Prime Time Animation Celebration: Mission Hill

 

After an unfortunate delay of two weeks (sorry about that), Prime Time Animation Celebration returns with a look at the short-lived but well-received series Mission Hill.

The series is about the 20-something life of Andy Finch, an aspiring cartoonist who lives in a loft with his laidback buddy Jim, Andy's high strung, nerdy younger brother Kevin, and platonic female friend Posey. Together, they navigate the trials of young adult life at the turn of the 21st century. Thirteen episodes were produced, but only 6 actually aired on its original network, The WB. All 13 episodes would later air on Adult Swim.

Despite its short stint on TV, the series has still built a loyal following, and after watching the first episode for the first time for this article, I can see why. I laughed out loud several times during the episode, and I will make a point to view all 13 in the near future. After years of hearing good things about the series, I'm happy I finally tried it!

You can watch the first two episodes embedded below.

You can catch more episodes courtesy of the YouTube playlist embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Enjoy!

Coming Soon: Prime Time Animation Celebration!

 

Happy New Year, and Welcome Back!

I hope you had a safe, fun, and rewarding holiday season. Now it's "back to life, back to reality" time, but that doesn't mean we can't still have fun. And I plan to have fun at the blog in animated style!

This month, and throughout the next few weeks (months?), I will be hosting what I call Prime Time Animation Celebration! This will be an examination of several prime time animated series that proliferated in the wake of the massive success of series such as The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and other similar series. I will focus more on the obscure, forgotten series that appeared briefly in the 1990s and 2000s to make it more fun. And there are quite a few series to showcase!

I was inspired to do this a year ago, when I started binging the MTV series Daria for the first time. It reminded me of quite a few animated series that had a go of it on various services, and I thought looking at them would be great blog material, especially during "dry" times such as after the holidays. It will keep my blogging muse focused and provide plenty of material to keep me going.

I hope to have the first installment next week, then focus on one series each week after. This article is a placeholder to pique your interest (and provide me more time to write). I hope you're looking forward to this.

Thanks!

PBS American Playhouse, "Hallelujah" (1993)

 

We're almost there! Christmas is just three days away! Here's a heartfelt film to watch while you wrap your gifts.

"Hallelujah" is an episode of the PBS drama anthology American Playhouse. First aired in 1993, this film follows a young Black preacher (Charles S. Dutton) and his family who arrive at their new church in Washington, D.C. The church board is standoffish with the preacher and only give him two days to win the congregation over before they move on to someone else. Through hard work, determination, and faith, the preacher vows to tackle the neighborhood's problems and give the area's unwanted and unloved a home for Christmas.

This is heavy material for this blog, but I think it's important to throw in some sobering programming here and there to remind you that Christmas isn't just about gifts, food, and merriment. Now more than ever, we need reminders to take care of one another.

In addition to Dutton, the stellar cast includes Phylicia Rashad, Dennis Haysbert, Keith David, and the late James Earl Jones (who was excellent in everything he was in!). Please enjoy embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Thank you!

Mork & Mindy, Season 1, Episode 13, "Mork's First Christmas," December 14, 1978

 

Today's offering is a fun one: it's the first (only?) Christmas episode of Mork & Mindy.

When Mork learns about Christmas and the tradition of giving gifts, he makes his own gifts to give to people with...underwhelming results. After accidentally learning of his friends' disappointment, he finds another gift to give to everyone with a much better outcome.

Sadly, the uploader of this YouTube video doesn't allow embedding to other Web sites (boo), but here is the link to watch it directly on YouTube: Mork & Mindy, "Mork's First Christmas."

Enjoy! Nah noo nah noo!

Dancin' On Air, Christmas Day 1985, WPHL-TV, Channel 17, Philadelphia

 

There must have some magic in that ol' Christmas Day 1985, because I have another pop music-focused program that aired the same Christmas Day as the MTV programming block I shared with you last week.

I've discussed before the 80s-era local Philly TV dance show Dancin' On Air, an 80s successor to American Bandstand. The show went national years later on the USA cable network under the name Dance Party USA. Think hair spray, neon, local TV production values, early hip hop, and synth-heavy dance music. If that's your thing, this is for you!

Here is the episode that aired on Christmas Day in 1985. And for you commercial freaks out there, this hour-long episode contains all of the commercials as well. Please watch below or directly on YouTube here.

Enjoy!

A Christmas Without Snow TV-Movie, WBBM-TV Chicago, December 9, 1980

 

For this Christmas weekend, I present a full-length TV-movie sure to keep you in a retro Christmas spirit!

A Christmas Without Snow stars actress Michael Learned (The Waltons) as a divorced woman recently settling in San Francisco who joins a church choir. She meets the choir's stern but devout director (the late John Houseman), and while they butt heads, they also help heal each other's emotional wounds in time to celebrate a sincere, inspiring holiday.

This TV-movie, which celebrated its 45-year anniversary this past Tuesday, is readily available on free-commercial-supported streaming services such as Pluto TV, Tubi, and others, but this YouTube upload I'm presenting is special: it's taped directly off of the CBS Chicago affiliate WBBM-TV broadcast the night it premiered, with all of the original commercials intact. Retro TV fans rejoice!

You can watch the film embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Enjoy! Have a warm, cozy, merry Christmas season weekend!

MTV Christmas Day 1985 Programming and other MTV Christmas Bits

 

Here is almost three hours of programming that aired on MTV on Christmas Day, 1985. Nina Blackwood and Martha Quinn are the VJs. There appear to be some edits here and there, so it's not three consistent hours, but it's more than enough to simulate leaving the tube on MTV in the background while sipping your eggnog and playing your newly gifted ColecoVision that long-past Christmas Day.

I've also thrown in some holiday-related bumpers and segments (some that may also appear in the larger video, but hey, repeats are a part of television). Enjoy!

Phyllis, "The Christmas Party"

 

Starting off this second week of the Countdown to Christmas is a holiday-themed episode of the '70s sitcom Phyllis.

Phyllis, a spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, starred the late Cloris Leachman as the titular Phyllis, living as a single woman in San Francisco. In this episode, "The Christmas Party," Phyllis tries to throw a large office party for her coworkers to avoid spending the holiday alone, against the wishes of her politician boss.

Consider yourself invited to the party! Enjoy below or directly on YouTube here. Thanks! 

Thanks, CBS Sitcom Pilot, August 2, 1999

 Hello all! I have one other Thanksgiving item to show you before the big weekend. I'm just getting this in under the wire!

Thanks is a short-lived sitcom that aired on CBS for six weeks starting in August of 1999, about the Pilgrims that settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Of course, this is NOT historically accurate, as the creators are going for modern-day laughs rather than a history lesson.

The series was panned by both critics and audiences and is now largely forgotten. I only remember it because it debuted during my early years working for TV Guide magazine, but I didn't see it until I looked it up on YouTube this month. I've only seen this first episode, and I found it mildly amusing enough. Plus, it was fun to see some familiar faces, notably the late Cloris Leachman and Erika Christensen (Parenthood, Will Trent).

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

And please be here Monday, December 1st, for the 2025 Countdown to Christmas!

WOR-TV Channel 9 New York TV Commercials from Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1981

The holiday season is nearly here--some people consider the season officially begun--and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than to enjoy these TV commercials that aired on Channel 9 New York, WOR-TV, from Thanksgiving Day, 1981?

While WNBC-TV Channel 4 showed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, this station had an annual tradition of showing King Kong movies on Thanksgiving Day, followed by a Godzilla movie marathon on Black Friday. Sounds awesome to me!

As you can imagine, there are plenty of Christmas-related commercials here, and some good, local ones too, especially if you're a fan of the commercials for the Crazy Eddie electronics store chain. After all, their prices were INSANE!

This collection is courtesy of one of my favorite YouTube channels, 80s Commercial Vault. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to the channel here. Amazing stuff!

Thanks!

The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park (1972)

 

Today's installment of the Countdown to Halloween features the Fab Four. No, not that one--The Banana Splits!

The live action furry quartet, created by Hanna-Barbera in the early 70s, help a lost girl escape from the clutches of a wicked witch and her two daffy apprentices in Hocus Pocus Park. This one is clearly for the yougn and young at heart.

Enjoy! You can also find this special on Tubi.

Struck By Lightning TV Series Pilot, CBS, September 19, 1979

 

Welcome back to the Countdown to Halloween! There are less than two weeks left until the big night, so be sure to kick things into high gear!

Today I offer the first episode of the very short-lived TV series Struck By Lightning. In the series, high school science teacher Ted Stein, played by Jeffrey Kramer (Jaws, Jaws 2, Halloween II), inherits an old New England inn. As he arrives at the inn to check out his inheritance, he meets the staff, including a gruff, imposing caretaker played by Jack Elam. It turns out, the caretaker is none other than the Frankstein monster!

Who just so happens to look like a gruff, imposing New England caretaker.

Ted must do more than run the inn; he must also use his scientific skills to recreate a serum Dr. Frankenstein created to keep the "creature" alive for another 50 years.

Did I mention this is a comedy?

The show's conceit should make more sense when you watch the pilot below. Maybe. 

The series didn't click with audiences, and it was canceled after airing only three episodes (although 11 were produced). It's unusual to be sure, but I found it an interesting watch.

Enjoy!

The Intruder Within TV-Movie (1981)

 

We come to the conclusion of this week's portion of the Countdown to Halloween with the 1981 TV-movie The Intruder Within!

Workers at an oil rig in Antarctica discover prehistoric fossilized eggs while drilling for oil. When one of the eggs hatches and introduces a killer creature into the premises, it's up to the drillers to take it down.

If this sounds like a rip-off of Alien, it is, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. I remember my parents watching this movie when it first aired, and while I couldn't tell what was going on at the time, it still creeped me out.

1981 must have been a good year for made-for-TV horror movies. Last Friday, the TV-movie I featured, This House Possessed, also debuted in 1981.

Enjoy below or directly on YouTube here. Have a great spooky weekend! We're in the thick of the season now. Make the most of it!

The Flintstones Special: The Flintstones' New Neighbors (1980)

 

Today I present The Flintstones Special: The Flintstones New Neighbors, an animated special that appeared on NBC prime time September 26, 1980.

In this special, the Munsters-esque family the Frankenstones move next to Fred and Wilma, but Fred won't have any "freaks" living next door to him and is initially antagonistic towards them. However, he soon learns that looks can be deceiving and prejudice can dwell in anyone. Who'd think such an important lesson could be handled on a Flintstones special?

The Frankenstones are fine and all, but to be honest--I'll take the Gruesomes any day.

Enjoy!

Friday the 13th: The Series, Season 1, Episode 5, "Hellowe'en"

 

Welcome back! I hope you had (or are having, if you have today off) a great October weekend!

I kick off Week 3 of the Countdown to Halloween with the Halloweeniest program I've featured yet this year. I present a Halloween-themed episode of the 1980s horror TV series Friday the 13th: The Series!

For those unaware, the series was about two distant relatives who inherit their uncle's antique store. The only problem--all of the items for sale are cursed, thanks to the uncle making a deal with the devil! It's up to the cousins and an old business partner of the uncle to reclaim the cursed items before further harm can be done.

Although the show uses the title and logo of the famed horror movie franchise, there is no canonical connection between the film and tv series whatsoever. The show's producting studio, Paramount, simply wanted to get more mileage out of the franchise name. Ha!

In this episode, "Hellowe'en," our protagonists are out doing their thing on Halloween night, only this time, the not-so-dearly departed uncle makes a return to renter the living world. Not a good idea!

Enjoy! And for Joe Mello---THIS ONE'S FOR YOU! :)

This House Possessed TV-Movie (1981)

 

Welcome to Friday! Today, as I do most Fridays during the Countdown to Halloween, I present a long-form video to enjoy. This week, it's the 1981 made-for-TV movie This House Possessed!

In the film, Parker Stevenson plays a young rock star who suffers a nervous breakdown and takes time off in a luxurious mansion with his nurse. While in the house, very strange things occur to both the rock star and the nurse. Is the house haunted? Are they crazy? Or is something else going on? And what exactly is the history of the house?

The reputation of this movie is admittedly not good, but I'm featuring it because a specific scene stayed in my head when I first stumbled upon this movie as a child involving a very creepy shower.

Enjoy below or directly on YouTube here. Have a great holiday weekend! Enjoy the extra day if you're lucky to have it!

Halloween TV Commercials 2025 Edition

 

Welcome to the first full week of the Countdown! And today I have a great way to kick the week off. Today I present my annual look at great Halloween TV commercials!

Of course, they're not necessarily Halloween specific, but may simply have a spooky, scary, or strange theme. Let's check them out!

First, try claiming Dracula's gold (Dracula has gold?) in this fun electronic game from 1982.

Next, it's always great to pay a visit to Count Chocula and Frankenberry, but especially on Halloween!

This British commercial for Knorr soup is supposed to be whimsical, but frankly, I find it a bit creepy. I'm sure this scarecrow is friendly, but..well, take a look!

Most of the commercials I feature are many years, even decades old, but the final two commercials I have today are in fact from this very year! The first one from this past July features Cheetos doing a tie-in with Netflix's hit series Wednesday by auditioning Thing to be Cheetos' new spokes...hand.

Finally, my last commercial today is extremely new--it debuted September 29, 2025, exactly one week ago from when I'm writing this! Dr. Frankenstein attempts to teach his creation the ways of the world with poor results. But hook Frankie up with Xfinity wi-fi, and he becomes an overnight sensation!

Thank you for your time! Please come back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in October for more Halloween greatness!

The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute starring Vincent Price

 

Hello again, and welcome back! Today we kick off the Countdown in earnest with a fun look at movie monsters of the past, hosted by the unofficial mascot of the Countdown.

Today I present The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute, a special that aired on February 20, 1974 as part of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment series on weekday late nights. It's a lighthearted look at horror movie characters of the past, hosted by none other than one of the greats, and a favorite of this blog--Vincent Price. I try to include at least one visit from Price in every Countdown, and this year, there may be more than one!

The special is heavy on comedy, and the jokes are pretty tame, but that's 1974 TV for you. Guests include Price's fellow Batman alum Frank Gorshin, John Astin (TV's Gomez Addams as well as another Riddler portrayer), and horror movie legend John Carradine, among others.

You can watch the special below or directly on YouTube at this link. Enjoy! Have a great first weekend of October. Drink pumpkin beer! Watch horror movies! Read my blog's archives! Eat candy!

Carole King - Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (BBC In Concert, February 10, 1...

Toys R Us Commercials, 1980 & 1981

This is a bit of an experiment. In lieu of longform blogging for the time being, I'll just share quick, text-free bits of fun until I can get things going. Enjoy!