TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 633.3: Greg and Ed talk about how some of the various tropes of The FBI (ABC, 1965-1974) changed once William Reynolds replaced Stephen Brooks as Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.’s field partner; the show’s relationship with the Ford Motor Company; and such notable episodes as “Ordeal,” “Breakthrough,” “The Executioners,” and “The Hiding Place.” All nine seasons of The FBI are available on DVD through Warner Bros. Archive and are available for streaming on demand through Tubi, while The FBI is shown weekdays on The Warner Bros. Live Channel on Tubi. The FBI Dossier, a behind the scenes history of The FBI on television, is available from Black Pawn Press. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 633.4: David Bianculli, longtime television critic and longtime contributor to NPR’s Fresh Air, and the author of Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, joins Ed as TV Confidential pays tribute to comedian Tom Smothers, the comic half of the Smothers Brothers stage act who was also the driving force behind The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS, 1967-1969). Tom Smothers passed away Tuesday, Dec. 26 at age eighty-six. Topics this segment include the many way in which The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was a pivot point in the landscape of network television comedy, paving the way for such other topical shows as Laugh-in, All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and Saturday Night Live; how the Smothers Brothers did not necessarily set out to become a comic act when they began their nightclub career; and the many ways in which Tom was an impresario, much like Ed Sullivan was in the 1950s and Lorne Michaels was in the 1970s. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 633.5: David Bianculli talks to Ed about how the battles between CBS network executives and Tom Smothers over censorship of behind The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS, 1967-1969) “were like parents who were too strict trying to discipline children who were too rebellious”; the return of The Smothers Brothers to CBS television in 1988, and the emergence of Tom’s “Yo-Yo man” character; and the final public appearance of the Smothers Brothers during the launch of a Smothers Brothers exhibit at the National Comedy Center. David’s books on television include Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a behind-the-scenes look at the lives and careers of Tom and Dick Smothers and the legacy of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Tom Smothers passed away Tuesday, Dec. 26 at age eighty-six. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From March 2018: A special roundtable discussion in which Tony, Donna, and Ed tackle the question What Exactly Constitutes a Classic TV Series? How would you define it? What are the markers: Is it the era in which the show originally aired, such as the Golden Age of Television? Does it have to do with the show’s impact on television, then and now? What about shows that were maligned when they originally aired, but are appreciated today? Can a show that premiered over the past decade be considered a classic? Are there any shows on television today that might be considered classics tomorrow? If you have your thoughts on what makes a classic TV show “classic,” feel free to join the conversation by emailing us, talk@tvconfidential.net, or posting a comment on our Facebook page or via Twitter. We will work your comments into a future edition of TV Confidential. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From March 2018: Part 2 of our special roundtable discussion with Tony and Donna about what makes a classic TV series "classic." If you have your thoughts on this topic, feel free to join the conversation by emailing us, talk@tvconfidential.net, or posting a comment on our Facebook page or via Twitter. We will work your comments into a future edition of TV Confidential. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From March 2018: Part 3 of our special roundtable discussion with Tony and Donna about what makes a classic TV series "classic." Topics this segment include shows such as Gilligan's Island, which were panned by critics at the time they originally aired, but which have been become classic subsequent generations have either embraced the show or recognize its quality and impact on other TV programs. If you have your thoughts on this topic, feel free to join the conversation by emailing us, talk@tvconfidential.net, or posting a comment on our Facebook page or via Twitter. We will work your comments into a future edition of TV Confidential. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 632.1: Part 3 of our three-part conversation with music and television historian Chuck Harter on the legacy of The Monkees television series (NBC, 1966-1968). Chuck interviewed Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and many other key Monkees personnel for Hey, Hey, We’re The Monkees, the excellent Disney Channel documentary, written by Chuck, that explores the history of The Monkees, both the group and the series, and the ongoing impact of the Monkees phenomenon. In this segment, Chuck and Ed talk some more about the experimental nature of the second season of The Monkees (particularly, such episodes as “Fairy Tale,” “Monkees in Paris,” “Monkees Blow Their Minds,” and “The Frodis Caper”); how Scottish actor Monte Landis, a frequent guest star during the second season, often brought out the best of the Monkees this season; and the various reasons why NBC did not renew The Monkees for a third season. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 632.2: Music and television historian Chuck Harter talks to Ed about the Monkees’ successful tour of Japan in 1968; why Peter Tork left the group in December 1968, after completing production of their NBC special, 33-1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee; and how the disastrous reception to Revolutions marked the beginning of the end of the Monkees on television. Chuck wrote Hey, Hey, We’re The Monkees, the excellent Disney Channel documentary that explores the history of The Monkees, both the group and the series, and the ongoing impact of the Monkees phenomenon. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 632.3: Music and television historian Chuck Harter shares some final thoughts on the the legacy of The Monkees television series (NBC, 1966-1968), including the revival of interest in both the group and the series in 1986 (following the MTV marathon); the mid 1990s revival, including the tour in England featuring all four Monkees; Mike Nesmith’s insight into why all four members gelled, despite their different backgrounds and interests; and why Davy Jones was the only Monkee who truly understood the Monkees phenomenon. Chuck wrote Hey, Hey, We’re The Monkees, the excellent documentary that explores the ongoing impact of the Monkees phenomenon. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 632.4: Film and television actor James DuMont talks to Ed about his upcoming one-man show, My Life as a DJ, and his plans to develop a biopic about his great-uncle, Allen DuMont, inventor of the Cathode tube ray and the founder of the DuMont television network. James can currently be seen opposite Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross in Candy Cane Lane, the new Christmas movie now streaming on Amazon Prime. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 632.5: Actor James DuMont talks to Ed about filming some of his scenes for Candy Cane Lane at the famous “Schlemiel! Schlimazel!” bottling plant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Laverne & Shirley took place; how director Reginald Hudlin likens James’ work as an actor to being a closer in baseball; developing his skills in improvisation while playing Danny McBride’s right-hand man on The Righteous Gemstones; and the popular “white elephant” party that James’ family traditionally throws around the holiday season. James can currently be seen opposite Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross in Candy Cane Lane, which is now available for streaming on demand on Amazon Prime. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 631.4: George Schlatter, creator and producer of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and Real People, discusses why Turn-On (ABC, 1969), the surreal sketch comedy series that was canceled fifteen minutes into its first and only network TV broadcast, was ahead of its time. The first two episodes of Turn-On are now available for viewing on demand, for free, on the Clown Jewels channel on YouTube. The print edition of George’s memoir, Still Laughing: A Life in Comedy, is wherever books are sold, while the audio edition of Still Laughing is now available from Audible. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 631.5: George Schlatter, creator and producer of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and Real People, talks to Ed about casting Robin Williams for the 1977 revival of Laugh-In; his hopes for launching a contemporary edition of Laugh-In in the near future; and why his friend Ernie Kovacs likely would’ve been proud of Turn-On, had he lived to see it. George’s memoir, Still Laughing: A Life in Comedy, is the story of how a kid from Missouri forged his way out of the rough and tumble world of Las Vegas nightclubs and wound up working with some of the most fascinating people in the history of show biz, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Eddie Murphy, Cher, Elton John, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, Doris Day, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, Shirley MacLaine, Bill Cosby, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Dinah Shore, and Nat King Cole. The print edition of Still Laughing is available wherever books are sold, while the audio edition is now available form Audible. The first two episodes of Turn-On are now available for viewing on demand, for free, on the Clown Jewels channel on YouTube. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 631.5a: Part 2 of our conversation with music and television historian Chuck Harter about The Monkees television series (NBC, 1966-1968) and why it still holds up today. Chuck interviewed Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and many other key Monkees personnel for Hey, Hey, We’re The Monkees, the excellent Disney Channel documentary, written by Chuck, that explores the history of The Monkees, both the group and the series, and the ongoing impact of the Monkees phenomenon. In this segment, Chuck and Ed discuss the enormous influence that director James Frawley had on the success of The Monkees (particularly, the first season, when the show won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series), and why two out of three Monkees fans today seem to prefer the second season over the first. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TVC 631.6: Music and television historian Chuck Harter talks to Ed about some of the ways in which the second season of The Monkees (NBC, 1966-1968) differs from the first (to the point where the second season is almost an entirely different series), and how the success of the Monkees tour in 1967 changed the group’s attitude about doing the show. Chuck wrote Hey, Hey, We’re The Monkees, the excellent Disney Channel documentary that explores the history of The Monkees, both the group and the series, and the ongoing impact of the Monkees phenomenon. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices