There’s an urban legend floating around the web that claims today in 1968, the television industry was briefly stopped in its tracks by the devil. We'll unpack this wild story.
Live broadcasting is a place where a lot can go wrong. Like a 1950s broadcast in the UK in which a key actor in a live drama had a fatal heart attack mid-show.
Today in 1952, the first TV episode of the soap opera Guiding Light. It was one of many hit shows led by a writer and producer sometimes called the “queen of soaps,” Irna Phillips.
Today in 2006, IT job candidate Guy Goma rose to the occasion when a BBC TV producer mistakenly brought him onto a live show to talk about the internet, even though they were actually supposed to interview a different Guy on the air.
There aren't a lot of top-drawer Thanksgiving specials, but the "WKRP In Cincinnati" episode "Turkeys Away" may qualify. Here's some of the real life story that inspired the absolutely bonkers plot of the show.
Today in 1990, the premiere of one of the most bewildering TV experiments of all time: Cop Rock. We'll explain how the show happened and why it didn't quite catch on.
If you’re a Jetsons fan on the internet these days, you’re probably living the dream right now. Because, if you look really closely at the futuristic cartoon show’s backstory, the main character, George Jetson, may have just had his birthday.
Today in 1986, I was one of millions of people who watched Geraldo Rivera host the infamous live TV special "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault." How did it come to be, and why did it go so far off course?
Today in 1977, the Not Ready For Prime Time Players were joined by perhaps the most unusual guest host ever: Miskel Spillman, an 80 year old grandma from New Orleans and the winner of the "Anyone Can Host SNL Contest."
Today in 1978, George Lucas's least favorite part of the Star Wars universe, "The Star Wars Holiday Special," aired on TV. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's the only one that has a Jefferson Starship video, a Bea Arthur-owned cantina and opening dialogue that's entirely in Wookiee. Plus: today in 1968, NBC cuts away from the final minutes of a nail-biter football game because it was time to show the movie "Heidi."
