Looks like we at TVWriter™ aren’t the only ones lovin’ on TVWriter™ alum writer/editor Herbie J Pilato’s new Amazon Prime series Then Again with Herbie J Pilato. Here’s one of the most enjoyable articles we’ve read in a long time.
Go Herbie J!
“THEN AGAIN WITH HERBIE J PILATO” – THE PERFECT SHOW FOR RETRO-SCIFI FANS
by Nicholas Varies
Amazon Prime has recently become home to Then Again with Herbie J Pilato. Hosted by Herbie J Pilato (a prolific historian of popular culture), each episode is a discussion with legendary figures of television and film about a specific show. The first season is still rolling out on Amazon Prime but it will have three episodes dedicated to old school science fiction, fantasy, or related genre shows. Of these three specific episodes, one features Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, and David Selby of Dark Shadows (1966 – 1971); another stars Robert Conrad of The Wild Wild West (1965 – 1969); and the third features Burt Ward of Batman (1966 – 1969).
More Than Nostalgia: Understanding Entertainment Escapism
One of the many things that stood out to me about this series is that in an era of never-ending reboots and sequels, fans rarely get a moment to reflect on and thoroughly explore what shows in the 1960s and 70s were like. In addition to Then Again with Herbie J Pilato offering a nostalgia trip, it is also dedicated to exploring why certain television programs have stood the test of time. As Herbie J Pilato explained, “Beyond the homespun/nostalgic element of classic TV shows, there is a certain clarity in their presentation. The storytelling has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and most of those endings are happy. The characters are more distinguished from one another; more defined. They don’t all look alike, sound alike, or act alike, which is the case with much of new TV shows. The majority of classic TV characters are not sarcastic, mean-spirited, or edgy, as they are today. And when it comes to the actors and their performances on the classic series, the likability factor is huge.”
Building on Pilato’s words, Joel Eisenberg (one of Then Again’s executive producers) added that the show’s that Pilato is covering have remained important because they represent pure escapism that many wanted in entertainment during the 60s and 70s. “The shows we feature from our first season were from the 60s and 70s. Turbo-charged times that called for escapism in its entertainment,” Joel explained to ScifiPulse. “The shows we’ve featured still stand out as they remain some of the most purely entertaining shows on TV.”