# SyFy to show "Greatest American Hero" Marathon on Sunday...Excited? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993 "2010-06-29T22:48:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/21 "2010-06-30T21:44:09Z")
Yeah, I’ll watch as much as my time will allow. I am not sure if I can watch the whole marathon. It will depend on how lazy I’m feeling that day. ---
**Author:** ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/22 "2010-06-30T22:06:40Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > Mostly I watched it because I love Joey Scarborough’s theme song. > > Enjoy, > Steven Oh I did enjoy most of your post, thank you. But I thought I should mention that the theme song was sung by Joey _Scarbury_. While I am on the topic, the melody was written by Mike Post, the dude who composed the Law and Order theme music. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/23 "2010-07-01T04:48:07Z")
I rented the first DVD from Netflix a few years ago thinking “this will be GREAT!” I got through maybe two episodes. It didn’t hold up to the memories. I still love that song, though! ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/24 "2010-07-01T06:51:23Z")
I remember this being one of my all time favorite shows. OTOH the only episode I can remember anything about is the one where he shrinks and loses another manual. I’m looking forward to the marathon to either reenjoy the nostalgia or forever rid myself of it. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/25 "2010-07-01T07:06:10Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I remember this being one of my all time favorite shows. OTOH the only episode I can remember anything about is the one where he shrinks and loses another manual. I’m looking forward to the marathon to either reenjoy the nostalgia or forever rid myself of it. My favorite episode was the one where he gets amnesia and forgets he doesn’t know how to use the suit. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/26 "2010-07-01T17:36:48Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > Totally underwhelming…although Robert Culp was cool in it. > > The only good thing to say about William Katt is that his mother played Della Street on _Perry Mason_ (a hell of a secretary) and he did this flick called _First Love_(1977) with Susan Dey. The sex scenes with a topless Laurie Partridge were indeed worthwhile. Katt also played Sundance in the _Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid_ prequel, _Butch and Sundance: The Early Days._ I think I’ll probably set my DVR. That’s the scenario. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/27 "2010-07-04T00:09:03Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > I bought the DVD set sometime last year… and no, the series hasn’t aged well. The theme song is still genius, and the characters are all great… but after a while you’ll start noticing that the flight scenes are all retreads from previous episodes. The stories are generally paper-thin, and, if edited better, would only be about twenty minutes long (if that). > > Such a shame, because that show was a huge part of my childhood. That’s about what I thought back when FX was airing the series when they launched in the 90’s. It was nice to see it again, but not so nice to realize it wasn’t anywhere near as good as I thought it was when I was a little kid. I had a similar reaction to V when SciFi aired reruns of that back around the turn of the century. The series I mean, not the two miniseries. Those are still pretty good, other than the ending. I didn’t bother watching anything but the minis when Syfy was running them in preparation for the new series. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/28 "2010-07-04T03:02:00Z")
July 4 is supposed to be a Twilight Zone marathon. I’m mad as hell ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/29 "2010-07-04T03:06:29Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Sheesh, the only thing you guys remember is the song? What about the dramatic styling of William Katt and his unbelievably sexy Irish afro? How about “not quite unbelievably sexy but still a major looker girlfriend?” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/30 "2010-07-04T04:02:06Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Bill Culp was worth his salt, at least. “Okay, I don’t think you’re keeping up with the _scenario_.” “The scenario?” “We’ve got a _scenario_.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/31 "2010-07-04T23:46:58Z")
I’ve been watching a few episodes. Still good fun if you’re a fan of Stephen J. Cannell’s creations. It’s amusing to see how dated it is after nearly 30 years. There’s no more Cold War. There were no cell phones seen on the series (well, Bill had a car phone, but it didn’t seem too reliable and I bet it wasn’t portable) - I thought it was pretty amusing when Ralph actually changed clothes in a phone booth. Military secrets were being auctioned off for Swiss francs. The economies of Western Europe hadn’t yet been united. Some sweeping changes since then. By the way, season 4 of Eureka premieres this Friday night. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/32 "2010-07-05T00:35:02Z")
I have had it on most of the day, but haven’t been too serious about watching it. It is kind of fun to indulge in nostalgia. Why didn’t they show the very first one? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/33 "2010-07-05T03:47:26Z")
Just this week I’ve happened to catch a few old Knight Rider eps. They’re goofy, and the acting is atrocious, and the character motivations are completely dependent on plot, and the effects are absurd. But I still enjoyed them quite a bit – they’re fun and engaging and have a lot of (flabby, rough) energy. I mention this in contrast to GAH. It’s not an awful show, and there are some funny bits (mostly when it’s clear Culp forgot his lines and they can’t be bothered to set up a second take). But I’d be hard pressed to watch more than a couple eps. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/34 "2010-07-05T15:20:44Z")
Agonybooth has just started with recaps of [GAH](http://www.agonybooth.com/tv/Greatest_American_Hero/The_Hit_Car.aspx) And for Cliffy, there are also Recaps of [Knight Rider.](http://www.agonybooth.com/tv/Knight_Rider/Trust_Doesn_t_Rust.aspx) (In the Forum, there’s a link to a Misting of the script for the ep. Trust doesn’t Rust, where KITT meets KARR for the first time. Riffing all around!) ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/35 "2010-07-06T04:33:06Z")
Im still waiting for airwolf Declan ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/36 "2010-07-06T06:25:19Z")
Well it of course didn’t live up to my childhood nostalgia lol. But then, they seemed to play mostly typical episodes. They did play my favorite episode, where he loses the manual again after a ride on the spaceship. But they didn’t play the pilot, nor the unaired sequel. I did enjoy the island adventure (did they make up that “Bicycle for Two” song just for this episode?) and subsequent wedding episodes. I wasn’t too fond of Bill’s bullying, or Pam’s complaining about Ralph being late for things as the result of you know, _saving lives_. I also didn’t get why the suit wouldn’t work if it was covered by other clothing. But it was fun to look back. I’d still like to see the other ‘mythology’ episodes. Oh, and TIVO kept listing the “4th starring role” as Faye Grant but I couldn’t figure out who she was supposed to be playing. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/37 "2010-07-06T10:28:24Z")
She played Rhonda, Tony’s girlfriend. She was the second main female character, behind Connie Selleca as Pam Davidson. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/38 "2010-07-06T10:32:03Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Im still waiting for airwolf I watched about 10 minutes of a couple of episodes of GAH and as the poster above said, I should have kept my memory rather than spoil it with the reality. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/39 "2010-07-06T20:39:15Z")
Caught a few eps, and it wasn’t awesome like when I was a kid, but better than I remember it being from when FX ran it. It was really funny watching Ralph and Bill fight Andre the Giant and Andre just slams Ralph into the ground feet first like he was a post, then Bill runs up a tree. Good nostalgia rush. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993/40 "2010-07-07T00:06:01Z")
I’m not ashamed to say I DVR’ed every episode in the marathon and I’m watching about 2 or 3 a day. I know the high school kids are basically interchangeable with the Sweathogs, but I like the relationships between Ralph, Bill, and Pam. There’s a similar dynamic to Michael Weston, Sam, and Fiona from Burn Notice. I’m not saying the stories are equal in quality, but there’s a solid partnership between Bill and Ralph, a solid romance with Ralph and Pam, and a grudging respect between Bill and Pam. As for the scripts, it’s standard Stephen Cannell fare, like the A-Team, Rockford, or Magnum. Just some good mindless entertainment for when you want to unwind and can’t be bothered to think too deeply. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syfy-to-show-greatest-american-hero-marathon-on-sunday-excited/544993.md?page=3)