CTV Throwback Thursdays

[Sal]

CTV is Canada's #1 TV network. Earlier this year, they launched their own VOD streaming channel called CTV Throwback which offers free ad-based series from the past in a setup similar to Hulu. It started with 20 different series but has now doubled to 40. Some of the shows seem very strange to me given the fact that they would have premiered in the last 10-20 years so they don't exactly give me the impression of being true throwback series. (Examples: My Boys, Til Death, Orphan Black, Drop Dead Diva, and the Men In Black cartoon to name a few.) For the most part, I tend to ignore them and focus on the older series like The Jeffersons, The Facts Of Life, Charlie's Angels, Soap, Mad About You, and Married With Children.

Each week, CTV adds one title to the list seemingly chosen at random. This week, they have added 3 shows. One is Orphan Black. The other 2 represent what may be their wisest additions yet and they have done it in a rather unique fashion. For the first time, CTV has added a show from the 1960s and it's one of my favorites, "I Dream Of Jeannie". That would be all 6 seasons and 140 episodes in total. Not only that, but as an added bonus, you also get the 1970s "Jeannie" cartoon with ex-Stooge Joe Besser providing the voice of Babu, Jeannie's inept but funny appentice genie. ("Yabble Dabble!!")

I'll try and update this page every Thursday to see what other shows they add in the future. Here are a few pages to start you off:

CTV Throwback Home Page

I Dream Of Jeannie

Jeannie cartoon

[TSMIV]

Looks like its only available in Canada. I tried to watch Early Edition and I got an error message "browser not supported." Ugh.....why won't somebody in the US get the streaming rights for this show?

[MA]

Originally Posted by TSMIV

Looks like its only available in Canada. I tried to watch Early Edition and I got an error message "browser not supported." Ugh.....why won't somebody in the US get the streaming rights for this show?

Have you considered using a VPN? Maybe that will work.

[Sal]

Originally Posted by TSMIV

Looks like its only available in Canada. I tried to watch Early Edition and I got an error message "browser not supported." Ugh.....why won't somebody in the US get the streaming rights for this show?

Now you know how I feel when I try to go on Hulu. I agree with you and many others that also complain about this. Geo-blocking is wrong, no matter where you are from. After all, this should be the WORLD wide web. A lot of companies tend to forget that. So, what I will do from now on is this: Whenever CTV launches another Throwback title on its site, normally on Thursdays, I will post the new titles with links from both CTV (for Canadian fans) and other free sites for everyone else. This way, everyone is happy, I hope. Here are a few good ones to get you started:



CTV Throwback


227

Charlie's Angels

Designing Women

Early Edition

I Dream Of Jeannie

Jeannie

Mad About You

Married With Children

NewsRadio

Soap

The Facts Of Life

The Jeffersons

The Larry Sanders Show

Who's The Boss?



Other sites

227

Charlie's Angels

Designing Women

Early Edition

I Dream Of Jeannie

Jeannie

Mad About You

Married With Children

NewsRadio

Soap

The Facts Of Life

The Jeffersons

The Larry Sanders Show

Who's The Boss

[TSMIV]

I can kind of understand geo blocking for some countries/regions, but the US and Canada makes no sense. People living near the border can get over the air stations of both countries with antennas and some US network shows actually air a day earlier in Canada. So what is the point of blocking? Plus all of the shows on this list are American produced so why keep Americans from watching their own shows?

[MA]

Originally Posted by Sal

Now you know how I feel when I try to go on Hulu. I agree with you and many others that also complain about this. Geo-blocking is wrong, no matter where you are from. After all, this should be the WORLD wide web. A lot of companies tend to forget that. So, what I will do from now on is this: Whenever CTV launches another Throwback title on its site, normally on Thursdays, I will post the new titles with links from both CTV (for Canadian fans) and other free sites for everyone else. This way, everyone is happy, I hope. Here are a few good ones to get you started:



CTV Throwback


227

Charlie's Angels

Designing Women

Early Edition

I Dream Of Jeannie

Jeannie

Mad About You

Married With Children

NewsRadio

Soap

The Facts Of Life

The Jeffersons

The Larry Sanders Show

Who's The Boss?



Other sites

227

Charlie's Angels

Designing Women

Early Edition

I Dream Of Jeannie

Jeannie

Mad About You

Married With Children

NewsRadio

Soap

The Facts Of Life

The Jeffersons

The Larry Sanders Show

Who's The Boss

Great idea for the other sites.

[Sal]

This week's new videos follow the same formula as last week: a beloved 1960s sitcom plus its short-lived rarely seen spinoff as well as a series from the 2000s that hardly anyone saw or cared about.

That would be Stuart Little, a cartoon series from 2003 based on the popular movie that starred Michael J Fox. None of the actors that did the voices in the movie returned for the series which might help to explain why it only lasted for one season and 13 episodes, none of which I could find on other sites.

Last week, CTV Throwback added "I Dream Of Jeannie" to their collection so, naturally, they follow it up with "Bewitched". All 8 seasons and 250 episodes are now available.

As an added bonus, they have also added the "Bewitched" spinoff "Tabitha" starring Lisa Hartman and Robert Urich from 1977. The series ran for only 12 episodes, likely because the viewers would have been surprised to see Tabitha grow up so quickly. (Hartman was 21 years old when the show began. The original Tabitha, Erin Murphy, was 13. She should have been the star!)

I have found all 12 episodes on Dailymotion and I have included them all below as well as an extra pilot episode that starred Liberty Williams. I will also include extra links for both "Bewitched" and "I Dream Of Jeannie" so you can watch both of these great shows together.

CTV THROWBACK

Bewitched

Tabitha

Stuart Little

OTHERS

Bewitched - Link 1 Link 2

I Dream Of Jeannie - Link 2 (Link 1 is on Page 1.)

TABITHA

1x0 - Pilot #1

1x1 - Pilot #2

1x2 - Tabitha's Weighty Problem

1x3 - The Halloween Show

1x4 - A Star Is Born

1x5 - Minerva Goes Straight

1x6 - Mr. Nice Guy

1x7 - The Arrival Of Nancy

1x8 - Tabitha's Triangle

1x9 - That New Black Magic

1x10 - What's Wrong With Mr. Right?

1x11 - Paul Goes To New York

1x12 - Tabitha's Party


More good stuff to come next week...

[Sal]

This week, CTV has really disappointed me with their new offerings. The only new "Throwback" series added to the site involve a couple of famous "Friends" in short-lived sitcoms that were around before and after the classic series aired. They are "Mr Sunshine", starring Matthew Perry as a hockey arena manager, and "Muddling Through", which is what Jennifer Aniston was literally doing before her big break arrived a year later when she became Rachel. CTV also has "Mad About You" which featured my favorite Friend Lisa Kudrow, who was just hilarious as Ursula the waitress. After adding these shows, I was hoping that "Friends" would also be included but it didn't happen, much to my dismay. Either they forgot about it or figured it would be too obvious or maybe they're saving it for next week, when they'll probably want to include "Misfits Of Science" or "Cougar Town" as well. I'll let you know next week. Meanwhile, enjoy this week's links:


CTV Throwback


Mr Sunshine

Muddling Through

Mad About You


Others

Mr Sunshine

Muddling Through

Mad About You - Updated links

Friends

[Sal]

Just as they did last week, CTV Throwback have added a couple of series that only lasted one season in prime time. The first one is best left forgotten while the other is one of the most underrated and pleasant surprises from the early 1980s.


The sitcom "Rake" from 2011 is based upon an Australian series of the same name about a shady lawyer with a very questionable and immoral past. It originally aired on FOX which is not known for picking winners and this show only adds to their long list of losers.

Then there is "Square Pegs" which I felt deserved a much better fate. It was about two geeky girls trying hard to fit in with the cool girls at Weemawee Junior High. They didn't quite make it until the series ended much too soon after which its lovable leads Sarah Jessica Parker, Jami Gertz, and Tracy Nelson went on to have successful careers of their own in TV and movies. This was a show I loved when I was younger and I'll look forward to watching it again online.


LINKS

CTV Throwback

Rake

Square Pegs



OTHERS

Rake

Square Pegs

[Sal]

This week's best-forgotten offering is a series that is similar to last week's "Rake" in that it features a sleazy lawyer with questionable social morals. It is called "Justified" from 2010 (another dubious Throwback date) and I've never heard of it before yet I'm surprised to find out that it lasted for 6 years. Hopefully next week, they'll find something a lot better.

Justified - CTV Throwback

Justified - Dailymotion

[Sal]

There were no new Throwback shows offered by CTV last week because I'm guessing that they were going through the vaults carefully looking for another terrible show to feature this week --- and they found one!


This week's feature attraction is Just Shoot Me! which was a hit series for NBC that ran for 7 seasons starting in 1997. It was part of a growing trend for the network where they would have series that showed more women taking a stronger role in the workplace, such as "Veronica's Closet", "Suddenly Susan", and "Will and Grace". NBC even set aside a Monday night comedy block and cleverly called it "Must-She TV", with "Just Shoot Me" as a key figure in that block, and for a short time it worked. The sitcom starred the lovely Laura San Giacomo in the lead role of Maya Gallo, supported by capable veterans George Segal, ("Fun with Dick and Jane") Wendie Malick ("Hot In Cleveland"), Enrico Colantoni ("Veronica Mars"), and, worst of all, David Spade.


The entire series can be streamed for free here:


CTV

DailyMotion

[MA]

Thank you for all of these links that you have provided Sal.

[Sal]

Originally Posted by MA

Thank you for all of these links that you have provided Sal.

You are very welcome. I will have more this Thursday so stay tuned.

One week later, I will post details about the Canadian upfronts so that will be worth looking forward to as well.

[MA]

Originally Posted by Sal

You are very welcome. I will have more this Thursday so stay tuned.

One week later, I will post details about the Canadian upfronts so that will be worth looking forward to as well.

I will.

[Sal]

This week, CTV presents another forgotten, rarely-seen sitcom from the not-so-distant past. It's called "Necessary Roughness" about a recently divorced psychiatrist (as recently as 1991, that is) who offers her help to pro athletes and other local celebrities. It originally ran for 3 seasons on the USA Network and can now be seen here:


CTV

Dailymotion