My tastes in TV shows often run to the eccentric, so I’m never especially surprised when I can’t find shows I enjoyed on DVD. Sometimes the shows were never popular enough, and often they were cancelled after one season; a lot of the time I seem to be the only person who even remembers them. One such program was The Steven Banks Show, produced for New Orleans’ public TV station, WYES, in 1994 by ex-NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff after he semi-retired to the Crescent City; I actually caught it on the Baton Rouge PBS affiliate, WLPB, because it aired at 10:00 PM on Saturday night, just before Doctor Who. At the end of every episode was an address to order a copy of the soundtrack album, and given that I thought Banks’ brilliant comedic songs were the best part of the show, I of course ordered it (and still play it every so often). That single viewing over 30 years ago, just before the beginning of my “year of disaster”, was the only time I ever saw the show; even after the debut of YouTube I could never find any trace of it other than the Showtime special which was essentially its pilot, and an upload of the soundtrack album. Then last month, I discovered someone had uploaded all 13 episodes; I immediately contacted the same generous gent who sent me the two missing seasons of The Muppet Show last year, and he found even better copies somewhere online. So now I’m watching them again; I only wish I could’ve shared them with Grace, because I think she’d have enjoyed all the musical humor very much. Anyhow, here’s the series on YouTube; I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I do.
Archive for May 13th, 2025
Diary #776
Posted in Biography, Diary, Favorites, Music, tagged New Orleans, Presents, video on May 13, 2025| 1 Comment »
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