The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – HBO

Created by Jonathan Ames

Theme music: “Bored to Death” written by Jason Schartzman and Jonathan Ames and performed by Coconut Records, with lead vocals by Jason Schwartzman. 

• 001. Stockholm Syndrome – 9/20/2009
  • Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) is an aspiring writer living in Brooklyn who has published one book and is working as a journalist for Edition magazine. His girlfriend Suzanne (Olivia Thirlby) leaves him because of his addiction to pot and white wine. In a funk, he puts an ad on Craigslist identifying himself as a private detective. Sullen about the breakup, he attempts to talk to his friend Ray Hueston (Zach Galifianakis), a comic book artist, but he has relationship problems of his own with his girlfriend Leah (Heather Burns). His boss George Christopher (Ted Danson), a well-known liberal figure in the city and editor of Edition, uses Jonathan as his supplier of pot. Soon a call comes in from a girl named Rachel Klein (Ryena de Courcy) searching for her missing sister Lisa (Fiona Dourif). Jonathan tracks down her boyfriend and finds the sister there, tied up on the bed. The police show up, but the girl claims that it was consensual, so it is Jonathan who is arrested. He is let go with the warning to stop impersonating a private detective, but soon enough, another call comes in from a potential client. 5/4/13 Read the rest of this entry »

SEASON 1 – ABC

Created by Eric Monte

Opening theme: “What’s Happening!!” by Henry Mancini

NOTE: This series is loosely based on the 1975 film “Cooley High”

• 001. The Runaway – 8/5/1976
  • Roger “Raj” Thomas (Ernest Thomas), Freddy “Rerun” Stubbs (Fred Berry), and Dwayne Nelson (Heywood Nelson), three students attending Jefferson High School in the Watts section of Los Angeles, California, are sitting around at the local hangout Rob’s talking about the evening’s upcoming party at their friend Betty’s house. Raj’s mom Mabel (Mabel King) has some disappointing news for Raj when he gets home, however: she has to work and Raj will have to babysit his sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) and not allow her to eat any more peanut butter. Raj decides that he will hire a sitter for $1 so that he can sneak off to the party. He gets an elderly senile woman named Millie (Helen Martin), who immediately falls asleep. Mabel decides to come home and pick up Dee so that Raj can attend the party, only to find Millie fast asleep and Dee eating peanut butter; she takes Dee with her to work. Meanwhile at the party, Betty’s parents come home unexpectedly and break up the party. When Raj gets home, he finds that Dee is missing and calls the police. When Mabel returns home, she leaves Dee outside and confronts Roger. Roger pretends that Dee is upstairs asleep…until she appears downstairs. Rerun and Dwayne return to Betty’s house so that Rerun can steal the party cake. Debbi Morgan is Diane. 4/29/13 Read the rest of this entry »

SEASON 1 – ABC

Theme music: “The Brady Bunch” written by Frank DeVol, performed by The Peppermint Trolley Company

• 001. The Honeymoon – 9/26/1969
  • In his home in a California suburb, architect and widower Mike Brady (Robert Reed) is nervous on the morning of his wedding day, and his maid Alice Nelson (Ann B. Davis) is trying to calm him down. He is about to combine his family of three boys Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland) with his wife-to-be Carol Martin (Florence Henderson) and her daughters Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen). The boys talk Mike into letting them bring their dog Tiger to the wedding and this proves to be a disaster when he chases the girls’ cat Fluffy and destroys the wedding cake and decorations. Still the minister (Dabbs Greer) pronounces them man and wife and they take off for their honeymoon. They are unable to enjoy it though as they feel guilty for yelling at their kids during the wedding fiasco, so they go back home and bring the entire family – including Alice – along with Alice, much to the chagrin of the hotel manager Mr. Pringle (James Millhollin). J Pat O’Malley and Joan Tompkins are Henry and Mrs. Tyler. 4/23/13

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SEASON 1 – CBS

Theme song: “You’re My Greatest Love,” composed by Jackie Gleason and performed by an orchestra led by Ray Bloch

NOTE: This series was based on sketches that originally appeared on “The Cavalcade of Stars” between 1951-1952, then on “The Jackie Gleason Show” between 1952-1955. Although those programs have never been released in their entirety, the existing sketches have been released as stand-alones and are listed below following the TV series entries.

• 001. TV or Not TV – 10/1/1955
  • Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), a bus driver for the Gotham Bus Company in Brooklyn, New York, is too cheap to buy his wife Alice (Audrey Meadows) a new television, even after she attempts to sweet talk and pamper him, so he asks his friend and neighbor Ed Norton (Art Carney), a sanitation engineer working in the sewers, who is married to Trixie (Joyce Randolph), to split the cost and then share the TV. Through a shady coin flip, Ralph wins the right to have the TV in his house. Unfortunately, Ralph and Ed can’t agree on what they watch, with Ed monopolizing the TV to watch Captain Video and His Video Rangers. Ralph initially throws Ed out, but then they try to agree on a program to watch together. Ed tricks Ralph into leaving the apartment to get a better reception with the antenna, and then locks him out so he can resume watching Captain Video. Ed later sneaks into the apartment to watch TV after the Kramdens go to bed. Ralph is initially enraged, but then joins Ed for a late night movie – but both immediately fall asleep. Alice finally agrees that it was a bad idea to bring a TV into the house. George Petrie is the voice of Captain Video. 4/17/13 Read the rest of this entry »

SEASON 1 – CBS

Theme music: “WKRP In Cincinnati Main Theme” composed by Tom Wells, lyrics by Hugh Wilson, performed by Steve Carlisle

• 001. Pilot – 9/18/1978
  • Program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) arrives in Cincinnati from Sante Fe, New Mexico after being hired by Station Manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump). He meets WKRP employees secretary Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson), salesman Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), DJ Johnny Caravella (Howard Hesseman), and Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers), who assists with the traffic reports. Andy announces his intentions to help the station turn a profit by converting them from Easy Listening’ music to all rock and roll. Once he sets this into motion, Carlson’s mother Lillian Carlson (Sylvia Sidney), who owns the station, shows up to get rid of Andy. After Andy pleads his case and Carlson finally stands up to his mother, she decides to give them a shot at revamping the station. Johnny changes his on-air name to “Johnny Fever” and Andy brings in a New Orleans DJ named Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid). 4/17/13

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