Bob WAS a show. After successful runs on both The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, Bob Newhart brought his famous stammering deadpan stylings to a third sitcom… but uh, this one, it was, it uh, it was just called…well, it uh, it was called Bob. So in this show Bob Newhart plays Bob McKay, an artist who created a comic book called Mad-Dog 20 years ago, but now works for a greeting card company. Suddenly a publisher comes knocking with a plan to bring back Mad-Dog, but with an edgy 90s spin! Bob ditches his greeting card job and chases his dream! —until a second two retooling when the comic publisher gets shut down and Bob gets asked to take over the greeting card company by its owner…Betty White! Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Love & War WAS a show. It’s basically what happens when Diane English, the legendary creator of Murphy Brown, makes a sitcom in the 80s rom-com style of movies like When Harry Met Sally. Love & War is about rough around the edges New York City newspaper columnist Jack Stein (Jay Thomas) and his attempts at romance—first in an on-again off-again relationship with restaurateur Wally Porter (Susan Dey), and then after a second season retooling, in a will-they or won’t-they with chef Dana Palladino (Annie Potts). Brynn, Aaron and Barry head on down to The Blue Shamrock (that’s the dive bar / fancy restaurant where it takes place!) to break the fourth wall (which they initially do but then stop doing!) to speak right to you, the audience, about why this show got sent back to the kitchen. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

If you were to open a time capsule containing all the artifacts of the cynical postmodernism and depraved celebrity trolling of 1995 to 1998, you would also find a VHS tape containing all 3 seasons of The Naked Truth. Téa Leoni plays Nora, a recently divorced former photojournalist who, despite being only 26, was already nominated for a Pulitzer back before her controlling and two-timing wealthy ex-husband destroyed her career. Now she’s trying to rebuild her reputation, but the only job she can get is for a sleazy tabloid run by Holland Taylor’s ruthless Camilla. Brynn, Aaron & Barry hop a fence, pull out the telephoto lens and take a shot at figuring out why this show left the newsstands. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Prolific actor Matt Frewer secured his place in the pop culture zeitgeist with his lead in the cult classic Max Headroom, and went on to countless movie and TV roles—yet none bigger in terms of actual minutes of screen time than Dr. Mike Stratford, general practitioner, novelist, and TV medical expert in Providence, Rhode Island. Despite disappearing into obscurity, this show holds an important place in television history, as Doctor Doctor is the first ever recipient of the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, two years in a row. So why didn’t CBS refill their prescription? Brynn, Aaron & Barry schedule an appointment to get the diagnosis. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Welcome to the 90s NBC Must See TV Single-in-the-City Sitcom Universe! The Single Guy WAS a show…starring Jonathan Silverman, Joey Slotnick, Ming-Na Wen, Jessica Hecht and Ernest Borgnine! Right smack in the middle of Friends and Seinfeld, NBC had a show that seemed to draw on aspects of both shows to create a bridge between the two. Seinfeld was about single people who want to be single. Friends is about single people who want to be married. Along came The Single Guy, a show about one single man amongst a group of married friends. Late 90s television was the era of the single 30-something hanging out in New York city, so why wasn’t this show a huge hit? Brynn, Aaron & Barry take to the Manhattan streets (but really the Seinfeld backlot in LA) to find out. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Based on the 1995 indie Sundance hit of the same name, Christine Taylor plays Mary, struggling to make a living amidst her fast paced lifestyle in the New York City “club kid” culture where she hosts underground parties with her best friend Derrick, played by John Cameron Mitchell. She gets a job in a library—but can she prove herself as mature and responsible? Can she learn the Dewey Decimal System? Brynn, Aaron and Barry wander through the aisles, find 791.45 GIR and research why this party flopped. Visit our website! thatwasashow.com Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

In the 80s and 90s, successful standup comedians were given their own shows. Actually that still happens today. So when a sitcom was developed for George Carlin, one of the greatest standups of all time, clearly this show was going to be a big deal. Clearly it was going to be a hit…right? Brynn, Aaron and Barry hop in a cab, head down Broadway Avenue to The Moylan Tavern, grab a seat at the bar and try to sort out why the taps ran dry on The George Carlin Show. Meanwhile TWAS made the list of the Top 20 Podcasts About Sitcoms on Feedspot! Check out the the full list here: https://blog.feedspot.com/sitcom_podcasts Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Follow us on Instagram @thatwasashow Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

We have an exciting announcement about That Was a Show? Season 3... In the style of a 90s network television interstitial promo! Starting in Season 3, we'll be releasing episodes on specific dates: the 1st and 15th of each month. This will begin with our season premiere on February 15th, with an episode about The George Carlin Show! Oh and on that note, we will now try to announce the show being covered in each episode in advance, so that you wonderful TWASies can try to watch it or research it a little bit in advance. We're looking forward to a great Season 3, coming soon... so stay tuned! Brynn, Aaron and Barry :)

Brynn, Aaron & Barry celebrate the end of an incredible 2nd season of That Was a Show? They watch and review three very successful sitcoms from the 90s that may or may not be forgotten today…and you’ll have to listen to find out which ones! They also present the 2nd annual TWASies Awards to some of the shows and characters discovered over the past year—including the Baddest Badaptation Award, the Best Betty White Award, the Schlubbiest Dad, and of course the highly prestigious Hunkiest Deadbeat Award! Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Maybe This Time WAS a show. This 1995 sitcom is about the comings and goings of a family owned coffee shop, and stars the likes of Marie Osmond, Ashley Johnson, Any Hill, Craig Ferguson, and saving the best for last here, Betty White! It’s part sarcastic gen-x hangout show and part saccharine kid-friendly family show a la TGIF. Brynn, Aaron and Barry grab a seat at the counter, order a cookie and cappakino, and gab about why this show turned out to be half-baked. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Ned and Stacey WAS a show. He’s a fast talking advertising exec with no scruples. She’s a down on her luck journalist stuck living with her parents. To get a promotion, he needs a wife. To get on with her life, she needs an apartment. What if… they got married? So what if they completely hate each other? Join Brynn, Aaron and Barry as they ‘will they won’t they’ their way through another rom com. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

In this special bonus feature episode, Brynn & Aaron examine the attempted spinoff of The Nanny called The Chatterbox, which never made it past a failed backdoor pilot. This show could be described as The Nanny (without Fran Drescher) meets Dirty Dancing (without heart) meets Cheers (without jokes) and set in a hair salon in deep Queens. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Gloria WAS a show. This 1983 sitcom was a spin-off of a spin-off from the iconic All In The Family universe...but without Norman Lear and Carroll O'Connor. It does have lots of cute animals and the delightful Sally Struthers. Brynn, Aaron and Barry enter this doomed story world by watching not one but TWO pilots to decide whether it should be a part of the Archie Bunker cannon. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Hudson Street WAS a show. Tony Danza plays yet another character named Tony in this story about a divorced police detective in Hoboken, New Jersey. Finally ready to give love another chance, Tony gets set up on a date with newspaper writer Melanie, played by Lori Loughlin. The catch? He’s a tough-on-crime conservative, and she…pretty much just believes in basic civil liberties and due process. In another twist, she lands the city police beat for the New York Times, so now they have to work together! Uh oh… Join Brynn, Aaron and Barry, as they gather evidence for their investigation into why this star-studded sitcom got bumped off after only one season. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Baby Talk WAS a show. She’s a single mother looking for love; he’s a baby whose thoughts we can hear. That’s uh, that’s pretty much it. It’s Baby Talk! Join Brynn, Aaron and Barry, as they try to goo-goo gah-gah their way through this 90s dud that also featured the glorious hair of George Clooney. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Free Spirit WAS a show. A single dad struggles to balance his at-home law practice with raising three kids. When his youngest son casually wishes for someone who’ll pay more attention to him, a witch named Winnie literally drops from the sky into their lives. Dad doesn’t know she’s a supernatural being and hires her as a housekeeper, nanny, mother figure, and possibly a love interest? Yikes is right! Winnie is magic, and can make pretty much anything appear on command. But can she charm her way into this family’s hearts? Obviously yes. Oh, and Alyson Hannigan plays the middle child—and proto-Meg Griffin type—in one of her first roles ever. Brynn, Aaron and Barry conjure up some theories as to why this 1989 trope-fest was quickly made to disappear. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker hse18iuEiodLS9Iy3017

Phenom WAS a show. This 90s family sitcom featured a teenage tennis champ, a Carly Simon song, and Catholic guilt. It had a stacked cast of TV ringers, including Judith Light and William Devane, PLUS top-notch comedy writers! So what happened? Lots of people liked it—especially eight-year-old Brynn! The gang has a rowdy discussion about this series and the "racket" of show business. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Check out our sponsor: Wander Nut Butters tastewander.com/twas Use the discount code “TWAS15” at checkout to save 15% Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

In this special bonus episode, Brynn & Aaron rewind the old VHS collection, and look back at the show It’s Your Move from Season 1, Episode 17 of the podcast. They watch another episode to shine even more light on this edgy 1984 dark comedy. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Check out our sponsor: Wander Nut Butters tastewander.com/twas Use the discount code “TWAS15” at checkout to save 15% Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

Something Wilder WAS a show. This harmless family sitcom was developed as a vehicle for the Hollywood legend Gene Wilder. Join Brynn, Aaron & Barry as they make their way through this Gene Pick. Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Check out our sponsor: Wander Nut Butters tastewander.com/twas Use the discount code “TWAS15” at checkout to save 15% Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker

One Of The Boys WAS a show. What do you get when you bring together Dana Carvey in his first starring role, Nathan Lane in his first starring role, music and acting icon Scatman Crothers, and cap it off with the vaudeville stylings of Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney? Turns out not a lot. This 1982 sitcom is about an energetic senior who ditches the nursing home (where he inexplicably lives because he’s in terrific shape) to move in with his college student grandson and roommate. This show even features appearances from the likes of Olympia Dukakis, and Meg Ryan in her second role ever. Brynn, Aaron, Barry, and special guest co-host, Neal E. Fischer of the podcast Triviality, try to figure out why this show got pulled offstage by that giant cane. Check out Neal’s great work: www.linktr.ee/BeingPatrickSwayze www.nealefischer.com/books Email: thatwasashow@aol.com (Because 90s AOL still exists for some reason!) Visit our new website! thatwasashow.com Leave us a voice message at anchor.fm/thatwasashow and it might make it into a future episode! Check out our new sponsor: Wander Nut Butters tastewander.com/twas Use the discount code “TWAS15” at checkout to save 15% Instagram @thatwasashow The Trope Library: thatwasashow.tumblr.com Merch: redbubble.com/people/thatwasashow Hosted by: Brynn Byrne @brynnabyrne Aaron Yeger @aaronyeger Andrew “Barry” Helmer @andrewhelmer Podcast logo and artwork by Brian Walker @briguywalker