TV Guidance Counselor

December 17-23, 1994 This week Ken welcomes comedian, fellow podcaster, actor and all around good dude Blaze Mancillas to the show. Ken and Blaze discuss NYC vs SF, ships, ghosts, pervy ghosts on ships, Don Johnson, Nash Bridges, video albums, Kathy Lee's crazy life, Dave Chapelle's backdoor Home Improvement pilot, Blown Away's huge explosion, Deep Space Nine, pandemic episodes, easy payment for collector' plate, coin collection, plate you can't eat off of, Bobby's World, Camp Candy, Life with Louie, how therapists are out to get you, Woody Allen's Made for TV movie, The George Carlin Show, Roseanne, 90210's Christmas reality show, MTV's Sex in the 90s, AIDS, urban legends, Rescue 911, UFOs, Bigfoot, The Making of Richie Rich, Basketball cards, E!, The Dream Team, not coming out of the closet, a craving to shoot hoops, ER, Grand Mama, Christmas, Tom Poston, Family Matters, Christmas Unsolved Mysteries, Lion taming, Circuses, fake Unicorn, Pen15, Jeer heavy, lying on Rikki Lake, Jimmy Smidt, NYPD Blue, bookies, Notre Dame and not messing with Boston's team mascots.

In this special BONUS! Episode Ken welcomes writer of such amazing fare as Bill & Ted, Men in Black, and Laverne and Shirly, the fantastic Ed Solomon. Ken and Ed discuss being plagued by Ed Sullivan, Paul Lynde, the lie of Hollywood Squares, 1972, Laverne and Shirley, the Big Ragu, scars, forgetting the 1950s, college finals, cryogenics, eating yourself, Alive!, cutting out syllables to save time, failure, how Ed is NOT the Night Stalker despite being the Prime Suspect for a moment, Punky Brewster, meditation, "nap time", cocaine, legal advice, entrapment, the long game, improv, It's Gary Shandlings Show, making story from a truth vs a gag, not breaking your own rules, time travel, tubes, stumbling into deconstructive inspiration due to ignorance, embracing ideas, genre, noir, Gary Shandling, Mike Nesmith, wearing a costume, mustaches, Yosemite Sam, Ken's cape wearing, desperately wanting David Cassidy hair, and realizing that you and your curly hair are the actual magic the whole time.

April 19-25, 1986 This week Ken welcomes comedian, TV host, and nail polish enthusiast Abbi Crutchfield to the show. Ken and Abbi discuss snow, growing up in Indiana, Hooser vibes, Boston anger, accents, wanting to leave where you grew up, speaking other languages, New York vs. LA, stand up, local commercials, the best looking Men in Hollywood circa 1986, Murder She Wrote, being 50 forever, Pierce Brosnon, your James Bond, Don Johnson, Dallas, Robert Urich, Vegas, looking at things as an adult vs as when you were a kid, being a parent, Remington Steele, Magnum PI settling down, Heartbeat, Friday Night video store trips, creepy dudes hitting up the back room, nail polish, Small Wonder, child actors, Jim Davis, Garfield in Paradise, Tom Bosley, watching the stock market on TV, M&Ms, The Trix rabbit finally getting Trix, TV commercials, entering contests, being at a test screening of Milk Money, The Secret Garden, Columbo, murder, autopsies, Patrick McGoohan, Luke Thayer subjecting Abbi to Mr. Boogedy, John Astin, Home Alone, interviewing celebrities for People magazine, Ken's amazement at Todd Oldham, and being Up Early Tonight.

January 1-7, 2000 January 1-7, 2000 This week Ken welcomes old friends and new creators of the sketch comedy album The Break Up, Micah Sherman and Dan Hirshon. Ken, Dan and Micah discuss how Micah has been on the show before but Dan hasn't, Micah moving to Florida, Dan being in Chicago, how the women are there, Florida Men, vestibules, COVID, time changes, blowing up the bathroom, Crazy people, Dangerous Dan the Bongo Man, being hit by lightning, Deep Dish P*ssy, Elvis, the formative years of college, living in Boston for three years, stand up, tax crimes, playing cruel pranks, cigarettes, all the people we lost in 1999, sleeping in each others beds, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, disposing of dog dirt, Joe Wong, QVC's new host, Bob Bowersocks, giving away the magic, cassingles, throwing bars, The X-Files, The Simpsons, watching things out of order, 20/20, John Stossel, Geraldo, Dennis Miller, Third Rock from the Sun, not having cable, Veronica's Closet/Just Shoot Me/Caroline in the City/Suddenly Susan, wolf men, Micah's quest for reality, Buff the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, scanning TV Guides, TV critics, feeling ok, not having a Winter depression beard, Ken's gray hair, aging, Who's Line Is It Anyone?, who is the best, improv, regional accents, TGIF, Dinosaurs, Fuck you Hippies, Chicago Hot Dogs and the new (not real) Bodyguard watch along podcast.

March 16-22, 1968 March 16-22, 1968 This week Ken welcomes Cartoonist and co-author of the new book (along with friend of the show and future guest Bob Eckstein) "The Elements of Stress and the Pursuit of Happy-ish in this Current Sh*tstorm", Michael Shaw to the show. Ken and Michael discuss MST3k, Wisconsin, The Mid-West, Ken's scholarly attempts, the sweet spot of 1968, growing up outside of St. Louis, Three Stooges, hurting your eyesight, The Flying Nun, TV Service Man talking back, bananas, writing letters, The Prisoner, Hollywood Palace, Nick at Nite, My Three Sons, Hogan's Heroes, Gitmo: The Sitcom, Don Knotts, Wild Kingdom, statutes of Monkey and Man, Eve Arden, vintage radio shows, the greatest of Merrill Markoe, poodles, Danny Thomas, Burlesque, Sam Jones, Andy Griffith, Maybury RFD, Baloney, Swedish Sex documentaries, preferring the replacement casts, I Dream of Jeanie, the weirdest Larry Hagman stories, Matlock vs. Ironsides, homages, English Gardens, not discussing the Beverly Hillbillies as much as you'd think, breaking the 4th wall, the genius of Green Acres, Jonathan Winters, vanilla ice cream, Dragnet, Harry Morgan, Leave it to Beaver, Tarzan, Gomer Pyle, Jerry Van Dyke's performance anxiety, murderers, variety shows, Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Deacon, avoiding dark TV and watching shows you've never watched but should watch.

September 1-7, 1984 This week Ken welcomes comedian, man of Mystery and host of the Futile Attempts podcast Kim Noble. Ken and Kim discuss the greyness of London, having a Boston asshole landlord, hating TV, disappointing the listeners, having a bad memory, squeaky chairs, calling random law firms for advice, just how annoying Kim Noble is, getting a bad review in the New York Times, not being allowed into the country, wanky art, mental people, acid rain, being confused, Channel 4, alt comedy, pranks, social experiments, the legal issues around comedy, art school, panel shows, having James Corden, sexest letters to TV Guide, contacting local news celebrities, hook handed villains, Airwolf, Big Wednesday, Gandhi, comedy not traveling well, Jerry Lewis telethons, Cagney and Lacey, thinking of Meg Foster, contacting Clint Howard for his snowglobes, Double Trouble, Cheers, St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues, Magnum P.I., Airplane II, being a bit English, Monty Python, overwatching The Young Ones, separating art from the artist, marathoning the Bourne films, Bill Hicks, the monsters of comedy, seeing Woody Allen live and hating it, and being staunchly against pedophilia.

October 5-11, 1991 This week to celebrate 450 Episodes of TV Guidance Counselor Ken welcomes the amazing Tyler Spencer aka Dick Valentine of the Electric Six. Ken and Tyler discuss adapting to the pandemic, investing in Zoom, humor tests for Ken, 1991, how the 80s went into the 1990s, Sharon Gless, being a late bloomer, starting University, being a drummer, realizing the front man gets to fire people, firing people, Jazz Dracula, The Best and Worst Dressed, how Ann Magnuson is the coolest person ever, Bongwater, Blair Underwood vs. Andy Griffith, Designing Women, artisanal craft tobacco, The Franklin Mint, writing letters to TV Guide, Northern Exposure, being burned by Twin Peaks, being hunted down by Barry Manilow, being very funny, going to college with the Sklar Brothers, OCD, being obsessive, having to talk between songs, Elvis adding tax, being into Hockey, growing up in Detroit, Edmonton, The Wailers, local fame, Gordy Howe, David Bowie and Wayne Gretzky, the miracle of Tony Danza, riding Barbra Mandrel to get to Mr. Ed, Pump Up The Volume, Football, why being half asleep and surprised is the best time to watch the Superbowl, being a UK Football celebrity, Gay Bar, Top of the Pops, Danger Danger High Voltage, Baby Spice, going Downtown, I Come in Peace, action flicks, loving Annie Potts, Corvette Summer, going initial, C. Everett Coop, seing Ghost over and over, Rescue 911, bad re-enactments, Unsolved Mysteries, The Day After, being desensitized, Mork and Mindy, Freaks and Geeks, going to see The Nude Bomb, Get Smart!, gambling problems, athletes guest starring on television shows, Magnum P.I., writing songs alone at Clippers games, Club MTV, She's Out of Control, Hunter, Fire Walk with Me, why Grand Canyon is the worst movie ever, thirtysomething, editing out the stutter from A Fish Called Wanda, cleaning up movies for TV, and Geraldo Rivera's filthy dirty sex life.

October 22-28, 1983 This week Ken welcomes long time bud and fellow Boston comic Jim Bowes. Ken and Jim discuss ferrets, kids, kids with ferrets, cold dead eyes, Beastmaster, blind love, Centaur Woman, Mr. Smith, Clyde the Monkey, being a teacher, Divorced Dad Horny, getting emails from the GOP, mailing list roulette, Patriot Ledger, going "in town", adult ADD, It's a Living, Sex Therapists, Love Boat, Diff'rent Strokes, impotence, Starblazers, Mr. Big's Toyland, growing up poor, being part of a big family, Rambo, HBO premieres, teenage rumbles, beating people with a crowbar, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Goodnight Beantown, Not Necessarily the News, Newhart, offensive jokes, M*A*S*H, Jane Seymour, The Haunting Passion, TK Carter as a Genie, Amanda Bearse, Happy Days, Jenny Picolo, Political Debates, Ray Flynn, Knight Rider, Mr. Bigs, The Fall Guy, Murderers hunting murderers, Dom DeLuise as a clown, The End, putting words in Richard Roundtree's mouth, Joanna Kerns, Gimme a Break!, Corey Feldman, The Bad News Bears, Scotty Schwartz, Jackie Gleason, The Great Pumpkin, Manimal, Monthy Python, watching documentaries and OUTRAGE!

December 6-12, 1986 This week Ken welcomes comedian Kyle Kinane to the show. Ken and Kyle discuss Zoom backgrounds, homeless wi-fi, Top Secret, revisiting your childhood comedy favorites, Back to the Beach, Malibu, Pajama Parties, dumber Fonzie, turning down bad comedy, getting into an argument with Skippy, Chicago, Chem trails, Ken's wasted potential, Delta Burke, Brundlefly, scratch tickets, buying booze and cigarettes for your family when you are a toddler, forgotten female comics, the greatest of Elayne Boosler, Night Court, John Goodman, how a supporting cast saves a stand up, Hardbodies II, horny accountants, writing closed captions, messing with people, doing a little "mix and match", plastic surgery, Jackee, 227, Golden Girls, giving people whatever, variety shows, gross Kraft dinners, made up sex things, TV trying to get you to read, homework, HBO, Amazing Stories, Monsters, WGN, Svenghoulie, Lifetime Lifestyles, Raising Arizona, Martians Go Home, Playboy Stand Up, Newhart, Moving Violations, Police Academy, Michael Winslow, Cousin Larry Appleton = Larry David, Cousin Balki = Borat, Gimme a Break, Dolph Sweet, The Lawrence Brothers, Diff'rent Strokes, Cobra Kai, the wonder of Billy Zabka, Cheers, what to do with your wallet, eating at Norm's, rebuilding NBC, having a Christmas birthday, Royal Dano, knowing how the game works, Odd Job, Crime Story, Chicago's best actor, The Murray Brothers, Cusack, Black Velvet Flag, and the wonders of teenage punk rock.

December 25-31, 1976 This week Ken welcomes British writer, performer, DJ and best all around comedy superstar Graham Duff to the show. Ken and Graham discuss not discussing the weather, Christmas 1976, a life in films, Ghost Stories at Christmas, horror films, The Signalman, Halloween, All Through the House, Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible, the horror of ironic watching, being overwhelmed by a US TV Guide, The Goodies, Benny Hill, the wonders of the horrors of the Jerry Lewis Telethon, Days of Thrills and Laughter, being a film fan, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Starsky and Hutch, John Saxon: Vampire, Satanists, hating Christmas episodes, James Bond, Sean Connery, film scores, being self aware, Christopher Lee, John Carpenter live, Goblin, writing notes on your hands, women in comedy, Hollywood's take on counter culture, TV movies, Salem's Lot, Magnum PI, TV just made to fill time, period pieces, 10pm the perfect slot of barbershop quartets, Best Sellers, Rich Man Poor Man, Once an Eagle, mini-series, television events, Amerika, Bruce Dern, Smile, The Secret Life of John Chapman, Tony Randall, The Hollywood Museum, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, One of my Wives is Missing, Who, The Prisoner, loving Twin Peaks the Return, and the state of television now.