This Day in TV History: Dan Rather replaces Walter Cronkite

40 years ago tonight, the CBS Evening News transitioned from Walter Cronkite to Dan Rather. Though there had been a buildup to this first Rather newscast, and though reporting at the time indicated Cronkite had chosen his successor, the iconic personality reportedly grew to regret leaving and to resent Rather. Maybe he didn't like Rather opening the show by saying, "Good riddance to bad rubbish; Danny R is in the hizzy!"

Actually, you can watch the first episode here thanks to one awesome uploader:

Cronkite was facing the supposed mandatory retirement age at the network, and he expressed interest in doing things like more specials and his new series Universe (a flop). So CBS probably hoped for a smooth passing of the baton.  Really it wasn't until years later that most of the stuff came out about tension between the two.

As for Rather, he stayed on more than two more decades at the network before leaving amid controversy, one of several issues he had during his long tenure.  The 60 Minutes episode we discussed was post-Rather taking over as anchor, and so he wasn't one of the cast at that time, but it's important to remember he had a significant and varied career at CBS News even before taking over the anchor chair on the flagship news program.

New to streaming video

In recent posts, we looked at new 70s and 80s reruns on DVD and on digital subchannels. Today we want to point out some new additions to various streaming services.

The biggest surprise is NBC, which added The Equalizer, The Incredible Hulk, and The Six Million Dollar Man to its assortment of free shows on its app (conveniently available on Roku). I find the NBC app erratic and the commercial load oppressive, but it's free!

Amazon Prime Video quietly added the first two seasons of Growing Pains last week, adding to its growing roster of Warner Brothers TV shows from the BOTNS era. Could Night Court be on the way eventually?

Hulu has been busy adding reality shows from the likes of Discovery and TLC, but it also has the early seasons of Unsolved Mysteries, which is suddenly available all over the place.

The Roku Channel added Ray Bradbury Theater, an anthology which ran 1985-1986 on HBO and 1989-1992 on USA.

Pluto TV has added early episodes of Charlie's Angels and Crime Story to its on demand library.

TubiTV now has 3rd Rock from the Sun available for free streaming.

CBS All Access added 18 episodes of Murphy Brown from throughout its original run as a primer for the reboot.

Conspicuously absent from this post is Netflix, which is pretty much out of this game. That's a shame, but maybe new services will pick up the slack. For example, the new DC Universe launched last week with Wonder Woman, the 1988 syndicated Superboy series, and Super Friends. NBC's steady buildup of its assortment of catalogue programming could also bode well for the future.

Upcoming DVD releases

It's been a while since we did one of these posts, and TV Shows on DVD is no longer with us as a standalone website, though the site's operator are posting updates on Facebook. Do you know how hard it is to find TV shows on DVD info without TV Shows on DVD? I spent a while sorting through other sites--"Hey, Hawaii Five-0--no, wait, that's the current version..." before finding Geeky Hobbies, which maintains a cool list. I recommend you give them some traffic...but come back here for the curated list!

September:

Laugh-In season 6 (out now): This rounds out the series of individual season releases that followed the massive complete set. It doesn't sound like a BOTNS show at first glance--I think of it as a Swingin' Sixties deal--but this season was 1973, so I am declaring it eligible for the podcast!

And a certain BOTNS fave makes an appearance this season:

Magnum P.I. Complete Series (September 18): Same number of discs, same transfers (I assume)...yet more expensive than the 2013 version. In other words, this is not one of those Mill Creek budget repackaging releasings. I am not sure what the rationale for this is. Maybe it's one more attempt to extract some bucks before a Blu-Ray release.

Police Story Season 3 (September 25): It looks like this will be filled with cut-down syndication versions, but it's nice to see Shout! is continuing the series, albeit at a...methodical...pace. In this season: Kurt Russell, Sly Stallone, and some REAL TV stars like Danny Bonaduce and Cindy Williams.

October:

The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler (October 2): Kino Lorber is releasing the two original Kolchak TV movies in fancy Blu-Ray packages, remastered and with extras. Could this pave the way for a Blu-Ray re-release of the entire series?

Love Boat: Season 4 (October 2): FINALLY the series continues! YASSSSS!

Unfortunately, it's in two split-season releases.

 

New Adventures of Gumby: The 1980s Volume 1 (October 2): These are pretty good under-the-radar releases, and it looks like the whole Gumby run will be out eventually. This Eighties version of the character  is not to be confused with this Eighties version of the character:

Hopefully more releases will be announced as we get closer to the holiday shopping season.

Coming to a TV near you

We are inundated with info about the new fall shows hitting the airwaves, but what about the new old shows? Various digital subchannels are updating their schedules for the season. With a tip of the hat to sources like Sitcoms Online, here is a look at what's coming up:

Charge! is now showing Chips. Get your daily dose of Robert Pine on this action-oriented diginet.

Antenna TV announces that ARCHIE'S BACK! on its website, with Archie Bunker's Place airing weeknights at 7:30. Did Archie ever go away?

(Update: It's been on since July along with What's Happening Now!!.  Other not-so-frequently aired reruns on here include Gimme a Break, The Hogan Family, Lotsa Luck, and The Hogan Family.

MeTV is adding Buck Rogers and In the Heat of the Night. Buck's return is welcome, but, man, it seems like In the Heat of the Night is overplayed by every channel that gets its hands on it.

Get TV is adding Married with Children to its weeknight lineup September 17. In addition to a lot of rare variety shows, Get is airing Good Times and The Equalizer, which we talked aobut on the pod recently, plus Designign Women, Tour of Duty, and The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.

New diginet Start TV, which focuses on procedurals and dramas aimed at women, has launched with BOTNS-ers shows like Dr. Quinn and Early Edition.

I wasn't aware of this, but Decades is now running Mary Tyler Moore, Newhart, and The Bob Newhart Show each weekday. Unfortunately, Start is replacing Decades in many areas, so check your local listings. Let's hope that the full Bob Newhart  and Newhart come to Hulu as was announced months and months ago.

TV Land has...well, it apparently still has The Golden Girls and M*A*S*H. Moving right along!

Nick at Nite has.........Moving right along!

Things are pretty slow for BOTNS-era programming, which is why we should appreciate our DVDs and also why next week we will take a look at recent and upcoming releases.

"New" 70s and 80s TV Shows

In recent weeks, we looked at DVD releases, but believe it or not, IIIIII'M WALKING ON AIR...the airwaves, that is. Some "new" and returning favorites are on their way back to TV. Here's a look at what's coming to a cable box/antenna/Roku/unspecified device near you:

*Warner Archive Instant added the rest of Eight Is Enough, meaning the entire series is available for your streaming pleasure.

*Antenna TV announced Welcome Back Kotter will be returning in the future, but this summer, it is re-adding Evening Shade and One Day at a Time while giving 227  and What's Happening!!  a break and bumping a bunch of other series around.

*CW Seed, an under-the-rader but free streaming service, now offers the complete Dynasty.

*GetTV added Designing Women to its weekday lineup in June.

*TV One re-added The Cosby Show. I hope it was on clearance.

*Me-TV added The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda earlier, plus introduced Battlestar Galactica, ALF, Love American Style, and (on the edge of our era) Swamp Thing. Today it adds T.J. Hooker, The Facts of Life, Cannon, and Hawaii Five-O. Also, Remington Steele came and went this summer.

Don't get used to Rhoda nor Love, as they leave Labor Day. Happy Days will be returning, though.

*Me-TV dropped The Incredible Hulk, but it is on cable's El Rey and on digital subchannel Heroes and Icons. H&I is loaded with BOTNS-era programs like CHIPS, Police Story, Hill Street Blues, Kung Fu, Hunter, Swamp Thing (it's a sister network of Me-TV), Wiseguy, and The Greatest American Hero.

*Hulu is adding tons of episodes of old Fox (the studio/library, not the network) like the MTM Studios efforts (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and more), but it's unclear when that will happen.

 *PRO Classic TV (Peter Rodgers Organization) launched a YouTube channel a few months ago that includes shows like the old The Bill Cosby Show, Celebrity Bowling, The Comedy Shop, and Movin' On.

I am sure I am missing a ton of changes, but this should be enough to tide you over for a while. As always, let us know if you want us to talk about any of these series on the podcast in our upcoming season 3 or beyond!

"New" 1970s and 1980s TV this month

It's time to take another look at the shows from the BOTNS era hitting television and streaming. It's a slow time, but there are some news tidbits to share:

The 40th anniversary of Three's Company is March 15, and Sitcoms Online reports that Antenna TV and Logo are celebrating with marathons. Also, according to the article, Logo is also showing Mama's Family. Who knew?

A new digital subnet, Light TV, is now on the air...sort of. If its website is any indication, it's only in NY and LA right now. Fortunately, other sources on the web have actual information. The channel comes from MGM, according to Wikipedia, and is headed by  Mark Burnett and Roma Downey and aims to be inspirational, positive, and other bright and sunny adjectives.

Some of the shows it airs, according to Sitcoms Online: (Seriously, Burnett, you can't get a decent website set up?):  Highway to Heaven, Touched by an Angel, Little House on the Prairie. You know what I'd like to see? The old syndicated religious-themed anthology Insight. Anyone remember that? Would you  like to see us cover that on the podcast?  Well, I would (Hey, Mike, make a note!).

Get TV added The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on Super Bowl Sunday, while TV Land added M*A*S*H (returning for the 4077th time) on Presidents Day weekend. Maybe someone will show The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold for St. Patrick's Day.

Get also aired a Blue Thunder marathon a few weeks ago just before adding Airwolf  to its weekday schedule. Speaking of rarities, Get is showing a Crazy Like a Fox marathon overnight March 12 into March 13.

In the world of streaming, not much new. I think Hulu's addition of The Golden Girls last month is going to have to last us for...who knows how long? Netflix has no interest in 70s/80s TV, and unfortunately even Crackle seems to have mostly given up. Amazon Prime surprises us sometimes, though, and maybe something new will turn up.

Warner Archive Instant is still adding TV shows periodically. It now has the first 5 seasons of Medical Center, the first 3 seasons of Falcon Crest, and seasons 1, 3, and 4 (don't ask me why no season 2) of Scarecrow and Mrs. King in addition to other short-lived series like Flo that have been there for a while.

DVD is still the best way to see your favorite shows from the era. Does anything mentioned here interest you as a potential podcast subject or just to kick back and watch in reruns?

"New" 1970s and 1980s TV in January

It's easier than ever to find old-school TV on your very own set...as long as you have access to all the digital subchannels that popped up in recent years. Here's a quick rundown of the "new" reruns from the Battle of the Network Shows era coming this month:

Antenna TV: What's Happening!!! and 227 join the lineup, but the real crown jewel, if only for the theme song, is My Two Dads. Also, if you are watching the Netflix revival of One Day at a Time and are curious about the original, it's on Antenna Fridays at 8:00 P.M.

GetTV: Here's a real rarity: the short-lived 1973 Sally Field/John Davidson sitcom The Girl with Something Extra. I would definitely be running my DVR for that if I had one.

Telexitos: If you speak Spanish, you can enjoy Knight  Rider and Airwolf on this channel. Come to think of it, do you really need to speak the language to enjoy them?

Me-TV: BOTNS favorite CHiPs returned before Christmas and is airing weekdays. Watch for "Roller Disco!" Debuting is MacGyver, also airing weekdays, and if you miss the original Kolchak after Netflix lost it this month, well, you can find it here Sunday nights.

Cozi TV: Speaking of stuff that disappeared from Netflix, have you wondered where all those Universal shows have gone? Surprise, surprise, they are showing up on the Universal-owned subchannel. New this month are Columbo,  Emergency, Rockford Files, and a few shows that left Netflix last year: McCloud and McMillan and Wife.

Here I must play the grump and point out that I don't fully endorse these subchannels because most of them edit and/or time-speed the heck out of the shows to fit them into their commercial formats. If you don't have other options, though, it's better than nothing. Me, I'd rather see these uncut on Netflix.

Which of these "new" series excite you? Is there anything in here you'd like us to talk about on the podcast? Let us know at mailbag@battleofthenetworkshows.com or let us know in the comments!