This year, I'll be recalling some of my favourite programs from television, via A-Z, of course.
How many of these do you remember?
Were these before your time?
This blog post has been written in front of a live studio audience.
1982-1983 / Voyagers! featuring: Jon-Erik Hexum, Meeno Peluce
I loved this show. A time traveller with a cool Omni device that could take him to different locations as well as different times. Unfortunately, this was also one of the first time when I became interested in a show, only to have it cancelled. And the series was just starting to get interesting.
1983 - 1984 / V: The miniseries featuring: Jane Badler, Faye Grant, Marc Singer, Robert Englund
This series was intense. A great cast of characters and a very interesting plot. When it was over, I couldn't wait for the planned mini-series to follow. The second one was almost as good but the ending was rather stupid. This was then followed by the regular series. Probably should have quit while they were ahead.
1984-1985 / Voltron
The older I got, the less cartoons appealed to me. This was one of the few that held my interest, along with Inspector Gadget. I was just starting High School when this was on, so my tastes in TV were beginning to mature.
This A-Z list has been brought to you today, by....
1974 - Volkswagen Beetle
1980s - Vic-20 Commodore (Featuring William Shatner)
1980s - Velveeta (Featuring Kirk Cameron)
Wow, we didn't feature any of the same shows and V was a tough letter! I'm not familiar with Voyagers or V and didn't watch Voltron. Voyagers sounds pretty good! Wish I would've seen it.
ReplyDeleteDid you catch the discrepancy on the Volkswagon commercial? It starts out talking about the storm in 1970...but then the uncovered a 1974 volkswagon! How is that possible?? Maybe they used the Voyager time travel to get it there. ha!
And I had no idea Velveeta came in slices! neato. :)
Michele at Angels Bark
Yes, I noticed that discrepancy. It was so hilarious. I love when they make simple stupid mistakes like that.
DeleteWow, I'm surprised you were not familiar with V. Were you at least aware they remade the show a few years ago? I can't recall if it lasted one season or two. I think just one. It was not a continuation, but they had a lot of the original cast and plots in the newer series.
You have stumped me again Jeffrey I don't remember any of these. I wonder what the rest of AtoZ will bring?
ReplyDeleteWith the rest of the letters, it's going to be hard finding those shows that everyone watched. Can you venture a guess what W will bring us?
DeleteNope, don't know these ones! Are they American progammes as that might explain my ignorance?
ReplyDeleteSusan A Eames from
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Voyagers was strictly American. V was American but I know it aired in Britain as well. Voltron, I believe, was Japanese.
DeleteOh Commodore, I don't miss you...
ReplyDeleteEveryone I knew watched V and thought it was cool, but bet it looks cheesy bad now.
I still love watching V. The first one was awesome. I dare you to give it a try. The second one was good too, but DID have a very cheesy ending which I hated. They then had a series which was dreadful. A few years ago they redid the series. I had high hopes for it, and loved what they were doing, but it was still cancelled.
DeleteHi Jeffrey!
ReplyDeleteGreat, great vintage V-stuff here! I didn't watch Voyagers but I remember the news headlines the day studly young actor Jon-Erik Hexum died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head during production of his later series Cover Up which starred the lovely actress Jennifer O'Neill who rose to fame in The Summer of '42. I watched V but don't remember a lot about it. That commercial for the VW Beetle is an example of great and very effective product advertising. It's fun to watch Wm. Shatner playing it straight in that commercial produced in the 80s before advertisers like Priceline.com realized he is much better playing it for laughs. Christmas is coming and I would like you to buy me that miracle machine - the Vic-20 Commodore!
Thanks, good buddy Jeffrey!
Vic-20 Commodore. I shall, as long as you promise to use it to get your finances in order.
DeleteI have not seen Voyagers in many many years. I'd love to find it on DVD at some point. V, I have on DVD. I LOVED the mini series. Especially the original. V-The Final Battle was okay but I HATED the ending. I had a poster of Jane Badler on my bedroom wall. Yum!
William Shatner will sell anything if you pay him enough, won't he? I read somewhere that his Priceline commercials have made him super-rich because he was smart enough to take shares in the company over pay.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting note. And yes, I think he will sell anything as long as the price-tag is high enough.
Deletewow i totally forgot about voyagers and I watched that show. I also watched V. I chose Valerie (as in The Hogan Family) for my V tv show from the 1980s
ReplyDeleteNot that it was a forgettable show, for me anyway. Had it gone more than one season, I think it would have been very memorable.
DeleteI saw your Valerie post. I actually enjoyed the show more when she left and Sandy Duncan came in. Jason Bateman was first introduced to me here as well. I love him in Arrested Development. One classic episode from Arrested Development was titled "Family Ties". His sister Justine Bateman had a guest appearence that episode. Who was in the TV series Family Ties. Which was another 80's show I loved. I should have included that in my F list.
I don't think I watched Voyager, though it looks like a good show. However, reading this reminded me of John-Erik Hexum, who I really liked. He died when I was in high school (and I remember being very sad about it). It was on the set of a TV show when he was playing around with a gun with a blank in it, which he thought couldn't hurt him, and fired it into his temple. Turns out, that it can cause massive damage if fired at close range (and hits a vulnerable place). I googled it. The show was Cover Up. I must've watched it, but I don't remember it at all anymore... well, except for the part about Hexum dying. That I remember vividly.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite V show that was cancelled is/was Veronica Mars. That show rocked the first season. They did everything right. If you didn't watch it, the show began with one big mystery arcing over the entire season. Then, in each show pieces were put together for that big arc, but a small(er) mystery was solved within that episode. So, the show built throughout the season to a big climactic ending with resolution of the big arc. They did that again in Season 2 successfully. Season 3... what happened in season 3? Well, they introduced the big mystery and then solved it mid-season. All the characters went somewhat off the rails, not acting true to the character. I don't know what happened, but it was like watching your favorite sweater unravel. As you might expect, cancellation! However, this show has/had a huge fan base and a movie came out a couple years ago. I think it gave the fans the closure they wanted/needed.
I do remember reading about John Erik-Hexum's death. It was tragic news at the time. I really liked him in Voyagers. Believe it or not, I never watched Veronica Mars, but that really sounds interesting. I'll have to see if I can find it on DVD at some point.
DeleteHoly cow, the only one I'm familiar with is the VW commercial!
ReplyDeleteReally? Wow, and that's the one I thought no one would know.
DeleteYou may not believe this but I don't remember any of these. I believe I was already living outside of the United States at the time.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.
Shalom,
Patricia @ EverythingMustChange
I believe it. But I'm pretty sure V was broadcast outside the US, though I'm not sure where. I doubt it would have been broadcast in Germany though, as it alluded to events during the Nazi regime.
DeleteI loved Voyagers! but man does it look cheesy now.
ReplyDeleteI don't really remember any of the commercials or the other two shows.
The VW Bug commercial is funny.
It's a dangerous thing when you create time travel, because someone is going to end up screwing history up. Thus the need of the Voyagers. Yes, it is cheesy now, but still looks like fun. I'd love to rewatch them.
DeleteVOLTRON!!!! Of course! That one brought back all sorts of wonderful memories... But the rest were all new to me. Same at Michele's... I just commented there that I was trying to come up with a guess on what shows you guys would have for today—and couldn't think of a single one :D The commercials were also excellent; the Velveeta one, especially, I remember more than well :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Jeffrey! (We're almost there!)
Guilie @ Life In Dogs
My bed has been calling to me all month long, but it has alluded me.
DeleteSo you couldn't think of shows for V. Let's see if you can guess what I will come up with for W, X, Y or Z.
Ah yes, Voyagers. I, like you, was devastated when it just up and...poof...gone.
ReplyDeleteLiz A. from
Laws of Gravity
So many of my favourite TV shows have done the same thing.
DeleteI wish the cancellation were only an illusions.
I can't believe William Shatner made a Commodore Vic20 commercial. It just goes to show these things last! I have a Commodore 64 along with lots of cassette tapes and it still plays, warp speed ahead!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I still have an old Apple IIe computer. No, I don't really use it much any more. But it is a great conversation piece when I have it set up.
DeleteI don't remember any of these, but do recognize the actors' names from Voyagers. That Commodore sure was a bargain! My father used to love Velveeta cheese. My mother wrinkled her nose at it and stuck it in the back of the fridge. Must have inherited her bias, because I've never tried it.
ReplyDeleteMissed the VW commercial the first time. That was cool!
DeleteMy mom used to use velveeta cheese all the time. I remember when Commodore's were out, but I don't recall who ever owned one.
DeleteI remember watching V when I was a kid. Don't remember much of it, just that I watched it. Ahhh...a sci-fi fan even back then :)
ReplyDelete~Katie
TheCyborgMom
I loved V and still do. Own all the DVD's.
DeleteDid you watch the remake? If you did, what did you think of it?
I vaguely remember V and the Velveeta commercial. My grandmother always used Velveeta (the big block as well as the slices). It made the best grilled cheese sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteI remember the big block. We had a cheese slicer and everything. I used to lob of a huge chunk and munch on that for awhile.
DeleteI remember the Velveeta and the Volkswagon commercials but I never watchd the shows you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a big sci.fi. nerd so anything close to that, I most probably watched.
DeleteI remember V and I did watch some of it, but it must have been on while I was working some of the days. I didn't watch much night TV back then because of my school schedule either. Bummer. I do remember the Velveeta commercial though.
ReplyDeleteI love these vintage commercials with actor before they were well known. Like you, my night time TV viewing was limited. I remember coming home from work and working as fast as I could to finish my homework.
DeleteOh man...I used to watch V and the main bad girl with the harsh blush on her cheeks was on David Letterman showing the dolls that were made for the series. letterman was less than impressed. I used to watch Robert Ulrich in Vegas.
ReplyDeleteJane Badler. I wasn't aware they made a line of dolls. I suppose it figures, it was pretty popular at the time. Was David Letterman ever really impressed about anything?
DeleteI missed a lot of these shows
ReplyDeleteThe great thing is, you can usually catch up on these shows if you ever truly wanted to.
DeleteI think this is the first time you and Michele didnt feature the same shows. I remember Voltron, although I didnt watch it.
ReplyDeleteMary
#AtoZChallenge V is for Vail
I noticed that too. Kind of odd in a way we didn't do so.
DeleteI grew up without a TV in the house, apart from telecasts being restricted to a few hours in a day in my city. In other words under a rock :)
ReplyDeleteNilanjana.
Madly-in-Verse
Wow, that's kind of interesting. Where exactly did you live?
DeleteYou have V :) I love V. When it was first on my parents deemed my sister and I way too young, but we used to sneak to outside the TV room while my parents were watching it and peek in the door.
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
I remember a few shows I had to peek in to watch. Fortunately, V was one of those shows I didn't have to peek.
Delete