The ironic thing is even though the show flopped big time, unlike the original Monkees, the New Monkees bonded for life, and their friendship has continued to this day. In an interview decades after the show ended, they were asked what, if any, good came out of their experience. And they all said it was meeting and getting to know each other.
@@nebulapig I really don't think that's true. There was a lot of conflict between Mike and Davy and Mike and Peter. Micky seems to have been loved by all. Mike even said "I never particularly cared for Peter" or "I didn't particularly care for Peter" . One of those two I think is the exact wording. Mike did bust out crying when talking about Peter's death soon after he died. And he did tweet "Farewell, my Monkee brother." when Peter died. Mike said one of the reasons why he didn't want to own the Monkees music catalogue was because he didn't want to have to deal with Davy.
@@batmarlowe There is conflict in every relationship even including family. They wouldn't have toured together over the course of 50 years if they weren't having fun. Now with Mike I will give you that he seemed to harbor a resentment at being a Monkee. Especially during the 1980's , but it was also Mike that got the group back into the studio to record Justus. A really good story is about him being on the set of the show Boy meets World when the other were appearing on it. Micky and Davy were constantly performing together on stage in broadway type shows etc.
During the 2000s, I worked with Dino Kovas at a Visual FX house in Los Angeles. When he told me he was in the New Monkees, I immediately remembered him and also remembered how I thought he was the cute one! Dino was like "you didn't like Larry?" 😂Hehehehehehehehehe!!! I wouldn't be suprised if he's already commented here.
I think "The New Monkees" were fixable, if... 1. They were called anything BUT "The New Monkees." I mean, you might as well call them "The New Beatles" or "The New Rolling Stones" or "The New Menudo." I like the logo - very '80s - so, maybe "The New Mechanics?" "The New Martians?" "The New Majority?" They were actually a pretty decent '80s pop band and definitely had personality and charisma. Plus, if there is NO connection between the two shows/bands, then what's the point? I think the production company really did the guys a disservice of not tailoring the show around their personalities. 2. The show had been on MTV, where it would have more of a chance to experiment and be weird. In my market (NYC), it was on what is now the local Fox station on Saturday mornings. 3. They expanded the show and put the boys out into the world. The reason why the original show worked was because every week had a plot - Mike gets a new job. Mickey's uncle comes to visit. Peter sells his soul to the devil. Davy falls in love. Davy falls in love. Davy falls...well, you get the point. Part of the fun was bringing the anarchy out into the world. In "The New Monkees," it was anarchic, but it was CONTAINED. There was nobody to really react to them. The failure of this show had zero to do with the guys they cast. It was just a really ill-conceived cash grab when it should have been a really fun, creative endeavor.
@Ron Motta I have an even better idea: Don't do it. Don't try to copy what was done in the 60's and think it'll still work today. The Monkees original show had a revival when it aired in the late 80s, and became popular again. This show was just awful, even the way they looked.
I don't even remember there being a "New Monkees." Probably saw a TV ad for them and decided it was going nowhere. I was a secret Monkees fan when the show aired. Where else could. you see a series with cool guitars and amplifiers, would never admit I watched it when it was on, but I did and almost never missed it.
I remember being a kid in 1986 and discovering the Monkees because of MTV and WWOR-TV in New York/New Jersey airing reruns. Then the "That Was Then, This Is Now" compilation was released, and like a number of fans, I started digging into the catalog and realizing that, regardless of who wrote what and who played on it. the Monkees had a TON of great music, with a mix of styles which played into their backgrounds (Mike being a country guy, Davy being from musical theatre, etc.). This came along, and in addition to all the reasons covered in this video, the music just wasn't there. Yes, "Someday" was a great song, but there wasn't a lot else to grab you. The Monkees had diverse music, and that gets lost amongst some people.
I was a teen when this came out..i freaking loved it..i loved the original monkees too but took it as 2 different things..wish it lasted longer..still have my cassette
I was swept up in the Monkees revival in the 80s, and I never had a desire to watch the new show. This confirms I made the right call at the time, but I enjoyed hearing the backstory just the same.
pat, i have a suggestion for an episode. over the top. it starred tim curry, annie potts and steve carell (as a greek chef) 12 episodes were shot (which includes a revamped pilot), but only 4 aired the backstory to what happened is nuts and shows why no actor should ever take the failure of a show personally
It IS amazing they have lasting friendships. The show/album came and went so quickly but as a young teen in highschool I enjoyed and had fond memories. I've spoken to Dino Kovas on occasion, and he is an excellent human! As far as redoing old concepts to death, isn't that Hollywood though...I mean just 4yrs after this came The Guys Next Door.
It looks like Pee-Wee's Playhouse, except with rock stars?? The fast cuts are so fast I feel like I'd need to watch it on 0.25 speed to figure out what I'm even looking at! What a weird weird show.
The Young Ones influence might have paid off if the writers had actually learned anything from that far superior show. The New Monkees lacked wit and the jokes didn't land, not that there were many jokes. The original Monkees show wasn't exactly a masterpiece but everyone involved seemed to have a clear idea of what they were trying to do and they succeeded in that effort. The New Monkees was like riding with a brick on the gas pedal and no one at the wheel.
This show was a trainwreck because it had no overall concept. It was just all over the place. It felt like it wanted to be a sketch comedy show but it also wanted to be a traditional sitcom mixed with a bunch of random avant garde stuff. On the other hand, I found the music to be pretty good.
The (original) Monkees' terrible "Pool It" album was recorded at around the same time, in the same studio as the New Monkees album. In fact, Dino and Micky played the same drum kit, and legend has it that Micky shot Dino some epic stinkeye on the few occasions they crossed paths. I'm really tickled that tempers have cooled, and that Marty has played occasional gigs with Micky.
While Pool It didn't sell at all well...the songs "Heart & Soul" and "Every Step of the Way" became classic Monkees songs they'd play live and put on collection albums. Those 2 songs out lived the album. Judging from this ...could anything survived this 80s show ? The clips alone look bad.
The Elvis Bros. are from my hometown...Danville IL...home of Rob Petrie, Ann Sheridan(Mrs. Okmonik,Jerry Seinfeld's mom on the show& as Mrs.Jameil Farrar.a.ka. Jamie Farr. Also the home of Head East.
Both Gidget series and both Monkees Series produced by Divisions of Columbia pictures. At the time of the New Monkees and New Gidget, Columbia was owned by Coca-Cola. This is why you so prominently see big can of Coke in Sigourney Weaver’s refrigerator in Ghostbusters.
I watched the show on TV 20 in Detroit in 1988. I was turned off by the tone of the show. It was nothing like the original series! It reminded me of the sketch on "The Ben Stiller Show" called 'The Grungies' an updated parody of 'The Monkees' about a grunge band in Seattle. Actually better because it was funny! BTW: Do an episode about the exact 13 episode run of "The Ben Stiller Show"!
I really didn't expect to see "Boy Inside The Man" turn up on their album. Great song, and a classic-rock staple here in Canada, but I didn't know you Americans had ever heard of it. (Then again, considering it was The New Monkees, most of you likely still haven't.)
Marty Ross told me that each of the band members were asked which songs they wanted to cover. “Boy Inside the Man” was one of his choices. I was aware of it, but I started my radio career in Western New York when you could still hear Toronto stations this side of the Lake.
@Pab Sungenis You still can. I listen to AM 740 CFZM out of Toronto at 10pm whenever I can to listen to Theatre of the Mind when they replay old radio shows.
I was one of the few fans of the original Monkees who also liked the New Monkees, even though I was never able to see their show. It wasn't broadcast where I grew up. I did however get their album on cassette, still have it in fact. Loved "Boy Inside the Man." In fact I liked it so much I included it on a Monkees mix tape I made. (Now I'm really showing my age.) But I think the concept was pretty much doomed from the start. The vast majority of Monkees fans hated the idea of a new group using the name; and '80s music fans who didn't like the original Monkees weren't about to listen to a group called "New Monkees" regardless of what they sounded like or whether they played their own music. (As the video alludes to, many people erroneously believed the New Monkees didn't play the instruments on their songs, just as they believed the original Monkees never did.) The producers do get some credit for trying a very different premise for the show, since by the second season of the original series the plots were getting pretty repetitive. But man, what a bizarre premise it was.
OK, ouch, you did not need to show the "recent" photo at the end. It just reminds some of us that time has indeed marched on. Great post as usual. Please keep up the good work and I can't wait to see you tackle "The New Gidget." .
Tell me about it! I was 13 when The New Monkees premiered! In our market The New Gidget came on right before The New Monkees. It was...OK. Wasn't spectacular, but wasn't offensive. Certainly lacked the charm of the original
FYI.... the reason The Monkees were recording that stupid 80's pop music in 1987 was because Davy was ham fisted about them being "current" and not sounding "retro" at all. Well, the resulting album, "Pool it" went to number 72. When they FINALLY made a new Monkees album that SOUNDED like a Monkees album... 2016's "Good Times", it shot up to #14. Know your BRAND!!! They had to wait until Davy died to get a PROPER Monkees album made.
I didn't expect the nice wholesome ending. This just shows that if you throw some talented people together they're going to make something good out of the situation. But the show looks dire. It looks like they made it for babies.
No official album. Some of the songs left off the album were used in the show (notably “A Clone of my Own” from the episode with multiple Martys) but they were never officially released. And I am sure there are rights issues surrounding many of them that will keep them in the vaults.
Yet another three episode wonder. Another request: The three early 90s cartoons the networks rushed to get on the air to leech off of The Simpsons' popularity: Capitol Critters, Fish Police and Family Dog.
Remember that the producers of the original Monkees came to the conclusion that what they didn't need was real actors. Their new act used studio musicians and was animated. The new show was the Archie's. Overhype kind of killed the show. If you constantly push something on people, they'll ignore it and laugh at you when it fails.
@00:37 weren't they all talented musicians? Davy Jones got his start in musical theater; Mike Nesmith, outside of the Monkees is probably best known for his hit Different Drum; Tork was a multi-instrumentalist and co-wrote the closing theme; Dolenz, not well known for writing or playing, was the lead vocalist on several of their hits.
I was one of the Monkee fans created by the second wave of Monkeemania in 1986 (20th anniversary). Still enjoys episodes to this day and have been to many concerts over the years. I wanted to like The New Monkees but I hated the name (I have heard New Monkees was supposed to be a placeholder for a name to be chosen later, but somehow, they kept it anyway) and the show I found to be near unwatchable. I tuned in mostly hoping to see the original Monkees appear to show the guys how a TV show should be done!! I did buy the cassette and still have it! My favorite song was "I Don't Know". The rest didn't grab me otherwise. No malice meant to the guys, I don't blame them for trying out and hoping for the best - it's what we all need to do.
As a very little boy in the 1970s, I used to watch The Monkees in syndication and loved it. Loved the MTV revival in 1986. The New Monkees were supposed to be targeted to me- and they sucked much ass. I think I made it through about halfway through the pilot before turning off the set. The whole lips asking me if I wanted to see the New Monkees, the initial member trying to act all tough telling us how he went off on a guy who ran in to his car, there was nothing playful about The New Monkees like their predecessors. Highly disappointing. No surprise they were canned so quickly. And frankly, The New Monkees music sucked, too.
The Monkees criticizing The New Monkees undercut them. I never saw what the original Monkees were so peeved but they had been. The New Monkees made a good record.
@Uncle Elmer The New Monkees were just a trainwreck. If you saw the original show, it's made very professionally, and the 4 Monkees were very likable. This cheap show looks like kids produced it with an old camcorder.
Got to say, the theme didn't really catch on with me and this is the first I've ever heard of anything to do with The New Monkees. Thank heavens for small mercies.
WOW Thanks for this. Great information! To continue on your point, Turn On was indirectly responsible for "All in the Family." "The network (ABC) eventually replaced Turn On with a revival of The King Family Show. The controversy led ABC to reject a pilot written by Norman Lear, stating that the lead character was "foul-mouthed, and bigoted", out of fear that it might anger its affiliates again. CBS liked the pilot, picked it up as All in the Family, and began airing it during the 1970-71 midseason." - according to the wiki.
Michael - that's true! In some markets, they went to commercial break and the show never came back! If Pab did "Turn On," he'd have to retitle it "13 Minute Theatre." :-)
“Pool It” by the original Monkees was a good record but I think there was some clash between MTV and the original Monkees so the record did not get a lot of promotion. The original Monkees had a big hit in the mid 80’s “That Was Then This Is Now.” New Monkees just got a lot of bad press and criticism of the New Monkees by the original Monkees did not help.
Yep. First season was through the Jerry Lewis Show. Second season was only four episodes through SNL 80. Third through Duck Factory. Fourth through Mr. Hell. Five through You’re In The Picture. And this is six. Every time I take a major hiatus I count coming back as a new season.
I remember how horrific this was. I knew it would be bad just by the commercials for it. I tuned in anyway........and tuned OUT very quickly! My jaw dropped when you showed clips of the New Monkees show in this video. It was even WORSE than I remembered. It looks like some high school kids got hold of a camcorder and made this in their garage. Everything in this show is SO BAD....acting, writing, effects, storyline (lack of)....I wonder what the original Monkees thought about this garbage show!?
Talk about a time capsule of the terrible 80's to 90's transition years. Everybody waxes nostalgic about the 80's and 90's but that time around 1990 had some of the worst styles, trends, and fashions to ever happen.
Well, I’m subscribing. I have a thing for half season wonders. I never actually saw this show. I remember all of the huge hype and build up for it and then my local UHF station aired it at like three in the morning. I think I caught the last five or 10 minutes of an episode coming back from the bar or something, and then it was gone. Actually found the record in a cut out bin like 10 years later and bought it just out of morbid curiosity and then never bothered to listen to it for whatever reason. Still upstairs still in the shrink wrap probably. All the clips from the show that I’ve seen just don’t seem funny or engaging or even particularly good natured . Which is not to say that the clips seem mean strangely inert. In any event, the spiritual successor to the Monkees was “Big Time Rush.”
"The New Monkees" was one of those "educational" shows for me. When one of the guys put his bare foot in a bowl of ground beef, I turned it off and read a book. 🤢😝📺👎📕👍
You know how bad this flopped? This is the only syndicated sitcom from the 1980s that I know of that was so poorly received that it was pulled mid-season! That did not happen! Even the worst syndie shows at the time like What a Country! and Learning the Ropes got a full season order and even worse shows like Small Wonder and Out of This World lasted several seasons! It was like they wanted to wipe these guys out of existence and forget the whole thing ever happened!
Wow! I’m sure that’s not the full listing of TV stations but I don’t see one in Chicago. I was 4 in 87 so I can’t fully remember stuff like this but I can say as a young kid I remember the original Monkees airing reruns in the 80s. I’m sure Chicago probably had it but wouldn’t shock me if it was in a graveyard timeslot.
In today's woke Hollywood, the New Monkees would consist of a black woman, a transvestite, an Asian and Hispanic non binary....the ad looking for cast members would include a "no straight white men need apply" line.....the show would bomb and the main stream media would blame it on sexism, racism and homophobia. Pretty standard stuff nowadays.
Just watched a horrendous tv show - T and T. Maybe not something for you to review as it seemed to survive 3 seasons. I had a look at it and within 15 seconds turned off. Astoundingly awful.
Perhaps if they had just took the concept and gave the band a different name, people may have looked at it differently -- I never watched the show -- mainly because it was called "the NEW Monkees", which was off-putting. The clips on the video make it look like it may have been a fun zany show.
The ironic thing is even though the show flopped big time, unlike the original Monkees, the New Monkees bonded for life, and their friendship has continued to this day. In an interview decades after the show ended, they were asked what, if any, good came out of their experience. And they all said it was meeting and getting to know each other.
What do you mean? The original group were like brothers till the end.
@@nebulapig I really don't think that's true. There was a lot of conflict between Mike and Davy and Mike and Peter. Micky seems to have been loved by all. Mike even said "I never particularly cared for Peter" or "I didn't particularly care for Peter" . One of those two I think is the exact wording. Mike did bust out crying when talking about Peter's death soon after he died. And he did tweet "Farewell, my Monkee brother." when Peter died. Mike said one of the reasons why he didn't want to own the Monkees music catalogue was because he didn't want to have to deal with Davy.
@@batmarlowe There is conflict in every relationship even including family. They wouldn't have toured together over the course of 50 years if they weren't having fun. Now with Mike I will give you that he seemed to harbor a resentment at being a Monkee. Especially during the 1980's , but it was also Mike that got the group back into the studio to record Justus. A really good story is about him being on the set of the show Boy meets World when the other were appearing on it. Micky and Davy were constantly performing together on stage in broadway type shows etc.
@@nebulapig Direct quote from Mike Nesmith after Peter Tork’s death: “I didn’t like Peter and Peter didn’t like me”
@@fromchomleystreet and yet he broke down in tears after learning of Peter's passing.
Around this same period we were also treated to the New Coke and the New Runaways...!
And the new Munsters.
During the 2000s, I worked with Dino Kovas at a Visual FX house in Los Angeles. When he told me he was in the New Monkees, I immediately remembered him and also remembered how I thought he was the cute one! Dino was like "you didn't like Larry?" 😂Hehehehehehehehehe!!! I wouldn't be suprised if he's already commented here.
I think "The New Monkees" were fixable, if...
1. They were called anything BUT "The New Monkees." I mean, you might as well call them "The New Beatles" or "The New Rolling Stones" or "The New Menudo." I like the logo - very '80s - so, maybe "The New Mechanics?" "The New Martians?" "The New Majority?" They were actually a pretty decent '80s pop band and definitely had personality and charisma. Plus, if there is NO connection between the two shows/bands, then what's the point? I think the production company really did the guys a disservice of not tailoring the show around their personalities.
2. The show had been on MTV, where it would have more of a chance to experiment and be weird. In my market (NYC), it was on what is now the local Fox station on Saturday mornings.
3. They expanded the show and put the boys out into the world. The reason why the original show worked was because every week had a plot - Mike gets a new job. Mickey's uncle comes to visit. Peter sells his soul to the devil. Davy falls in love. Davy falls in love. Davy falls...well, you get the point. Part of the fun was bringing the anarchy out into the world. In "The New Monkees," it was anarchic, but it was CONTAINED. There was nobody to really react to them.
The failure of this show had zero to do with the guys they cast. It was just a really ill-conceived cash grab when it should have been a really fun, creative endeavor.
@Ron Motta I have an even better idea: Don't do it. Don't try to copy what was done in the 60's and think it'll still work today. The Monkees original show had a revival when it aired in the late 80s, and became popular again. This show was just awful, even the way they looked.
Right on all counts.
To paraphrase Peter Gabriel: Don't monkey with The Monkees.
I don't even remember there being a "New Monkees." Probably saw a TV ad for them and decided it was going nowhere. I was a secret Monkees fan when the show aired. Where else could. you see a series with cool guitars and amplifiers, would never admit I watched it when it was on, but I did and almost never missed it.
Found a copy of their CD in the bargain bin at the record store. Bought it for posterity's sake.
I remember being a kid in 1986 and discovering the Monkees because of MTV and WWOR-TV in New York/New Jersey airing reruns. Then the "That Was Then, This Is Now" compilation was released, and like a number of fans, I started digging into the catalog and realizing that, regardless of who wrote what and who played on it. the Monkees had a TON of great music, with a mix of styles which played into their backgrounds (Mike being a country guy, Davy being from musical theatre, etc.). This came along, and in addition to all the reasons covered in this video, the music just wasn't there. Yes, "Someday" was a great song, but there wasn't a lot else to grab you. The Monkees had diverse music, and that gets lost amongst some people.
I was a teen when this came out..i freaking loved it..i loved the original monkees too but took it as 2 different things..wish it lasted longer..still have my cassette
Wow! A single episode of this new version makes "Head" look like "Citizen Kane".
Head is a much tolerable watch in comparison to New Monkees
Alot better than crap like Real Housewives
I totally loved this show
I was swept up in the Monkees revival in the 80s, and I never had a desire to watch the new show. This confirms I made the right call at the time, but I enjoyed hearing the backstory just the same.
I remember watching a couple episodes back when this aired. Didn't get it then either.
I genuinely don't remember this program...but then again, I was spending my evenings at the clubs, ever the 80s child!
Love your channel. Please keep up the great content.
Found the new monkees cd for a dollar at a thrift store a long time ago. Its still in my cd collection.
Love this.
I'd like to see a 13 Week Theatre about Free Spirit (an ABC show starring Corinne Bohrer), and the Tortelli's (the Cheers spin-off).
The real breakout star of Free Spirit was Alyson Hannigan.
Corinne Bohrer was SOOOOOO cute !!!! 🤎💜💙💚💙💜🤎
RIP the original Monkees: Davy, Peter and now Michael.
Well at least Mickey Dolenz is still around.
Thank God we still have Ringo 💍
pat, i have a suggestion for an episode. over the top. it starred tim curry, annie potts and steve carell (as a greek chef)
12 episodes were shot (which includes a revamped pilot), but only 4 aired
the backstory to what happened is nuts and shows why no actor should ever take the failure of a show personally
Three of the Monkees were actually talented musicians...Davy played multiple instruments in real life
Some that I'd like to see: Turnabout with John Schuck and Sharon Gless; Calucci's Department and The Dumplings with James Coco.
It IS amazing they have lasting friendships. The show/album came and went so quickly but as a young teen in highschool I enjoyed and had fond memories. I've spoken to Dino Kovas on occasion, and he is an excellent human!
As far as redoing old concepts to death, isn't that Hollywood though...I mean just 4yrs after this came The Guys Next Door.
That montage of TV sets was an homage to the film Head which contained that scene
I like that what Helen the Lips is saying during that is “The White Zone is for immediate….”
It looks like Pee-Wee's Playhouse, except with rock stars?? The fast cuts are so fast I feel like I'd need to watch it on 0.25 speed to figure out what I'm even looking at! What a weird weird show.
How do you not have more subs?!
Keep spreading the word.
I watched one or 2 episodes of this with hopes...which were soon dashed.
You mentioned The Young Ones. Totally brilliant. Far better than the new Monkees and the original
The Young Ones influence might have paid off if the writers had actually learned anything from that far superior show. The New Monkees lacked wit and the jokes didn't land, not that there were many jokes.
The original Monkees show wasn't exactly a masterpiece but everyone involved seemed to have a clear idea of what they were trying to do and they succeeded in that effort. The New Monkees was like riding with a brick on the gas pedal and no one at the wheel.
This show was a trainwreck because it had no overall concept. It was just all over the place. It felt like it wanted to be a sketch comedy show but it also wanted to be a traditional sitcom mixed with a bunch of random avant garde stuff. On the other hand, I found the music to be pretty good.
The (original) Monkees' terrible "Pool It" album was recorded at around the same time, in the same studio as the New Monkees album. In fact, Dino and Micky played the same drum kit, and legend has it that Micky shot Dino some epic stinkeye on the few occasions they crossed paths. I'm really tickled that tempers have cooled, and that Marty has played occasional gigs with Micky.
While Pool It didn't sell at all well...the songs "Heart & Soul" and "Every Step of the Way" became classic Monkees songs they'd play live and put on collection albums. Those 2 songs out lived the album. Judging from this ...could anything survived this 80s show ? The clips alone look bad.
@@Ecwfan Dino’s pompadour hasn’t survived, but that probably would have happened regardless.
Thanks that was really nice.
The Elvis Bros. are from my hometown...Danville IL...home of Rob Petrie, Ann Sheridan(Mrs. Okmonik,Jerry Seinfeld's mom on the show& as Mrs.Jameil Farrar.a.ka. Jamie Farr. Also the home of Head East.
Why did so many late 80s-early 90s youth oriented sitcoms have that weird "fisheye" lens look to closeups?
The New Monkees is like if you combine In The Kids In The Hall, and Wayne's World into one bad series.
I loved the album "Pool It". But that might just be the nostalgia talking as, my sister did play the cassette incessantly when it first came out
It looks to me as if they were trying to incorporate the surrealism/weird animation of Monty Python's Flying Circus. But you need talent for that.
I was a HUGE fan at the time, I regretted watching this..
7:36 - The Firesign Theater. Y'don't say. Well, now I've gotta go find episode 13.
Both Gidget series and both Monkees Series produced by Divisions of Columbia pictures. At the time of the New Monkees and New Gidget, Columbia was owned by Coca-Cola. This is why you so prominently see big can of Coke in Sigourney Weaver’s refrigerator in Ghostbusters.
I watched the show on TV 20 in Detroit in 1988. I was turned off by the tone of the show. It was nothing like the original series! It reminded me of the sketch on "The Ben Stiller Show" called 'The Grungies' an updated parody of 'The Monkees' about a grunge band in Seattle. Actually better because it was funny! BTW: Do an episode about the exact 13 episode run of "The Ben Stiller Show"!
WXON 20...grew up on that and WKBD 50 in Detroit!!!
7:21 Russell Johnson? Nothing like a reference to a better show to remind you how bad the current show you’re watching is.
I really didn't expect to see "Boy Inside The Man" turn up on their album. Great song, and a classic-rock staple here in Canada, but I didn't know you Americans had ever heard of it. (Then again, considering it was The New Monkees, most of you likely still haven't.)
Marty Ross told me that each of the band members were asked which songs they wanted to cover. “Boy Inside the Man” was one of his choices.
I was aware of it, but I started my radio career in Western New York when you could still hear Toronto stations this side of the Lake.
@Pab Sungenis You still can. I listen to AM 740 CFZM out of Toronto at 10pm whenever I can to listen to Theatre of the Mind when they replay old radio shows.
@Alfonzo Tyson Here in Nova Scotia you can pick up some NYC AM stations at night.
I was one of the few fans of the original Monkees who also liked the New Monkees, even though I was never able to see their show. It wasn't broadcast where I grew up. I did however get their album on cassette, still have it in fact. Loved "Boy Inside the Man." In fact I liked it so much I included it on a Monkees mix tape I made. (Now I'm really showing my age.) But I think the concept was pretty much doomed from the start. The vast majority of Monkees fans hated the idea of a new group using the name; and '80s music fans who didn't like the original Monkees weren't about to listen to a group called "New Monkees" regardless of what they sounded like or whether they played their own music. (As the video alludes to, many people erroneously believed the New Monkees didn't play the instruments on their songs, just as they believed the original Monkees never did.) The producers do get some credit for trying a very different premise for the show, since by the second season of the original series the plots were getting pretty repetitive. But man, what a bizarre premise it was.
Something that I’ve learned - anytime you tag anything with “new” (new Coke, new Mustang, new Odd Couple, new Gidget), it’s destined to fail.
The only exception being The New Seekers
I saw this cassette labled the new monkees when i was a kid, i didnt buy it. And ever since then i thought it was a fever dream.
I don't understand the slide show with the people holding up the 2019 cards? ... wait was that their music video? oh, dear.
OK, ouch, you did not need to show the "recent" photo at the end. It just reminds some of us that time has indeed marched on.
Great post as usual. Please keep up the good work and I can't wait to see you tackle "The New Gidget." .
Tell me about it! I was 13 when The New Monkees premiered!
In our market The New Gidget came on right before The New Monkees. It was...OK. Wasn't spectacular, but wasn't offensive. Certainly lacked the charm of the original
Only problem with that was that New Gidget was actually a modest hit, running two seasons.
@@HerrEllsworth True, but I like the background information on all of these shows.
I was turning 14 at the end of 86 and I don't remember this at all
FYI.... the reason The Monkees were recording that stupid 80's pop music in 1987 was because Davy was ham fisted about them being "current" and not sounding "retro" at all. Well, the resulting album, "Pool it" went to number 72. When they FINALLY made a new Monkees album that SOUNDED like a Monkees album... 2016's "Good Times", it shot up to #14. Know your BRAND!!! They had to wait until Davy died to get a PROPER Monkees album made.
The Young Ones was the best!
you are doing God's work, sir. Thank you! Can't wait to see this...
As a fan of the Monkees growing up, I thought what the hell.... I’ll watch the first episode. Man, it was terrible
I didn't expect the nice wholesome ending. This just shows that if you throw some talented people together they're going to make something good out of the situation. But the show looks dire. It looks like they made it for babies.
They recorded 28 songs..? Is there another album with those songs out there?
No official album. Some of the songs left off the album were used in the show (notably “A Clone of my Own” from the episode with multiple Martys) but they were never officially released. And I am sure there are rights issues surrounding many of them that will keep them in the vaults.
"Struck By Lightning" Jack Elam as Frankenstein's Creature (CBS 1979) .
Yet another three episode wonder.
Another request: The three early 90s cartoons the networks rushed to get on the air to leech off of The Simpsons' popularity: Capitol Critters, Fish Police and Family Dog.
Can you an episode on the cartoon show "Galaxy High" - September 1986-December 1986
Remember that the producers of the original Monkees came to the conclusion that what they didn't need was real actors. Their new act used studio musicians and was animated. The new show was the Archie's.
Overhype kind of killed the show. If you constantly push something on people, they'll ignore it and laugh at you when it fails.
@00:37 weren't they all talented musicians? Davy Jones got his start in musical theater; Mike Nesmith, outside of the Monkees is probably best known for his hit Different Drum; Tork was a multi-instrumentalist and co-wrote the closing theme; Dolenz, not well known for writing or playing, was the lead vocalist on several of their hits.
The New Monkees “Mullet Edition”
I was one of the Monkee fans created by the second wave of Monkeemania in 1986 (20th anniversary). Still enjoys episodes to this day and have been to many concerts over the years. I wanted to like The New Monkees but I hated the name (I have heard New Monkees was supposed to be a placeholder for a name to be chosen later, but somehow, they kept it anyway) and the show I found to be near unwatchable. I tuned in mostly hoping to see the original Monkees appear to show the guys how a TV show should be done!! I did buy the cassette and still have it! My favorite song was "I Don't Know". The rest didn't grab me otherwise. No malice meant to the guys, I don't blame them for trying out and hoping for the best - it's what we all need to do.
As a very little boy in the 1970s, I used to watch The Monkees in syndication and loved it. Loved the MTV revival in 1986. The New Monkees were supposed to be targeted to me- and they sucked much ass. I think I made it through about halfway through the pilot before turning off the set. The whole lips asking me if I wanted to see the New Monkees, the initial member trying to act all tough telling us how he went off on a guy who ran in to his car, there was nothing playful about The New Monkees like their predecessors. Highly disappointing. No surprise they were canned so quickly. And frankly, The New Monkees music sucked, too.
The Monkees criticizing The New Monkees undercut them. I never saw what the original Monkees were so peeved but they had been. The New Monkees made a good record.
@Uncle Elmer The New Monkees were just a trainwreck. If you saw the original show, it's made very professionally, and the 4 Monkees were very likable. This cheap show looks like kids produced it with an old camcorder.
I feel dumber for having watched this but couldn't turn away.
Bess Motta. I knew her from 20 Minute Workout.
The New Monkees were one of those shows you had to Watch STONED. Cause looking back the show WASN'T good, but the album was Excellent guitar pop
You should do an episode on another pre-fab band that had a show, The Heights. The show was cancelled right after the theme song fell from number one
Well this was... something.
Trying to replace the original monkees?? good Luck !
Got to say, the theme didn't really catch on with me and this is the first I've ever heard of anything to do with The New Monkees. Thank heavens for small mercies.
Will you ever do a video on Turn On, the 1969 flop so huge it was pulled after one episode, and allegedly DURING some broadcasts?
I hope he does that too. I totally want to know more about it. 🙂.
Yes, yes and yes! I am dying to see that show in its entirety!
WOW Thanks for this. Great information! To continue on your point, Turn On was indirectly responsible for "All in the Family." "The network (ABC) eventually replaced Turn On with a revival of The King Family Show. The controversy led ABC to reject a pilot written by Norman Lear, stating that the lead character was "foul-mouthed, and bigoted", out of fear that it might anger its affiliates again. CBS liked the pilot, picked it up as All in the Family, and began airing it during the 1970-71 midseason." - according to the wiki.
You never will. If I do an episode on it I will explain why it will never again be seen.
Michael - that's true! In some markets, they went to commercial break and the show never came back! If Pab did "Turn On," he'd have to retitle it "13 Minute Theatre." :-)
“Pool It” by the original Monkees was a good record but I think there was some clash between MTV and the original Monkees so the record did not get a lot of promotion. The original Monkees had a big hit in the mid 80’s “That Was Then This Is Now.” New Monkees just got a lot of bad press and criticism of the New Monkees by the original Monkees did not help.
I have one for an episode of 13 week theater -Heroes reborn,Pan am and also I married Dora
Sixth Season?
Yep. First season was through the Jerry Lewis Show. Second season was only four episodes through SNL 80. Third through Duck Factory. Fourth through Mr. Hell. Five through You’re In The Picture. And this is six. Every time I take a major hiatus I count coming back as a new season.
This show looks like a total acid trip lol
I remember how horrific this was. I knew it would be bad just by the commercials for it. I tuned in anyway........and tuned OUT very quickly! My jaw dropped when you showed clips of the New Monkees show in this video. It was even WORSE than I remembered. It looks like some high school kids got hold of a camcorder and made this in their garage. Everything in this show is SO BAD....acting, writing, effects, storyline (lack of)....I wonder what the original Monkees thought about this garbage show!?
I don't think you mean Power Pop, I think you mean Power Ballads.
Maybe they should have called this "That 80's Show".
Oh brother! 😳
This Proves That There's No Originality In T.V.
This looks truly horrific.
True story David spade auditioned
They should have used The Oneders. But be careful girls, Jimmy is engaged!
This crap actually made it 13 episodes in like I said I was 13 and I can't remember none of it and that's a good thing
This is like a weird US version of the Young Ones and Pee Wee’s Playhouse Fever Dream. (The REAL Young Ones, not the trash American version)
Did not know about the 2019 reunion. So 2020 was their fault?
Talk about a time capsule of the terrible 80's to 90's transition years. Everybody waxes nostalgic about the 80's and 90's but that time around 1990 had some of the worst styles, trends, and fashions to ever happen.
file this one with New Coke.
The show had to be cancelled due to going over budget on hair spray
Nah nahnah😢
Well, I’m subscribing. I have a thing for half season wonders.
I never actually saw this show. I remember all of the huge hype and build up for it and then my local UHF station aired it at like three in the morning. I think I caught the last five or 10 minutes of an episode coming back from the bar or something, and then it was gone. Actually found the record in a cut out bin like 10 years later and bought it just out of morbid curiosity and then never bothered to listen to it for whatever reason. Still upstairs still in the shrink wrap probably.
All the clips from the show that I’ve seen just don’t seem funny or engaging or even particularly good natured . Which is not to say that the clips seem mean strangely inert.
In any event, the spiritual successor to the Monkees was “Big Time Rush.”
Review Clone High
I know it lasted more than 13 weeks but what about profiling Joan Rivers' failed Late Show?
Done!
Great job. Next SNL Season 11.
Now way! Iron Man was in that cast, along with Damon Wayans.
"The New Monkees" was one of those "educational" shows for me. When one of the guys put his bare foot in a bowl of ground beef, I turned it off and read a book. 🤢😝📺👎📕👍
You know how bad this flopped? This is the only syndicated sitcom from the 1980s that I know of that was so poorly received that it was pulled mid-season! That did not happen! Even the worst syndie shows at the time like What a Country! and Learning the Ropes got a full season order and even worse shows like Small Wonder and Out of This World lasted several seasons! It was like they wanted to wipe these guys out of existence and forget the whole thing ever happened!
Here's some of the stations that aired The New Monkees in case you're curious:
*Asheville - WLOS 13
*Atlanta - WATL 36
*Cleveland - WOIO 19
*Detroit - WXON 20
*Greeneville - WETO 39
*Greensboro, North Carolina - Either WNRW 45 or WGGT 48
*Los Angeles - KTLA 5
*Milwaukee - WVTV 24
*Minneapolis - KTMA 23
*Oakland - KTVU 2
*Philadelphia - WTAF 29
*Pittsburgh - KDKA 2
*Portland, Maine - WPXT 51
*Portland, Oregon - KPDX 49
*Providence - WLNE 6
*Spokane - KAYU 28
*Tacoma - KSTW 11
*Toledo - WUPW 36
We aired it in Buffalo on WNYB (now WNYO) 49.
Wow! I’m sure that’s not the full listing of TV stations but I don’t see one in Chicago. I was 4 in 87 so I can’t fully remember stuff like this but I can say as a young kid I remember the original Monkees airing reruns in the 80s. I’m sure Chicago probably had it but wouldn’t shock me if it was in a graveyard timeslot.
In Birmingham, Alabama, The New Monkees aired on Saturday afternoons on WBMG (now WIAT) Channel 42.
@@stvojay Looking at an old TV Guide, the original Monkees came on WFLD-32. Wouldn't surprise me if New Monkees came on the same channel.
In today's woke Hollywood, the New Monkees would consist of a black woman, a transvestite, an Asian and Hispanic non binary....the ad looking for cast members would include a "no straight white men need apply" line.....the show would bomb and the main stream media would blame it on sexism, racism and homophobia. Pretty standard stuff nowadays.
I remember it looking cheap.
Just watched a horrendous tv show - T and T. Maybe not something for you to review as it seemed to survive 3 seasons. I had a look at it and within 15 seconds turned off. Astoundingly awful.
Is that the one starring Mr. T when he would "Hulk up" and change from a business suit to a muscle shirt and sweats?
California Fever (CBS 1979) Lorenzo Lamas & Jimmy McNichol.
Perhaps if they had just took the concept and gave the band a different name, people may have looked at it differently -- I never watched the show -- mainly because it was called "the NEW Monkees", which was off-putting. The clips on the video make it look like it may have been a fun zany show.