Tread Perilously

Tread Perilously's annual Doctor Who months returns with the 20th Anniversary special, "The Five Doctors."

When the Doctor discovers his previous selves are being plucked from time, he sets the TARDIS for Gallifrey. Meanwhile, on the Time Lord homeworld, The First, Second, and Third Doctors are reunited with friends and companions to brave the Death Zone -- a region of the planet host to deadly games and the Tomb of Rassilon, the greatest figure in Time Lord history. Will they discover he was a mad tyrant or will his wisdom aid the Doctors in defeating their true adversary? 

Episode writer Terrance Dicks gets compared to Robert Holmes. His references to Doctor Who history throughout the story also get examined. Justin disagrees with pairing the Second Doctor and the Brigadier. He also doubts the show was a phenomenon in 1983. The pair discuss the unending 80s revival and Tegan Jovanka's new look for the special. The unfortunate role for Sarah Jane Smith in the episode, Susan's almost-unacknowledged place in Doctor Who history, and the Welsh countryside also earn some chatter. Erik plants the idea of Tom Hiddleston as a younger First Doctor in Justin's mind. Actor Richard Hurndall, who plays the First Doctor in the special, gets a review all his own. Justin evaluates Turlough and a proposed new "Five Doctors" quickly becomes "The Six-and-a-Half Doctors."

Tread Perilously's crossover month concludes where superheroes and sitcoms collide -- an episode of I Love Lucy called "Lucy and Superman."

Little Ricky and his best friend, Stevie, will soon celebrate their birthdays, but Lucy and Stevie's mother enter an arms race to see who can throw the better party. Stevie's mother hires a clown and magician. Strapped for ideas, Lucy gets Ricky to reach out to Superman, a TV star they met while visiting Los Angeles. But when the Man of Steel initially turns down the offer to appear, Lucy takes it upon herself to become the Last Son of Krypton. Will her hare-brained scheme work or will the Man of Tomorrow come to her rescue?

Erik and Justin accept I Love Lucy's premise that Superman is a real celebrity who is both super-powered and a TV star. They also "'splain" the premise of the original three-camera sitcom. Both Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are praised for their pioneering efforts. Their children, less so. Erik reveals the meaning of I Love Lucy to him, which differs greatly for Justin. Nikita Khrushchev's plan to create a Soviet Superman is revealed. Justin once again stumps for Hollywoodland. Erik tries to remember all the men who played Superman and Chris Knight continues to evolve into the devil.

Tread Perilously's Crossover month finally delivers on the long-promised look at the Bones and Sleepy Hollow crossover: "The Resurrection in the Remains" and "Dead Men Tell No Tales."

When the Bones team uncovers a headless corpse from the 18th Century next to the fresh corpse they were called to investigate, Abby Mills and Ichabod Crane make the drive from Sleepy Hollow to "assist" Brennan and Booth while also claiming rights to the dry bones. And once they arrange for transport, Brennan and Booth must help them uncover a 250-year-old mystery in order to stop Draugir from killing everyone in town.

Erik finally experiences Sleepy Hollow while Justin recalls why he even suggested this crossover in the first place all those years ago. The pair get lost in the weeds discussing "chummy" character crossovers. Justin considers why The Simpsons lost ground with the younger generations. Erik declares Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way to be one of the great literary characters. The clash of tones between the two shows sets the episodes apart. Americana proves to be a great source of comedy, as does Sleepy Hollow's Shannyn Sossamon. Justin offers one key pet peeve about Sleepy Hollow and the motion picture Flatliners becomes surprisingly important.

Tread Perilously's crossover month proves as a good excuse to examine episode seven of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour -- a crossover in its own right!

In the narrative sketches, the school-aged Brady kids meet the children from What's Happening!! when they are moved to the Bradys' studio classroom for the day. The actors always present as themselves, but the show tries very hard to make them behave as their characters. Nevertheless, the quick rapport between the two groups leads Peter to suggest the What's Happening!! kids be guests on the Bradys' variety program. Will Mike and Carol be as pleased? Also, will they be able to articulate why they don't want young actors who play kids from Watts on the show?

Paul Pakler from Paul and Corey Cross the Streams joins Erik and Justin for a look at 1970s variety television. Erik, being on assignment, must use a lower-quality microphone. Paul blames Richard Nixon (haroo!) for the enduring popularity of the Brady concept. Justin tries to find some modern personalities who could host a variety show. Erik blames Ken Ober for Susan Olsen's downward spiral. The horror of Alice's musical number is defined in detail and Rick Dees is almost ignored. Danielle Spencer proves to be the episode MVP and Fake Jan makes a small impression.

Tread Perilously's crossover month continues as Baby and the Mystery Machine collide in the Supernatural episode called "ScoobyNatural."

When Dean is awarded a widescreen TV for defeating a haunted dinosaur toy, he and Sam are transported into the animated reality of Scooby Doo, Where Are You! -- episode 16, "A Night of Fright Is No Delight" to be exact. While Sam frets about being a drawn character, Dean turns into a total fan even as he attempts to tempt Daphne away from Fred. But the merriment may get cancelled when the lighthearted events of the plot turn to real murder. Will a haunted television turn this crossover into something lethal?

Justin admits to never being a Muppets guy, but he shares Dean's affection for Scooby Doo. A discussion of children's cartoons and the Looney Tunes breaks out. Erik envisions voice actor Frank Welker's mobile recording studio. Justin argues for Velma Dinkley as a Bisexual Icon. Justin waxes about the musical chases in the original series. The Scooby Doo and Supernatural formats are examined. The tendency toward real estate developers as the villain is explained. Matthew Lillard once gets all the praise, as does Grey Griffin. Velma and Sam prove to be a fruitful pairing and Erik tries to figure out why the episode's animation leaves him cold.

Tread Perilously finally delivers the long-promised month of crossovers, starting with the Magnum P.I./Murder, She Wrote event -- "Novel Connection" & "Magnum on Ice."

When Robin Masters' latest house guests appear to be marked for assassination, Higgins does everything in his power to dissuade Magnum from digging into the case. As it happens, Masters' agent has brought in help of her own: Jessica Fletcher. And while Magnum keeps saying he doesn't want the case and Jessica maintains she is no investigator, the pair end up looking into the problem once Magnum stands accused of murdering a local he insists is the contract killer hired to kill one of the guests.

Erik and Justin plot a "Crisis of Infinite Podcasts." They also take another look at both Magnum and Murder, She Wrote as different types of detective shows. Higgins' absolute fascination with Jessica proves to be the crossover's greatest asset -- and that's considering the presence of Jessica Walter in the guest cast! The strange ending of the Magnum episode leads Erik to suspect a "safety" conclusion was filmed for syndication. The mystery of Robin Masters is once again explored. Wolverine proves to be a bad man. Tom Selleck's leading man quality is appraised and Ronny Cox leads the "untrustworthy screen presence" chart.

Tread Perilously's first Grab Bag month of the year concludes with a look at the infamous Mrs. Columbo via the episode called "A Riddle for Puppets."

When ventriloquist and puppet maker Victor March is murdered, police are baffled by the killing. They believe it's a robbery, but Kate Columbo suspects something else when she meets March's former protege, Noel Abbott. A ventriloquist of some renown, he has seemingly lost control of his dummy, who both refuses to do their routines and openly admits he hates Abbott. But this is all just Abbott externalizing his own issues, right? Will Kate be able to wrangle a confession for Abbott or will his dummy squeal?

Erik's Kate Mulgrew impression gets a workout. The difference between Kate Columbo and Mrs. Columbo is explored. Justin delivers more understanding about Night Court. Both outline a 1950s version of The Terminator. Another reason why Mulgrew was miscast as Columbo's wife is discovered. Ventriloquism turns out to be a virulent disease. Pinhead returns to reveal more of Hell's hierarchy and why improv is so important. A special warning is issued about the Black Forest. A portal of weeds opens when the pair try to explain "Clown can't talk" and Crackers the Demon Puppet makes his debut.

Tread Perilously celebrates its 400th podcast with the final episode of Supertrain -- "Where Have You Been Billy Boy."

When the FBI arranges for a fugitive transfer aboard Supertrain, Randall gets anxious. But will it matter to an aggressive magazine writer, a pregnant woman, a newlywed couple, and an old man when the fugitive -- who continues to maintain his innocence -- accidentally takes them hostage in the dining car? Will Randall be able to handle the situation? Will Flood make things worse? And will a small town sheriff turn Supertrain into a passenger liner of blood? Meanwhile, Penny gets accosted by a traveler.

Erik momentarily forgets Skipjack. Justin hears the laugh track for the first time ... again! The sound editors who added the canned laughter finally get memorialized with a sketch. Penny is chosen as Supertrain's series MVP. Justin recalls the train is nuclear powered and supersonic. A discussion about airplane disaster movies breaks out. The pair also stump for Carnival of Souls. Justin finds a new role for Weird Baby Man. Surprising guest stars lead to many potential future podcasts. Rue McClanahan makes a surprising appearance. A final analysis of Supertrain is made and the ghost of Bob Crane haunts the proceedings.

Tread Perilously's first Grab Bag month of 2023 takes a look at the original Night Court with an episode called "It's Just a Joke."

When Dan's favorite comedian is hauled into court for obscenity by a headline-grabbing reverend, Harry sees it as an open-and-shut First Amendment case. But when the comedian -- Monte Potter, aka "The Potty Man" -- goads Harry into holding him for contempt, the judge begins to suspect there is more to this case than meets the eye. Will he be able to suss out the truth and discover the possibility of collusion? Meanwhile, Bull self-publishes his autobiography.

Erik sets up the wrong microphone, proving his purchases for the studio were indeed correct. Gerd Shockley returns to prove there was no collusion. Wahl's Herring Candy also returns with a surprise twist. The pair prove to be comedy historians with references to Bill Hicks, Sam Kinison, Richard Jeni, Ray Combs, and more. The Manhattan night court turns out to be real. Memories of Night Court's original run on NBC are exchanged; Justin turns out to know a lot about it. Erik reveals his dislike of Linda Ronstadt. The real life equivalents of the plot's comedian and the reverend are explored and Tex-Mex haggis becomes a new delicacy.

"The Ballad of John D. Cort" continues as Tread Perilously heads back to the beach for an episode of Baywatch called "Snake Eyes."

When John D. Cort invites Shauni and Eddie to an illegal casino aboard a rusting boat, he thinks it's all in good fun. But when Eddie catches a streak of beginner's luck and wins $2,000, he also catches the gold fever. Returning to the boat the next day, he gives it all back and signs a marker totaling three grand. Will he come clean to Shauni and the others? And will Cort figure out a way to bail out his hapless pal?

Erik and Justin try to determine Cort's G.I. Joe codename. Eddie's failures as a character leave them to question if it's all a joke at actor Billy Warlock's expense. Several TV shows get pitched thanks to Cort's hijinks. The Full Peril film list continues to grow. Werner Herzog returns. Justin becomes the expert in a beach-focused Geography Corner. Erik explains why David Hasselhoff and Sharon Stone never shared the screen. Justin outlines what a date with John D. Cort would be like. He also finds something to like about Mitch. Comedian Brian Haley gets a special spotlight and Casino becomes the most important film recommendation of the last few weeks.