Who's Piloting this Podcast? - podcast cover

Who's Piloting this Podcast?

James and Gretchen Barneswww.whospilotingthispodcast.com
There was a time when audiences had no idea who Cliff and Norm were. Join Gretchen and James as they explore the first episodes of Television history.
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Episodes

Lost in Space, the original Unaired Pilot!

Monkeys in dresses, the plural of Cyclops, an improbable glass bus, space incest, and gender inequality all emerge as themes in the unaired pilot for "Lost in Space"! Join us as we dive into the awesome future world of 1997 as seen through the lens of 1965's "Master of Disaster", Irwin Allen. Before the flailing robot existed, before Dr. Zachary Smith was a character, before "Danger Will Robinson" was ever uttered, CBS launched the Robinsons into the outer worlds and flew the Gemini 12 directly ...

Oct 25, 20211 hr 12 minEp. 15

The Worst of Who's Piloting this Podcast?

2020. It was the worst of times and also the worst of times. Like many others out there, Gretchen and James decided it would be a good idea to start a podcast about something no one cares about so that no one would listen to us. Several beers later, they produced 13 episodes of miserable content to the delight of our three regular listeners. Here we have a full retrospective of our first year where we share the hardships, failures, and all the lack of talent that we poured into each episode....

Sep 19, 202129 minEp. 14

Melrose Place

Hot off our exploration of Beverly Hills 90210, we crack open a Hop Camo IPA from Old Ox brewing in Ashburn Virginia and dive headfirst into the surprisingly pedestrian pilot for Melrose Place. We explore our first ONE STAR review and get a little petty about it. Pizzeria chips, 90210 cross-overs, proper technique to AC Slater a motorcycle, and Gretchen goes all one-take crazy with her voice-overs. Guess what folks, the world is a weird place and we are looking forward to carving out a tiny litt...

Oct 11, 202040 minEp. 13

Beverly Hills, 90210

Bike shorts under bike shorts. Broaches everywhere. Nose jobs. Overzealous chemistry teachers. Rex Manning. Beverly Hills, 90210 saved Fox Broadcasting from the dumpster fire of history, giving it just enough life to become the dumpster fire of journalism. Join us as we explore the pilot episode that gave the world Jason Priestly, Shannen Doherty, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, and who cares who else. It's Beverly Hills! Valet your bullshit car and get on with it!!...

Sep 21, 202056 minEp. 12

The Greatest American Hero

Look what's happened to me. I can't believe it myself. Gretchen and James drink a "Fear. Movies. Lions." from Stone brewing while watching the completely amazing 1981 classic, The Greatest American Hero, starring Bill Katt, Robert Culp, and Connie Sellicca. With an extra long tunic to cover that peen, Ralph makes everyone want a man-perm. Join us as we put one toe into the superhero wasteland.

Aug 31, 202044 minEp. 11

He Man: and the Masters of the Universe

At the dawn of the 1980’s, the toy company Mattel began actively developing new content to drive sales after regrettably passing on the Star Wars franchise. Mattel marketing director Mark Ellis brought a new line centered around a sword and sorcery barbarian fantasy world to the executives at Toys R Us. His presentation included a complete line of toys along with a mock-up for a comic series created by DC Comics. But when one of the retail executives retorted “Five year olds don’t read”, Ellis q...

Aug 17, 202042 minEp. 10

Supermarket Sweep

Join us for the 1990's revival of the 1965 gameshow Supermarket Sweep! Contestants answer dumb trivia questions in order to earn time for a shopping spree where they embody the sprit of American excess by buying five of the most expensive everything in the grocery store. Hams? Check! Turkeys? Check! Diapers? Check! Formula? Check! Tons and tons of aspirin? Why not! Gretchen starts out the show a couple of sheets to the wind and finishes in hammer town, leading us through her general outrage and ...

Jul 20, 202036 minEp. 9

Family Ties

What happens when you watch a relatively pedantic and boring sitcom and then try to talk about it? You produce a relatively pedantic and boring podcast! Come join us as we discuss the first episode of the classic situation comedy: Family Ties. In this episode, we discover the magic of Michael J. Fox, stumble though a few facts and bits of trivia, and generally phone it in. Two pinko-commie parents raise a young republican son who loves capitalism and white supremacy, and a daughter who just want...

Jun 29, 202027 minEp. 8

My So Called Life

Guys, here's what happens when you take two full weeks off of your podcast - you come back with a special JUMBO episode clocking in at 71 minutes! For this episode, we are joined by the legendary @boozeraccoons crew for our first ever tele-podcast crossover episode. Zooming in from across America, we discuss the premiere episode of "My So Called Life" and discuss the impacts upon both society and television. Gretchen connects with the pilot and finds herself in two very distinct characters. Jame...

Jun 22, 20201 hr 11 minEp. 7

Perfect Strangers

In 1986, a show debuted on ABC and brought Balki Bartokomous into our living rooms. Following a wide-eyed immigrant from the fictional island of Mypos, Balki moves in with his very put-upon distant cousin Larry Appleton who's just trying to make it on the mean streets of Chicago. The pilot episode premiered as the bologna in a Who's the Boss? and Moonlighting sandwich, and somehow managed to sneak under the radar for 8 seasons and helped establish ABC's Friday night TGIF dominance. Our listeners...

Jun 01, 202036 minEp. 6

Heat Vision and Jack

In one hot stinker of an episode, Gretchen and James take a look at 1999's failed pilot "Heat Vision and Jack". Staring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Ron Silver, the show was written by Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon, and was directed by Ben Stiller hot off the success of "Something About Mary". In spite of a serious pedigree and an abundance of talent, the pilot was declined by both ABC and Fox and never made it to air. Traded for many years as in bootleg VHS copies, the episode finally made its way ...

May 25, 202031 minEp. 5

Who's the Boss?

Groundbreaking television, socially conscious story lines, dramatic character arcs, and quality character development? "Who's the Boss?" had none of those problems, and instead focused on a fish out of water scenario as Brooklyn-Italian stereotype Tony Danza changes his entire life to accept a subservient role as a live-in housekeeper to Judith Light. In this episode, Gretchen and James drink a can of Aslin Brewing's Pew Pew Pew while discussing the finer points of Judith Light's effortless hair...

May 18, 202032 minEp. 4

Cheers

Filmed before a live studio audience on Paramount Stage 25 in Hollywood, California, Cheers brought the world down the stairs of 112 and a half Beacon Street in Boston, Massachusetts to a dark mahogany and polished brass watering hole filled with characters that would become woven into the tapestry of television history. But it all started with a pilot. In this JUMBO-sized episode, Gretchen and James dissect the Cheers pilot while drinking a Commonwealth Big Papi DIPA. Highlights from this episo...

May 11, 202040 minEp. 3

Small Wonder

What happens when a brilliant inventor solves artificial intelligence, natural language processing, spacial awareness, complex robotics, and atomic power in 1985 using a TRS-80? He uses his incredible scientific breakthroughs to create a daughter that no one wanted! Welcome to the pilot episode of Small Wonder, where Ted Lawson introduces his wife and annoying son to V.I.C.I., the Voice Input Child Identicant he invented during his spare time at United Robotronics. Gretchen produces her first ep...

May 04, 202025 minEp. 2

The Golden Girls

In August 1984, during an event to promote the fall television lineup, 63-year old comedy actress Selma Diamond repeatedly mispronounced Miami Vice instead as as Miami Nice, to the amusement of the executives in the audience. Thinking there was something in the geriatric humor unfolding on stage, NBC ordered a pilot focusing on senior citizens living together in Miami. On Saturday, September 14th 1985 at 9PM, The Golden Girls premiered at number 1 with a 43 share, reaching an estimated 21 and a ...

Apr 26, 202024 minEp. 1
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