dose of emotional sentiment in the short lived reality show, “Three Wishes.” In this episode, we discuss gratuitous product placement, growing up in Northern California, and the need for universal healthcare. Can you believe how far reality TV has come since the early 2000s?Reluctantly sponsored by a Canadian plastic grass company.We watched the pilot which is on YouTube, part one is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tT0K5QFwZU&pbjreload=101

Gotta watch 'em all! Or not, as this episode hosts Zach & Nas discuss the long running TV show & franchise "Pokemon." Join us for talk of childhood nostalgia, endangered 10 year olds, Team Rocket's absence & lots of Pokemon Go puns.For this we watched the first episodes each of Pokemon: Indigo League & Pokemon Journeys, both on Netflix in the US.

Zach and Nas discuss the mid-century anthology TV series Suspense. In this episode, we discuss atmosphere, aesthetics, and Autolite. If you're curious about getting away with murder, we tell you how someone might go about doing that. Zach's love of disaster flicks and Nas's fear of nuclear blasts merge to form a spectacular analysis of atomic age history. Oh, and a detailed history of mannequins!The episodes we watched for this were "Goodbye New York" & "Nightmare At Ground Zero" both of which are on YouTube, links below.Goodbye New York: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64oNeiUPOeg&t=794s&pbjreload=101Nightmare At Ground Zero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uIx2N_bOE&pbjreload=101

This time, we discuss the TGIF favorite, “Step By Step.” Have you ever wondered what the Brady Bunch would look like in the 1990s? Let us tell you all about it! Hair salons, horny parents, and grunge rock.If you'd like to watch ahead of time, we watched the Pilot (S1 Ep1) & the episode "Forever Young (S5 Ep17)