That Was a Show?

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

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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

High Society WAS a show. The year was 1995, and women all over New York City were winning publishing companies in divorce settlements. Such was the case with Dorothy "Dott" Emerson, played by Mary McDonnell. She published the trashy yet highly successful romance novels penned by her best friend Ellie Walker, played by Jean Smart. The show is pretty much just about the daily comings and goings of Dott and Ellie as they live it up as outrageously as possible amongst New York’s high society scene. What did Elizabeth Taylor have to do with all of it, and what exactly was Liz Night on CBS?! Brynn, Aaron and Barry put on their best black tie and jewellery, pop some champagne, and try to figure out why this show didn’t get invited to any more parties. Plus, tune in to find out what they mean when they say that this show has major BWD energy!

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

Music: Caribbean Steel Drum Happiness - Doug Maxwell
Support by RFM - NCM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6odKJYly3Q

Father Ted WAS a show…in fact it was the most successful Irish sitcom ever! This surprisingly dark, twisted sitcom left an indelible mark on the Emerald Isle, but it’s been largely forgotten over on this side of the pond. It’s about three Catholic priests who were banished to the fictitious Craggy Island for various sins, and now live together as roommates. How did this show become so uniquely iconic with a mere 25 episodes in existence? Brynn, Aaron & Barry hop on a plane and fly to Ireland to find out!

Visit our website! thatwasashow.com

Email: [email protected] (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!)

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

Be Kind, Rewind! For this bonus episode, it’s a look back at the recently reviewed show The Single Guy. This show was created by Brad Hall (husband of Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and aired right before Seinfeld. The first time around there was some speculation about an episode featuring a cameo appearance from this comedy star best known for portraying Elaine Benes. Brynn and Aaron decide to give it a watch!

Visit our website! thatwasashow.com

Email: [email protected] (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!)

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