TV Guidance Counselor

Look-In January 16-23, 1988 This week Ken welcomes comedian and co-host of the Cheap Show Podcast, Paul Gannon. Ken and Paul discuss how they first met, the Geek Night Out live show, having strange interests, the history of television in the UK, how Paul loved board games, Party Til You Puke, Radio Times, TV Times, The Jr. TV Times, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, regional UK programming, Thames TV, LWT, Angelica TV, the phenomenon of UK Annuals, US Comic Book annuals, Alan Moore, NOW Comics, Ralph Snart, The Ghostbusters, Star Comics, Charlton Comics, Marvel UK, Cannon and Ball, Worzel Gummidge, Michael Crawford, Some Mothers Do Ave Em, Man About the House, exporting comedy, UK Movies based on UK Sitcoms, Stella Street, On the Buses, Sapphire and Steel, Street Hawk, Wuzzles, Disney TV animation, No. 72, Tiswas, SMTV, loving Cat Deeley, aHa, Bros, Five Star, skinheads, breaking sausage news, Whetabix, stealing the Gillete logo, The Trap Door, Jonathan Ross, hating Mick Hucknall, Masters of the Universe, Airwolf, quizzes, The A-Team, Argos, Service Merchandise, the strangeness of UK TV schedules, Ghost Busters Jeans, Roger Ramjet, bookleg Garfield, writing letters to complain about Scooby Doo, and strange drawings of Miriam d'abo.

discussing when TV is the Monster with Stephen R. Bissette, Dana Gould, Sam Furst and Heather Buckley.

February 5-11, 2000 This week Ken welcomes writer, TV host and all around personality Frank DeCaro to the show. Ken and Frank discuss The Daily Show, Frank's SIriusXM radio show, writing a NYTimes column, The Mary and Rhoda reunion movie, being late for a meeting with Mary and Rhoda, how actors shouldn't always be the writers of what they act in, being good at being single, nostalgia trips, meeting Valerie, Ken and the WBZ Time Capsule, TV Guide with grandma, Dark Shadows, the 4:30 Movie, Saturday Morning Preview Shows, pilots, the golden age of TV, how we're not in the golden age of TV maybe, Ziggy Flargowitz, how nothing prevented is new, E! True Hollywood Stories, A&E Biography, how living in LA can ruin things, why we no longer need talk shows, disliking Johnny Carson, The Lawrence Welk Show, growing up and with The Sopranos, Ted Danson's quality control, Julie Louie Dreyfus being our Lucy, George C. Scott Patton dolls, World's Most Anti-Social Acts, how all commercials are sexualized now, World's Sexiest Commercials, stirring things with yourself, the changing face of BO, from soup to subs, George Reeves, The Truth Behind Sitcom Scandals, Love Boat, Barry Bostwick, Cougartown, Spin City, Friends, Jesse, whatever the hell Stark Raving Mad is, hating competition shows, aside from RuPaul's Drag Race, variety shows, how being gross should at least be funny, why people on the radio don't also need to be gorgeous, the lack of raconteurs in today's Entertainment world, how having so many fewer outlets made careers, Charles Nelson Riley, George Schlatter, the lack of blooper reels, Laugh-In, and the Disco Devil in Frank's new book about Disco.

December 4-10, 1982 This week Ken welcomes writer and creator/host of The Bastard Tapes Podcast, Tim Harrod. Ken and Tim discuss the unique spite of people from New England, video games, Atari, walking to the arcade, Charlottesville, pinball companies trying to take on video games, how Nintendo temporarily killed arcades, Dragon's Lair, Saturday Supercade, Q*Bert, Steve Allen, stand up on TV, the influence of MTV, Solid Gold, Tim Thomerson, the weird MTV influenced syndicated sketch comedy show, Laugh Tracks, Gallagher, Gallagher II, Cinemax Comedy Experiment, Martin Mull, Rich Hall, Joe Piscapo and his mysterious Halloween Special, Dead Heat, Disney's Christmas Gift, Life's Most Embarrassing Moments, Foul Ups, Bleeps and Blunders, the influence of Letterman, Dennis Wolfberg, how you rarely saw Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck together, Fridays, being conscripted into Circus of the Stars, Charlie Brown Christmas, Doctor Who, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Joanie Loves Chachi, the missing Cunningham, RapCity Kids Christmas, M*A*S*H, Three's Company, Dolly Parton's Sister, Jane Curtain's Cousin, Newhart, Real People, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Follow that Bird, Family Ties, Cheers, Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes, always going for comedy, fake bands on real TV shows, The Urkel, The Guys Next Door, Chip and Pepper's Comedy Madness, Meatballs and Spaghetti, the fame of Nelson, Taxi, Too Close for Comfort, Sneak Previews, Siskel and Ebert's dog vs skunk, The Toy, Richard Pryor, a good story about Jackie Gleason, Chris Elliot, Action Family, The Powers of Matthew Star, Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Special, Sledge Hammer, losing the car horn, Wonder Bug and Schlep car, and the changes of the Incredible Hulk.

April 30 - May 6, 1988 This week Ken welcomes the other half of the Boss Bitches podcast, writer, actor, comedian Kirsten O'Brien. Ken and Kirsten discuss Ken mispronouncing her name, growing up in Scituate, FSU, being a dancer, moving to Florida because your Dad needs to flee the sigma of organized crime, bookies, living in NYC, having your family be funnier than you, Bill Burr, 1988, The Golden Girls, Dr. Ruth, Ethical Sluts, Betty White and Rue swapping roles, HIV, AIDS on TV, Very Special Episodes, TWA Hostages, the TWA Hotel, being hired to do atmosphere acting, vintage clothes, smoking, Benson and Hedges, weird swingers, eating off brand Slim Jims, being sex positive, awful dude comedians, Dolly Parton's Variety Show, Sonny and Cher, showgirls, how amazing Cassandra Peterson is, Mae West, Jennifer Love Hewitt, "Let's Go Bang", loving stand up, The Star Wars Holiday Special, Wookie Porn, living in the same neighborhood as Dr. Ruth, the Golden Girls cafe, Washington Heights, Emma: Queen of the South Seas, Skinimax, satellite dishes, Just the Ten of Us, Loni Anderson, hating the Kardashians, Pamela Anderson, sex tapes, Pee Wee Herman, Mr. Rogers, In Living Color's The Head Detective, renting video tapes, and loving Drew Barrymore.

January 28 - February 3, 1989 This week, after a few false starts, Ken welcomes comedian Amy Miller (watch her special Ham Mouth and buy her album California King) to the show. Ken and Amy discuss false starts, kids cartoons, missile launch codes, growing up White Trash, Roseanne, Joe Camel, sexy Joe Camel, buying scratch tickets, being sent to the corner store for adults, bootleg carnival airbrush art, Camel Cash, Marlboro Miles, stranger danger, realistically defending Roseanne, exploiting crazy people, vetting celebrities, how you can't say "White People Suck" on Instagram, Dan Conner: Great Dad, Russians bootlegging American TV, Vanna White, Golden Girls, Empty Nest, full page ads, 21 Jump St, Perfect Strangers, mail order music clubs, Throw Mama From the Train, not watching America's Most Wanted, LifeTime style movies of the week, Farrah Fawcett made for TV movies, the strangeness of Craisins, Children of a Lesser God, Dreambreakers, pretending you watched Billy Graham so you can talk about it at Church, The Wonder Years, Family Ties, Head of the Class, Growing Pains, Boner in the Army, the lack of female people of color on the mainstream stand up scene in the 1980s, Night Court, Marsha Warfield, loving David Letterman, Just the Ten of Us, TV stars trying to have musical careers, Dallas, Beauty and the Beast, Falcon Crest, CBS being super horny, being thankful for gel caps, complaining about boxing padding, and Murphy Brown.

February 7-13, 1987 This week Ken welcomes listener and author of the new, must buy, book "Flick Attack", Rod Lott. Ken and Rod discuss Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, completing your life long dreams, John Brennan from the Real World, cowboys, hating most people, Near Dark, Lance Hendrickson, the importance of video stores, loving Ann-Margaret, mid season replacement season, grandparents putting back issues of TV Guide aside for you, the movie listings, feeling like you're in the future, Blade Runner, growing up in Central Time, the final season of The Facts of Life, Fall Preview, The Playboy Channel, Saturday Morning Cartoons, "Larry" Fishburne, Bruce Willis' The Return of Bruno, Easy Street, Partners in Crime, Loni Anderson, Lynda Carter, Nothing is Easy the show formerly known as Together We Stand, Elliot Gould, reboots, Commander USA, Kate & Allie, My Sister Sam, the first live episode of SNL Ken ever saw, Pee Wee Herman, Drew Barrymore hosting SNL, Frontier Gynecologists, Vampire's Kiss, After Hours, how Motorama is basically The Wizard, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Len Sella's Silly Cinemas, Stillwatch, CBS Made For-TV movies, loving Charles Rocket, Not Necessarily The News, Carol Burnett, Perfect Strangers, Head of the Class, Gimme a Break, Family Ties, Michael J Fox, Cheers, Friday Night Videos, The Paper Chase, CBN, The 700 Club, following up on 60 Minutes subjects, watching TV while eating dinner, and the mystery of George Cooker's The Corn is Green.

January 21 -27, 1956 This week Ken welcomes professional wrestler, podcaster, YouTube sensation and kindred spirit RJ City to the show. Ken and RJ discuss being in Toronto, Alison Rosen, doing too much work, wrestling, Ethel Mirman, TV tapings, Ravishing Rick Rude, Stand Up Comedians, Ken's ignorance to Canadian wrestlers, grandmothers introducing RJ to old show biz, vaudeville, how nothing really changes, Lipstick and Dynamite, Gorgeous George, Milton Berle, the search for the wrestling episode of the Mike Douglas Show, John Mikel Thor, Mason Reese, Charles Nelson Riley, how somehow nobody "knows", getting a Cameo from Ruth Buzzi, Lidsville, The Sid & Marty Kroft amusement park, Lawrence Welk, creepy cult vibes, One Toke Over the Line, weird accents, racial insensitivity, Fred Penner's Place, Mr. Dressup, working at CBC, missing Degrasi, I Love Lucy, The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, Wyatt Earp, having the first name "Welcome", shooting poker chips, Hugh O'Brien, hideous old male comedians, Shirley McClain, Dick Dale on Lawrence Welk?, Wally Cox, Ernie Kovacs, Edie Adams, The Gentlemaniacs, Sidney Lumet, plays on TV, Kathleen Freeman, Mayor of the Town, Jerry Lewis, David Arquette, evil Jerry Lewis, The King of Comedy, telethons, You Can Quote Me, game shows, publishers, the effects of smoking on human skin, finding graves, loving Phil Silvers, talking to Dick Cavett, Don Knotts, Red Skelton, Anthony Perkins, Bates Motel: The Series, Budd Cort, Rich Little's impressions, Cleo the talking Dog, Jackie Cooper, cheesecake photography, Howling II, Monkey Phases, Wayne and Shuster, comedy by the man, Lorne Michaels, Bob and Ray, the movie "Who?", the Lawrence Welk fan club, Champagne music, blimp hangars, Bishop Sheen, Oral Roberts, getting set up with Charro, Xavier Cugat, bizarre mustaches, Where They Are Now, and the strange UFO obsession of Jackie Gleason.

This week Ken welcomes LEGENDARY director Joel Zwick to the show. Ken and Joel discuss Second Sight, exploding buildings, Boston, John Larroquette, Bronson Pinchot, faithless Cantors, off Broadway experimental theater in the 1960s, Kim Basinger, shooting the rehearsal, LBJ's part in the JFK assassination, having your phone tapped by the FBI, directing sitcoms, coverage, editing, directing over 100 episodes of Full House, growing up in Sheephead's Bay in Brooklyn NY, growing up singing with Carol King, being a natural born entertainer, Jimmy Durante impressions, playing Coco in the Mercado, going to high school with Neil Sedaka, singing in the Cosigns, taking a deal in college, treating people right, having no goals, directing Bustin' Loose, sneaking spec Odd Couple scripts to Jack Klugman via his limo driver, getting your Union Card via Summer Stock, Corvette Summer, how great Annie Potts is, meeting Gary Marshall, Buffalo Bill, unlikable characters, Perfect Strangers, Louie Anderson, Family Matters, how everything changed with episode 8 when Urkel was introduced, the reboot of the Odd Couple, playing a Bunny farmer, directing presentations, unsold pilots, Adventures in Babysitting, Angie, It's a Living, Makin It, Bosom Buddies, the greatness of Penny Marshall, Harvey Corman sitting in the sitcoms audience, The Olson Twins, ugly triplets, John Stamos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, jumping from movies to TV, how comedic actors can do ANYTHING, how if you don't do comedy you really don't do comedy, Michael Keaton, Working Stiffs, Fat Albert, the amazing talent of Zendaya, Peter Scolari, Adrian Zmed, Boston comics not understanding what stories don't make them look good, Ann Jillian, and the greatness of Lauri Metcaff.