#24 - Puppetman: Unsold Pilot

I got to witness "The Muppets" during the first part of the first season of Saturday Night Live, I say this just to prove as much as I love Jim Henson and those Muppets, I know for certain not everything he touched turned to gold I was also aware from a Jim Henson biography that in 1987 he produced a show titled Puppetman that went unsold and was about the goings on behind the scenes of a puppet show (but not like The Muppet Show, I mean the actual puppeteers).

It's best to say my opinion on Puppetman is mixed, anything involving the puppets is pretty good and there is some nice Muppet characters that wouldn't be out of place elsewhere but... the plot about Gary (Fred Newman) looking after his son and finding out the mother is going be away for 6 months (they've split) is so generic that you just want the scenes too move along.

I don't know if this was the first thing that Henson produced that took away the illusion of the Muppet characters but that might have some explaniation to why it was never picked up, but there is a spark there with the behind the scenes (though it's not exactly Larry Sanders Show).

Overall I've seen worse make it to series and go on years but next to some other Jim Henson work it's just not in the same league.

#23 - RoboCop The Animated: The Man In The Iron Suit

Based on the 1987 movie RoboCop, it's probably one of the more surprising properties to get an animated adaption aimd at kids (only The Toxic Avenger probably beats it in suprising stakes) and it's something I remembered watching quite fondly as a child, so what surprises me most when I look it up that was only 13 episodes produced of the cartoon series (which was the same amount with The Toxic Crusaders).

So obviously the violence as being neutered, nobody gets there arm shot off or ran over after being covered in toxic waste, but what did surprise me is that when he thought Lewis was killed that it seems like he wanted to take revenge (in the killing sort of way).

This episode plot is about Dr. McNamara creating an iron suit that is mean't to be better then RoboCop and gets Lt. Hedgecock who despises RoboCop in the suit and challenge him to prove it's far superiror. Yadda yadda, you can guess who comes out on top.

So RoboCop: The Animated Series is in line with a lot of animated actiony shows of the time period in that from a non bais point of view a lot of them can be samey, still it's an enjoyable trip down memory lane for me.

#22 - Coming To America: Unsold Pilot

I like to think I have a pretty good knowledge of shows based on films, even the ones that failed or only made it as far as an unsold pilot, but I have to admit the existence of an unsold pilot for Coming To America passed me by.

So a year after the films release, a television pilot was produced in 1989 which rather then Eddie Murphy (who would have been way too expensive - but he stayed on executive role) we get Tommy Davidson playing Prince Tariq (you'll recall Murphy played Prince Akeem). Davidson about a year later would go onto to appear in sketch show In Living Color.

While Akeem set off to find a woman who loved him for him and not his money, Tariq as being exiled to America by his brother to attend college and has blown through his allowance in only 9 days. While Murphy was charming in the role, Davidson is nothing like that even other female character which p-off's his aide Oha (Paul Bates - who is the only actor to appear from the people, he has the same name but it's unclear if he was mean't to be the same character) and to make money get a job at their landlords diner (not McDowells).

It's not very good, but if it had gone to series and made it to show in 89, I would have probably regularly watched it. Another thing that stood out with the pilot was the randon excuses for Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson impressions.

Overall, more of a curio then anything and easy to see why there wasn't a series to follow.

#20 - After MASH: Yours Truly, Max Klinger

I'm not sure but I still think Rader is supposed to be 19.

MASH is without question my favourite television series of all time, I love it... own all the DVDs, even a couple of vintage items including figures, a collectors plate and a vodka dispenser. The series ran for 11 years and I went out with a bang with it's finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen". During that final season though, the 7 members of the cast got a say in whether to continue, it was voted no with a vote of 4 to 3. Unsuprisingly the ones who voted yes to continue - Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr and William Christopher - are the stars of After MASH.

Following up a great show with a spin-off the next season is tricky, , and I believe the chances of the show are going to be more Joey then Frasier when it comes to success. So the series of After MASH began with the Korean War over and the three back in civilian life, Potter bored and Mulcahy still suffering the effects of going deaf (which is sorted out in this shows pilot) and Klinger who did stay in Korea in the MASH finale is back with his wife and the three then work at the same hospital.

"Yours Truly, Max Klinger" is the 16th episode of the first season and is notable that it features another MASH original when Gary Burghoff returns to his role as Walter 'Rader' O'Reilly, a role he played in the film version, and through the TV series until he left in the 8th season, and it's about the three going to his wedding in Iowa... but as they leaving through the door, Radar is at the door with cold foot.

Firstly, it's great to have an original MASH character back with the three, but After MASH though it could have potential dealing with those dealing with life after the war After MASH just never captured it, MASH mixed comedy and drama quite beautifully at times something this show could never do, it's not to say I didn't like it but it's a show I still enjoy for what it was.

David Ackroyd as Dr. Mark Boyer, also has a subplot in a bar wallowing in self pity at the bar, who when Radar's bride to be comes in actually seems to knock him out of (by having a go at him).

Overall, it's a decent episode it's just got an whole 11 seasons of awesomeness to live up to which many episodes of TV would fail, but yeah After MASH is not a disaster qualtity wise by any means.

#13 - Punky Brewster: Just Say No

With George Gaynes recent passing at the grand old age of 98, it reminds me of how much he was a part of my childhood, I loved (and still love) the Police Academy movies and every day when I got in my school this was in a block of shows and this was one of the ones I looked most forward to watching (Different Strokes was another one).

So I am a bit biased when it's comes to Punky Brewster, I think the theme song is awesome (it's even on my phone playlist... seriously), also I think Soleil Moon Frye as the title genuinely does give one of the best child performances in any sit-com.

It's obvious by the title of this episode that it's going to be one of them episodes with a message, which tend to get called very special episodes and 9 times out of 10 they are done badly and you really feel like you are being lectured too so in a nutshell the plot of the episode is that Punky and Cherie join a clique called the Chicklis and it turns out dun-dun-dun they do drugs and want Punky and Cherie too as well.

It's surprising how quick the girls introduce drugs into the mix after Punky and Cherie get iniatied into the clique, when Punky asks if they are drugs the man girl replies "just some grass, a few uppers and a little nose candy" which is obviously just hilarious the way she says it and keeps wanting the girls to "party" with them, thes script was clearly written by an adult who as totally forgot what it's like to be a kid.

So after this scene the girls are in a big dilemma they obviously don't want to do drugs but they'll be out the club, and Punky goes to visit cool teacher Mike (T.K. Carter) for advice which even though it's a lecture on peer pressure it is one of the episodes better handled moments which includes Mike turning into James Brown (seriously) and the scene ends up him handing Punky a Just Say No leaflet.

Back at the treehouse the girls are holding a joint as the ringleader tells them to grow up and tries bullying them, and they decide to start a group that makes you feel good about yourself called the Just Say No Club (sounds like a snore) and even gets one of the girls to join (yay)

The episode ends the girls over a Just No Music video handing out t-shirts and holding picket signs with Just Say No with the rest of the cast and even shows some real footage from the marches (which the actresses attented themself).

Obviously it's message is really in your face but I have seen more forced Very Special Episodes and it does do a better job then most of balancing the normal flow of the show and the message it want to convey

#10 - The Real Ghostbusters: Ghosts 'R Us

It's clear from early on revisting The Real Ghostbusters almost practially straight after the one show, that it's vastly superior to the Filmation Ghostbusters with a gorilla. Characters are more memorable, better animation and the stories are better... Even with this wasn't based on the classic film and was just a show in it's own right I think it still would fondly remembered.

The series was really the first thing to make Slimer the mascot (and as a funny moment in the episode when dreaming eats his own pillow that makes him sneeze) and it's really him who sets this pilot epsiodes plot in motion when he accidnetally releases three ghosts  who end up disguising themselves as rival ghost-busting company Ghosts R Us.

The episodes ghosts - Slug, Znark and Zunk - are very entertaining and this was the only episode that centered around them and the show does a g ood job of making Zurlokk a more formimable enemy for the final part of the episode.

One thing I always wondered if it was a choice not to make the characters resemble there movie characters counterparts or the actors being stubborn when it came to allowing their likeness, I think it was probably the first one to make it it's own thing.

Overall, obviously the animation is 80s (which add to it's charm) but the stories, characters etc. hold up remarkably well. I Recommend you to revisit the show if you haven't in years.

#9 - Ghostbusters: I'll Be The Son Of A Ghostbusters

Perhaps the most confusing thing as a kid when it came to the Ghostbusters cartoon for me was the fact there two of them, one called Ghostbusters (like the film) featuring a gorilla and there was also Real Ghostbusters featuring you know characters from the film, it always confused me how the cartoon got away with being able to be called Ghostbusters while the official one had to settle for the pre-fix of "real". I found out when I was older there was actually a live action show the mid-70s (something I may cover at a later date) featuring the giant gorilla and it was a rights thing and all that.

As a child I always preferred the real to this, but I did enjoy it, it was something I owned on VHS and it was played more then once but it just wasn't the same you know and re-seeing it now after probably a good 26 years I decided to go with the first episode.

I think the thing I remember most about the show is the intro and it's theme song and Tracy the gorilla "singing" parts of it and really it was the non-human characters I tended to remember most about this. I've got say it's as goofy as I remember (not a bad thing it is a kids cartoon afterall)

The plot sees the characters take on from their Fathers in a ghostbusting business, as they try to prove to a reporter ghosts are real as Primeval tries to take over the world from the future.

It was a lot of fun revisting a series I hadn't seen in so long and while it's no Real Ghostbusters it's still an enjoyable show in it's own right with some creative moments.