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Battle of the Network Shows

Each week, hosts Rick Brooks and Mike Cowgill explore the TV of the '70s and '80s through hand-picked episodes.
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Battle of the Network Shows
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Now displaying: 2018
Jun 14, 2018

We follow up our Mary Tyler Moore Episode with a look at its dramatic spinoff Lou Grant. When a tunnel collapses, Lou gets the "L.A. Tribune" team in high gear while managing fragile egos, a TV-loving intern, a human fly, an unhappy assistant editor, a nut job, and...Swedes? Yes, Gilligan's Island comes up, too.

Jun 7, 2018

Love is all around as we discuss iconic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary wants a raise. Instead, she has to mastermind WJM's new "fun" news format. Everything should run smoothly as long as no one tells Ted he's the straight man. Oops! Plus...Gilligan's Island?

May 31, 2018

The zingers fly when Dean Martin gathers a cavalcade of stars and celebrities to roast Peter Marshall, host of "Hollywood Squares," including Vincent Price, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rip Taylor, Orson Welles, and Paul Lynde! Plus, the mysterious case of Jimmie Walker.

May 24, 2018

We knew next to nothing about classic primetime sudser Dynasty, but that didn't stop us from diving into season 3 cliffhanger finale "The Cabin." Characters scheme, characters seethe, characters threaten, but mostly they talk. Also, fire, a mustache, and surprise guest stars!

May 17, 2018

This week, we look at two episodes of beloved kid-com Punky Brewster. First, Henry (George Gaynes) desperately wants to get tickets to the Cubs-Padres playoff game, but even Punky Power might not help him this time. Then, Punky (Soleil Moon Frye) tries to overcome...URBAN FEAR!

May 10, 2018

Season 4 begins with a star-spangled bang! Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America starred in not one but two TV movies! We talk about both but focus on "Captain America II: Death Too Soon." Cap (Reb Brown) must stop the mysterious rebel general Miguel (Christopher Lee) before his de-aging formula takes out Portland, Oregon!

May 3, 2018

Join Rick, Mike, plus Bobby and the BOTNS Orchestra for another thrilling round of The Fame Game! Will Mike guess this week's mystery celebrity or go down swinging? Find out on The Fame Game!

Apr 26, 2018

This week, we take a brief look back at the career of the late Steven Bochco, co-creator of BOTNS-era-defining dramas "Hill Street Blues" and "L.A. Law," as well as groundbreaking nineties shows like "NYPD Blue" and "Murder One."

Apr 19, 2018

In The Fame Game, Rick puts Mike on the hot seat and challenges him to identify a BOTNS-era celebrity based on a series of clues. Will Mike rise to the challenge or fail miserably? Find out in The Fame Game!

Apr 12, 2018

The Internet loves lists, and we've added another one. Mike and Rick each pick their 5 top TV chefs and cooks from the seventies and eighties--real or fictional--plus a few honorable mentions.

Apr 5, 2018

We asked you, the listener, to help us, the podcasters, choose two of our shows for the upcoming season 4, and the results are in! Who won in the category of sci-fi show: Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, or Space 1999? Which show emerged triumphant among the workplace sitcoms: WKRP in Cincinnati, Benson, or Barney Miller? Find out right there on our continuing coverage.

Mar 29, 2018

Just in time for Major League Baseball opening day, we revisit another What We Want to See segment now that we've seen it. This time, Mike saw an episode of "Ball Four," the baseball sitcom based on Jim Bouton's book of the same name. Will the players really spend "A Quiet Day at the Iroquois Hotel"? Will their antics live up to the real ones Bouton described in his book? Will that one guy ever go to the bathroom? Find out on What We Saw!

Mar 22, 2018

In this bonus minisode, we play a very special round of everybody’s favorite Robert Pine based game Pick Your Pine as Rick tries to guess what episode of CHiPs Robert Pine and our man Dick Van Patten appeared in together!

Mar 15, 2018

We head back out to sea for a new game, The Love Boat Game, where Mike challenges to Rick to figure out which guest stars played which roles. For our maiden voyage, we look at Season 6, episode 10, "The Man In the Iron Shorts, Victims, Heavens to Betsy," featuring Janine Turner, Ruth Warrick, Laurence Lau, and a man called Pine.

Mar 8, 2018

In this bonus minisode, we play another round of everybody’s favorite Robert Pine based game Pick Your Pine. This time, Rick tries to guess what show from the BOTNS era featured both Robert Pine and the great Anne Meara.

Mar 1, 2018

In this bonus minisode, we discuss seeing a show we once wanted to see, Year At the Top. Greg Evigan and Paul Shaffer sell their souls to rock and roll with help from Mickey Rooney! Mike saw an episode, Rick has a lot of questions, and Mike has some surprising answers.

Feb 15, 2018

ALL ABOARD THE PACIFIC PRINCESS FOR THE SEASON 3 BATTLE OF THE NETWORK SHOWS BATTY AWARDS…AT SEA! YOUR BARTENDER ISAAC WILL BE MIXING COLORTINIS ALL NIGHT, SO SIT BACK AND LAUGH AT THE COMEDY STYLINGS OF MERRIL STUBING! RELIVE THE BEST OF THE “EIGHT IS ENOUGH” TALENT SHOW, LOVINGLY RE-CREATED BY OUR CRACK RESEARCH TEAM! GROOVE TO A SPECIAL DUET BY MICHAEL KNIGHT AND KITT…ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE GERMAN! ALL THIS PLUS NEW AWARDS CATEGORIES, THE RETURN OF FAVORITES LIKE BEST SHOW, BEST EPISODE, AND BEST FACIAL HAIR, AND DON’T FORGET THE ROBERT PINE GENIUS AWARD! NEXT!

Feb 8, 2018

With anticipation running high for the season 3 BATTY Awards, we present this special teaser. Hear the Outstanding Eyebrows category before anyone else and be sure to return next Thursday for the full extravaganza!

Jan 11, 2018

All aboard The Love Boat for our season 3 finale. In this fascinating, timely, yet very much of its time episode: Marcia Brady competes in a beauty contest and contends with a jealous boyfriend (Bobby Sherman); our man DVP (Dick Van Patten) plays a disgraced politician courted by Mama (Vicki Lawrence) for the wrong reasons; and Isaac (Ted Lange) learns about his people from an unlikely source. Plus, Rick argues that The Love Boat is the quintessential TV show, and we try to figure out what Gopher does.

Jan 4, 2018

Rick fulfills a podcast dream to talk about professional wrestling, and Mike plays along. This episode of "Saturday Night's Main Event" features staples like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Rowdy Roddy Piper, plus Jesse Ventura providing very colorful color commentary. Expect action, expect yelling, expect something resembling comedy. Oh, and did we mention the wedding?

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