# TV Shows Only You Remember **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [July 8, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022 "2021-07-08T20:36:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/503 "2021-07-23T21:57:44Z")
I’d say there’s a good chance I’m the only one here who remembers [The Johnny Downs Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Downs#The_Johnny_Downs_Show). I was a “guest” one day (several kids from my school were invited to be on the show) and I showed off my papier mâché hand puppet. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/504 "2021-07-23T22:06:06Z")
> **[Manimal (TV Series 1983) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085051/)** > > Manimal: Created by Donald R. Boyle, Glen A. Larson. With Simon MacCorkindale, Melody Anderson, Reni Santoni, Michael D. Roberts. A man who can change himself into any animal fights crime. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/505 "2021-07-23T22:06:35Z")
> **[Man from Atlantis (TV Series 1977–1978) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075533/)** > > Man from Atlantis: Created by Mayo Simon, Herbert F. Solow. With Patrick Duffy, Alan Fudge, Belinda Montgomery, Richard Laurance Williams. The adventures of an amphibious man, the last survivor of the legendary sunken city. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/506 "2021-07-23T22:12:45Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > From Saturday mornings there was [The Secrets of Isis](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072516/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). I remember that one. For some reason I thought there was one single show featuring a crime-fighting duo of Isis, Shazam, and Captain Marvel, and the latter 2 were somehow the same guy, except when it was a girl. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/507 "2021-07-23T22:43:25Z")
_The Secrets of Isis_ was a spin-off from _Shazam!_, and they aired as a single block, _The Shazam!/Isis Hour_. They also had several cross-overs where Captain Marvel and Isis appeared on each others’ show. So, your memory is actually not far off. Captain Marvel and Shazam are the same guy, sort of. Captain Marvel has a rather convoluted IP history. The upshot is, the name “Captain Marvel” could be used for the character but not for the title of the show. Shazam was the magic word teenager Billy Batson said to transform into the adult superhero Captain Marvel (the characters were played by different actors, so they were kind of the same guy but not). Due to the title of the show and the weird rules about how the name Captain Marvel could be used, and the fact that Marvel Comics also had a completely unrelated character also named Captain Marvel, a lot of people got confused about what the character’s name was. A decade or so ago, DC Comics gave up and just officially changed his name to Shazam. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/508 "2021-07-24T02:26:34Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I’d say there’s a good chance I’m the only one here who remembers [The Johnny Downs Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Downs#The_Johnny_Downs_Show). I was a “guest” one day (several kids from my school were invited to be on the show) and I showed off my papier mâché hand puppet. My older brother was in a somewhat similar situation on _The Howdy Doody Show_ (if I remember correctly). He was in the Peanut Gallery, sitting right next to Buffalo Bob. He and my parents were visiting New York at the time for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/509 "2021-07-24T04:10:04Z")
My wife (along with other Chinese people) has fond memories of “Man from Atlantis”, which was one of the first Western TV shows to be shown on Chinese TV. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/510 "2021-07-24T04:43:22Z")
I remember _The Edge_ as it was my introduction to Jennifer Aniston, and where I developed my crush on her. Does anyone remember [Nearly Departed](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096659/), in which Eric Idle played the ghost of a man killed in a rockslide? He and his wife return home to find a family living in their house. Only the grandfather can see or hear them, and hilarity ensues. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/511 "2021-07-24T04:58:17Z")
I was in the Peanut Gallery on WCCO’s (MPS/SP) _ **Cap’n Dale Show** _ when I was four. When I was 12, I was on WCCO’s _ **Clancy and Company** _ and WTCN’s _ **Popeye ‘n’ Pete** _. Had to wait five years for tickets to that last one! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/512 "2021-07-24T05:31:58Z")
Listening to Wilson Pickett on another thread just reminded me of this show, which I quite enjoyed but fear now is largely forgotten: > **[Midnight Caller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Caller)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > Midnight Caller is an American drama television series created by Richard DiLello, which aired on NBC from October 25, 1988, to May 17, 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growing phenomenon of talk radio. > Jack Killian is a former San Francisco police detective who quits the force after he accidentally shot his partner dead in a confrontation with armed criminals. After lapsing into ... ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/513 "2021-07-24T06:00:51Z")
I loved _Midnight Caller_! My then-girlfriend and I looked forward to it every week. I haven’t been able to find it on DVD, but I wish I could. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/514 "2021-07-24T06:26:47Z")
My grandmother watched _Midnight Caller_ religiously. She was totally in love with Gary Cole. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/515 "2021-07-24T11:16:10Z")
Patricia Keith was mentioned upthread, and that reminded me of a Brian Keith series. All I remember really is a bunch of annoying kids and nurses who kept running to Keith’s character in panic. > **[The Little People (TV Series 1972–1974) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068052/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_66)** > > The Little People: Created by Garry Marshall. With Brian Keith, Shelley Fabares, Victoria Young, Roger Bowen. In its first season, father and daughter pediatricians, Dr. Sean Jamison and Dr. Anne Jamison, run a free clinic in Oahu, Hawaii. Starting... ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/516 "2021-07-24T12:10:03Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > My wife (along with other Chinese people) has fond memories of “Man from Atlantis”, which was one of the first Western TV shows to be shown on Chinese TV. As an American, this is something I always found fun about watching TV outside the US. Lot of commercial flops (mostly bad, some good), that found new life in new viewing markets, and some things that are hilarious when dubbed. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/517 "2021-07-24T13:46:42Z")
Forgive me if these have been mentioned. I remember two 70’s shows about invisible men. Gemini Man [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hTWLDa5DnpQ/hqdefault.jpg "Gemini Man TV series intro HQ (1976)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWLDa5DnpQ) The Invisible Man [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/g1NGEidXo7s/hqdefault.jpg "The Invisible Man 1975") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1NGEidXo7s) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/518 "2021-07-24T14:00:10Z")
**The Second Hundred Years**. A guy goes into suspended animation in the 18somethings, only to wake up in the 60s, where he’s a young man, and his son is an old man. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/519 "2021-07-24T15:03:14Z")
Another one I remembered: Sue Thomas FBEye, about a deaf FBI agent and her gkrgeous golkden retreiver. I couldn’t get enough science fiction in my youth, so I watched every episode of Man From Atlantis, Gemini Man, Invisible Man, Otherworld, Logan’s Run and probably a lot more I forgot. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/520 "2021-07-24T15:14:32Z")
I remember that one, not due to the not especially unique on the 60’s premise, but because of the cast: Monte Markham (a crush of **Eve’s** ), a poor-mans’s Jimmy Stewart somewhat interchangable with Marjoe Gortner; Arthur O’Connell, the most hanged-dog of all hangdog character actors; and Frank Maxwell, a standard stocky hard guy who could be swapped mid-scene with Ed Binns, Frank Lovejoy, etc. without anyone noticing. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/521 "2021-07-24T20:55:17Z")
_The Fanelli Boys_ aired on NBC for about six months in the early 90s. A one-note Italian stereotype parade, Letterman had a running gag on how long until it would be cancelled (and they were on the same network!) Ann Morgan Guilbert played the mother of a bunch of hapless boys who’d moved back home. Once they reconnected with a classmate who had been voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed’. Upon learning that he had become an insurance salesman in Cheboygan, one of the brothers remarked, “Wow! **Spooky!”** The mother announced one day that she’d had the phone company block those expensive calls to 900 numbers, which seemed to be leading to a phone sex joke, until she added: “From now on, if you want to contact José Canseco, you’re going to have to write to him”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2021, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022/522 "2021-07-24T21:01:20Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > _The Fanelli Boys_ aired on NBC for about six months in the early 90s. A one-note Italian stereotype parade, Letterman had a running gag on how long until it would be cancelled (and they were on the same network!) Ann Morgan Guilbert played the mother of a bunch of hapless boys who’d moved back home. …hang on a second; I just looked this up; the brothers were Joe Pantoliano and Christopher Meloni? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-only-you-remember/946022.md?page=27)