History, Bitten

[thebitterguy]

Saw what I can only assume is the first episode of History Bites Season VI. Their website is fairly not useful, as it only lists episodes from seasons I-V, and offers to sell episodes for $25 each. Welcome to 1997. I'm sure there'd be NO interest in buying it in season sets from public and educators alike.

The show, for the sad souls who've never seen it, formerly did history education by examining historical periods in the context of television. The Borgias, for example, became the Osborgias. It was wacky, wild, and fun. Good educational tool.

So, I'd assumed HB had gone the way of all quality TV, but it appears I was wrong. Cynra and I saw a new ep via the power of PVR last week, and it was an interesting one.

Primarily, the TV thing seems to have been eliminated, in favour of standard sketches. The topic, instead of being a single period/event was broadened to cover the history of Canadian/US relations, in terms of relationships between Prime Ministers and presidents. I think they skipped the infamous LBJ/LBP "You pissed on my rug!" incident.

They also pumped the show up to an hour, instead of the half our episodes it used to be. The cast seems to have been expanded (Rick Green apparently remembered he used to be in a comedy troupe), and they were top notch.

I wonder whatever happened to Matthew Sharp (the guy who played Gyrich in X-Men)? He was a nice guy.

Comments

[anidada.livejournal.com]

$25 PER EPISODE? Holy freaking g-d, WHAT? *spanks Rick Green, and not in a nice way* Dude, no. I wouldn't pay that for episodes of a show that hasn't been aired in 20 years (say, my beloved, long-lost Secret Railroad), let alone one that keeps popping up in reruns.

[thebitterguy]

"This is Jacque Clozu, with my underwater camera Crew, saying goodbye, for I have just discovered the Secret Railroad. Thee Seecret Railroad? Mon Dieu! I must be on the wrong show!"

Heh.

I think the issue is that was pre-DVD era; those are on tapes, and obviously not mass produced. This is mostly for Educational usage (just like Kevin Smith's 12K purchase of the Degrassie shows).

[anidada.livejournal.com]

You know, when I was a kid (*sound of creaking rocking chair*) our teachers (who all lived in town) taped shows and then brought them to school to play for us. Or, we watched stuff live (Readalong, What's New?, Vision On, etc.). If they'd had to pay $25 per ep, it wouldn't have happened. (Because, as you well know, it would've come out of their pockets.)

I think if they're calling those shows educational programming in order to justify a lack of mass-production (and going by what I saw in Future Shop last week, Degrassi is very much out there), that's a bit silly. (As for the tape/DVD thing, I'm confused -- how does that affect the situation?) Sure, if it turns kids on to history, more power to it. But... it's primarily meant to draw ratings, isn't it? Or am I missing something? (Talking out of my ass, here, as I don't have cable.)

[anidada.livejournal.com]

"who all lived in town" -- Ptbo, that is; my school was a hundred kids bussed into a village not much bigger than that.

"watched stuff live" -- if it was on CBC or TVO, the only two channels they could get at the school.