Episode 33 - My So-Called Matlock

It Happened One Year famously broke down NBC's cross-sitcom promotion of November 3rd, 1994, "Blackout Thursday", way back in Episode 13, but then wondered, what were the counter offerings on that fateful night of television? This unearthed the insane ABC pairing of the legendary high school drama My So-Called Life and the elderly courtroom antics of Matlock - which brought up a lot of questions. Sarah & Joe get to the bottom of this bonkers slate of TV, looking at the 10th MSCL "Other People's Mothers" and the 180th Matlock "The Tabloid". The critical reception to the teen drama is reviewed, plus possible reasons it didn't last beyond that first season, plot elements introduced and discarded, the raw erotic appeal of Brian Krakow, and, of course, that Jordan Catalano can't read. No such wide-ranging breakdown is afforded Matlock, as the hosts question whether this wackadoo episode is typical of the show or was this a glorious one-off in its final season, featuring three separate instances of Ben singing coupled with possible extra-terrestrial sexual trysts, broken up by discussions of the characters' favorite sandwiches. Brief interludes abound, throwing time to the CBS and FOX schedules of the same night, the abrupt ALF finale, what METV stands for, and can you instinctively know which network aired a particular show. They won't be covering November 3rd television again (or will they??), so come get the comprehensive look at this singular day in broadcast history with this incongruous thirty-third episode!