This Week in TV History with Tony Figueroa

Tony Figueroa of TV Confidential provides his unique take on notable events in the world of television and their impact on TV today.

Tony on the Picket Line: Part 2 09/15/2023

Tony on the Picket Line: Part 2 Tony attends a Special Solidarity march and rally from Netflix to Paramount. Attendees included SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, secretary-treasurer Joely Fisher, national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Los Angeles Local first vice-president Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Jon Cryer. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837242

Tony on the Picket Line: Part 1 09/09/2023

Tony on the Picket Line: Part 1 This week: Tony walks us through the various issues that are at stake in the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837277

Jack Paar and The Tonight Show 09/05/2022

Jack Paar and The Tonight Show Tony Figueroa remembers the night in July 1957 when Jack Paar took over as host of The Tonight Show /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837297

Happy 100th Birthday, Norman Lear 09/03/2022

Happy 100th Birthday, Norman Lear Tony salutes Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Norman Lear, the man who changed television in the 1970s. Norman Lear turned 100 this past Wednesday, July 27 /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837312

Sanford and Son Turns 50 02/03/2022

Sanford and Son Turns 50 Tony Figueroa remembers Sanford and Son (NBC, 1972-1977), the long-running sitcom starring Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson that premiered fifty years ago This Week in TV History. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837342

Emergency! Turns 50 01/29/2022

Emergency! Turns 50 Tony remembers Emergency! (NBC, 1972-1977), the long-running medical drama/action-adventure series about emergency room doctors and paramedics in Los Angeles. Co-created and produced by Jack Webb, Emergency! starred Robert Fuller, Julie London, Bobby Troup, Randolph Mantooth, and Kevin Tighe and premiered on Jan. 15, 1972. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837362

The TODAY Show Turns 70 01/13/2022

The TODAY Show Turns 70 Donna Allen joins Tony Figueroa for a look back at the history of The TODAY Show, which premiered 70 years ago This Week in TV History /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837387

The TODAY Show Turns 70, Part 2 01/13/2022

The TODAY Show Turns 70, Part 2 Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen discuss some of the many historic events that have been covered by The TODAY Show. TODAY premiered seventy years ago This Week in TV History /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837407

The Grinch Turns 55 12/24/2021

The Grinch Turns 55 Tony Figueroa remembers the network TV premiere of Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (CBS, 1966). /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837427

The Homecoming Turns 50 12/23/2021

The Homecoming Turns 50 Donna Allen joins Tony Figueroa for a look at the fiftieth anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (CBS, 1971), the made-for-TV holiday classic starring Patricia Neal, Richard Thomas, and Andrew Duggan and written by Earl Hamner that also led to the development of The Waltons (CBS, 1972-1981). /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837457

Why The Homecoming is Still Magnetic 12/23/2021

Why The Homecoming is Still Magnetic Tony and Donna discuss some of the many moments in The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (CBS, 1971) that slowly draw viewers in. The two-hour pilot for The Waltons, The Homecoming first aired fifty years ago This Week in TV History. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837482

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Turns 55 10/29/2021

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Turns 55 Donna Allen joins Tony Figueroa to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the original broadcast of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837502

The Legacy of I Love Lucy 10/27/2021

The Legacy of I Love Lucy Diane Vincent joins Tony Figueroa via Zoom for a look at the 75th anniversary of the premiere of I Love Lucy on television. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837517

The Legacy of I Love Lucy, Part 2 10/27/2021

The Legacy of I Love Lucy, Part 2 Diane Vincent joins Tony Figueroa via Zoom for a look at the 75th anniversary of the premiere of I Love Lucy on television. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837532

The Legacy of I Love Lucy, Part 3 10/27/2021

The Legacy of I Love Lucy, Part 3 Diane Vincent joins Tony Figueroa via Zoom for a look at the 75th anniversary of the premiere of I Love Lucy on television. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837557

The Dick Van Dyke Show Turns 60 10/11/2021

The Dick Van Dyke Show Turns 60 Donna Allen joins Tony Figueroa for a look back at The Dick Van Dyke Show, which premiered sixty years ago This Week in TV History. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837572

The Dick Van Dyke Show at 60, Part 2 10/11/2021

The Dick Van Dyke Show at 60, Part 2 Tony and Donna discuss some of their favorite episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, including "Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra," "That's My Boy," and "It May Look Like a Walnut." /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837592

That Girl Turns 55 10/05/2021

That Girl Turns 55 Donna Allen joins Tony Figueroa for a special two-part edition of This Week in TV History that commemorates the 55th anniversary of the premiere of That Girl (ABC, 1966-1971). /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837607

How That Girl Became That Woman 10/05/2021

How That Girl Became That Woman Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen discuss the various ways in which That Girl changed as a series during its fifth season, as well as how the show ended in 1971. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837627

The Muppet Show at 45 09/25/2021

The Muppet Show at 45 Host Tony Figueroa remembers the 45th anniversary of the premiere of The Muppet Show and the legacy of Jim Henson. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837642

Columbo at 50 09/15/2021

Columbo at 50 Tony remembers the fiftieth anniversary of Columbo on television. "Murder by the Book," the first episode of the Columbo series, aired on this date in TV history in 1971. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837662

Star Trek Turns 55 09/08/2021

Star Trek Turns 55 Tony marks the 55th anniversary of the premiere of the original Star Trek. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837677

WKRP: Clean Up Radio Everywhere 07/05/2021

WKRP: Clean Up Radio Everywhere This week Tony Figueroa remembers "Clean Up Radio Everywhere," the famous episode of WKRP in Cincinnati that addressed censorship. Also in this segment: A tribute to Frank Bonner, the actor who played sales director Herb Tarlek on WKRP. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837697

The Final Episode of Soap 05/11/2021

The Final Episode of Soap Tony looks back at the final broadcast of Soap (ABC, 1977-1981) on Apr. 20, 1981, forty years ago This Week in TV History. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837712

2 Captains Turn 90 03/25/2021

2 Captains Turn 90 This week Tony marks the milestone 90th birthdays of two actors who are known for playing captains on television: William Shatner (Star Trek) and Hal Linden (Barney Miller). /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837732

Believe It or Not: The Greatest American Hero Turns 40 03/18/2021

Believe It or Not: The Greatest American Hero Turns 40 Tony remembers The Greatest American Hero, which premiered 40 years ago (Mar. 18, 1981) this week in TV history. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837747

Happy Birthday, Gavin MacLeod 02/25/2021

Happy Birthday, Gavin MacLeod This week Tony commemorates the 90th birthday of actor Gavin MacLeod (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat, McHale's Navy). MacLeod was born on Feb. 28, 1931. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837767

45 Years of Laverne & Shirley 01/25/2021

45 Years of Laverne & Shirley Tony Figueroa remembers the premiere of Laverne & Shirley in January 1976. Topics include why both Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days are still master classes in physical comedy. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837782

50 Years of All in the Family 01/12/2021

50 Years of All in the Family Tony Figueroa discusses some of the many ways in which All in the Family changed network television after it premiered on CBS on Jan. 12, 1971. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837802

Tony and Donna's Christmas Viewing List 12/22/2020

Tony and Donna's Christmas Viewing List Donna Allen-Figueroa joins Tony this week to share some of their favorite Christmas-themed TV episodes. Among the shows discussed in this segment are "The Draft Dodger" episode of All in the Family (which originally aired in December 1976) and "Sisters at Heart," an episode of Bewitched that originally aired in December 1970. /episode/index/show/ecf2b71c-db6f-41bd-aed8-f4ff27535fbb/id/32837817

This Week in TV History with Tony Figueroa

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