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1989 saw the release of one of the most memorable cinematic comedies of all time, the John Hughes classic Uncle Buck starring the incomparable John Candy and Macaulay Culkin. A mere one year later, a sitcom version was released featuring practically none of the original cast. The replacements try their darnedest to replicate the unique charm of the film, which is of course the story of three kids left in the care of their rough-around-the-edges uncle Buck Russell whilst their parents leave town to attend to a family emergency. The show has a premise that has been modified in dark and strange ways to suit the format of an ongoing series. Brynn, Aaron and Barry light up cigars, hop in the old ‘77 Mercury and try to figure out why this version of the heartwarming family story backfired. (Fans of the movie will get that reference!) Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

For the 2023 very special holiday episode, the TWAS team watches Christmas episodes from three classic shows: a very successful show (Family Matters), a failed or forgotten show (Soul Man) and a wild card episode of a show with a particularly unusual format (The Nanny)...and learn more than they ever wanted to know about Stefan Urquelle. Join Brynn, Aaron and Barry as they usher in a nice relaxing holiday season. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Hardball WAS a show. This baseball themed workplace sitcom aired on Fox in the fall of 1994 and centred around the exploits of the fictional American League team The Pioneers. Sitting on the bench for this one were some actors who’d go on to be some real heavy hitters themselves, like Bruce Greenwood, Mike Starr, Phill Lewis, Joe Rogan and Steve “Kenny Bania” Hytner.  Join Brynn, Aaron and Barry as they bunt, hit a homer, run the bases and…uh some other baseball stuff. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Going Places WAS a show. In fact, it was part of ABC’s famous TGIF lineup during the 1990 to 1991 season, and lasted just 19 episodes. It was about two brothers from Chicago who move to LA to take jobs as TV comedy writers, and move into a house owned by the show’s producer. Also living with them are two women who also write for the show. Hijinks ensue? Going Places stood out as a workplace comedy for adults, as compared to the more typically family-oriented shows in the Friday night block like Full House and Family Matters, the mainstays of TGIF. Brynn, Aaron and Barry get in an old convertible, drive down to LA and run out onto the beach at sunset…which will make sense once you listen to the episode! Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Soul Man WAS a show. It ran from April 15, 1997 to May 26, 1998 for a total of 25 episodes. Starring official Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd, it’s the story of Mike Weber, a widowed Episcopal priest and single father of four children in Royal Oak, Michigan. It takes place in the Home Improvement Sitcom Universe due to crossover episodes featuring Al Borland, and also features occasional guest appearances from the one and only John Goodman as Mike Weber’s old friend. Brynn, Aaron and Barry are eager to see if this classic piece of nostalgia can still carry a tune. Comin' to ya on a dusty road; Good lovin' I got a truck load; And when you get it you got something; So don't worry cause I'm coming…I'm a soul man, I'm a soul man, I'm a soul man, I'm a soul man… Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

1996 was a solid year for hangout shows about Gen-Xers. Boston Common is about Boyd and Wyleen Pritchett, a brother and sister from Virginia (played by Anthony Clark and Hedy Burress) who move to Boston. It lasted two years and 32 episodes. Wyleen’s there to attend college, and Boyd is just driving her there as a favour. The twist is that he stays because he meets Joy Byrnes (played by Traylor Howard) and also randomly gets offered a handyman job at the school. Basically he has nothing else going on. So he moves in with his sister—as in they literally share a one room bachelor apartment. Brynn, Aaron and Barry hit the books for an intense study session to figure out why this show flunked out. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

1987 saw the release of the Academy Award winning film Harry and the Hendersons. That Oscar was for makeup and hairstyling, which makes sense when you consider that the star of the story is in fact a bigfoot. It was adapted into a sitcom a mere four years later. Both were produced by Amblin Entertainment, best known as the Spielberg-helmed production company responsible for another 1980s family-meets-fantasy-creature-drama E.T. The Extra Terrestrial…the image of which is right in their logo. This very Hairy show replaced John Lithgow and Melinda Dillon with Bruce Davison and Molly Cheek, as the parents of a family who happen upon a friendly bigfoot and adopt him into their family. Brynn, Aaron and Barry go on a hike in the Pacific Northwest and try to determine if Harry’s ‘feets’ are in fact…too big. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

The next episode of That Was a Show? is coming October 1st. Listen to this fun Radio Gizmo network promo to find out what it is!

On February 26, 1996 CBS pulled off quite possibly the greatest crossover marketing stunt in sitcom history with “Liz Night.” Four different prime time shows featured an ongoing stunt plot with Elizabeth Taylor and a lost black pearl necklace that she needs to promote her new fragrance. The story kicked off with the first show in the lineup—The Nanny. Brynn and Aaron watch the episode and try not to lose the thread. They first discovered this phenomenon by accident during TWAS episode 59 about the show High Society, which is where the missing pearls are finally found. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

The year was 1987 and comedies about multiple straight men raising children together and acting domestic was all the rage! That year saw the movie Three Men and a Baby, the start of Full House…but wait, there was one more lesser known show to hit the airwaves: My Two Dads! Starring Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan as the two dads, and Staci Keanan as the daughter who enters their lives by surprise at the age of 12. Her mother passed away and left her to the care of these two men in her will, because one of them is the biological father—but nobody knows which one. Oh, and the judge who presided over allowing this to actually happen also becomes their landlord. Brynn, Aaron and Barry marvel at what might actually be the most extreme New York loft they’ve ever seen on TV. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place was the 1998 sitcom about Gen-X career and relationship angst. It featured Ryan Reynolds as Berg (Guy 1), Richard Ruccolo as Pete (Guy 2) and Traylor Howard as Sharon (a Girl). They hang out at Beacon Street Pizza in Boston (a Pizza Place) where the Guys work. After season two, the pizza place is dropped from both the story world and the title, and it becomes Two Guys and a Girl—a title that is both preposterously generic and numerically inaccurate, as another Guy as well as another Girl are added to the main cast. Whatever…the point is this slightly younger, slightly edgier version of Friends is best known for helping launch the career of superhero/gin/football tycoon Ryan Reynolds. These two guys and a girl (Barry, Aaron and Brynn) grab a few slices and give it a taste. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

The Crew WAS a show! Before he found success with Desperate Housewives, Mark Cherry co-created this workplace/hangout/romcom sitcom about hot young flight attendants based in Miami. It was a sufficiently horny romp for the 90s Fox line-up but didn’t quite “land” the same pop culture impact as Friends or Living Single. Brynn, Aaron & Barry book a flight on this fictional airline to discuss the many love triangles and polo shirts in primary colours in this forgotten sitcom. There’s also a tangent about tennis bracelets and a couple of cat cameos! Buckle in and prepare for take-off. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker