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remember little Ricky Shroder, or if you've just recently discovered him via 24 or NYPD Blue, you might want to grab Season 1 of Silver Spoons on DVD! It's a great father/son show and has some great supporting actors. I THINK it's a show that will hold up over time. A lot of 80s TV shows are struggling out there on DVD, so I'm just doing my part to help them out a little...as a fan of the 80s, I want them to put more shows out on DVD and more seasons of shows already out there. 
it...but at the same time, I can't tell you bupkes (from memory) about it, other than there was an old man who was a wizard or magician...and a younger dude. LOL...that's pretty darn tootin' helpful huh? Sooo...after doing some investigative research (watch out Diane Sawyer!), it turns out that the show only ran for one season (*sigh*...as is the fate of many of the shows I loved from the 80s) from 1981-1982. Merlin was played by Barnard Hughes, and his young apprentice, Zachary, was played by Clark Brandon. Here's a synopsis I came across:
Max Merlin, who usually wears grungy overalls and runs a greasy garage in San Francisco, is actually a sorcerer. That's right: Max is Merlin the magician, back from the good old days. Ins
tead of a sword in a stone, Max has a crowbar set in cement. He also has an assignment, delivered by a mysterious but pretty courier from above: find an apprentice. Along comes Zachary Rogers, a teen-ager who's awkward, impetuous, girl-crazy--and can slide that crowbar out as if it were a spoon in tapioca. Their mission is to do good deeds and come to the aid of teenyboppers in distress. Max wants Zac to use his magic powers responsibly; Zac, being no fool, would rather learn about love potions.Here are some links to Mr. Merlin fansites, some which include the theme song. Ahhhh nostalgia.
http://www.timstvshowcase.com/merlin.html
http://www.tv.com/mr-merlin/show/5871/summary.html
A New York Times review of the show from 1981
For mom
One show I really miss is the original Love Boat. Remember the old days when big stars would 
guest-star on weekly tv shows on a regular basis? The Love Boat was a fun show because not only did you get to follow the main characters, but every week, there were new characters. Of course most of the storylines were the same i.e. a married couple was having trouble, a dating couple either broke up or got married, or a sad lonely sap always found love! But, it was still entertaining. Of course, my favorite character at the time was Gopher. He probably still is, although Julie and Doc were cool too. I could have done without Jill Whelan (Captain Stubing's daughter). This show premiered in 1977 and ran 10 seasons until 1986. Pat Klous replaced Lauren Tewes as the Cruise Director after Lauren was fired for a drug problem. Ted McGinley was the Heather Locklear of his day -- he joined Love Boat in its final few seasons. Like Heather, he has a knack for joining shows that are already dying (Happy Days, the Love Boat, Married w/Children).
Where are they now?
As of 2004, Lauren Tewes (Julie) works as a cheese steward (WTF is that???) in Seattle. I guess she's the big cheese...rdrr.
Gavin McLeod (Captain Stubing) is still acting...guest starring on shows such as That 70s Show, Touched by an Angel, and J.A.G.
Fred Grandy (Gopher) - after serving 4 consecutive terms as a congressman in Iowa from 1986-1995, he now hosts a talk show in Washington D.C.
Bernie Kopell (Doctor Adam Bricker) - he currently acts in some B-grade movies, most recently playing Geezer 2 in something titled "Say it in Russian".
Ted Lange (Isaac) - he is also currently filming a slew of B-grade movies...I had to laugh when I saw he was playing General Kawasaki in a movie called "Monster Movie". Sadly, many of his roles have been as bartenders. Can't a black man ever rise above the role of bartender!?
Jill Whelan (Vicki Stubing) - Her most recent acting gigs include an episode of "Star Dates", one of Ron Popeil's informercials, and some episodes of VH1s "I Love the 80s."
Ted McGinley (Ashley Evans) (tee hee hee) - currently starring in "Hope & Faith"
Pat Klous (Judy McCoy) - no clue
but they must have been 8 fabulous episodes, because this show has always stuck out in my head! It was about a family who, while on vacation in Egypt, got transported to another dimension and other worlds. They were chased by an evil tyrannical dictator or something...and kept trying to find a way home. The cast included: Sam Groom, Gretchen Corbett, Jonna Lee, Jonathan Banks, and Head of the Class' Tony O'Dell.
Here is an episode plot I found: A hermit helps the Sterlings rescue June, who is the prisoner of a half-man/half-beast that has fallen in love with her.
With great stories like that, how come this show didn't last longer??? LOL
If there are any fans out there...here are some links:
http://members.aol.com/VTWriter/Otherwor
http://www.innermind.com/myguides/guides/o
When I was a kid, the A-team was one of my favorite tv shows. Well, I've been catching reruns of it late at night on tv lately, and it brings back such great memories. It's such a CHEEZY show, but the characters are so funny and interesting and they have a great dynamic with each other. It's one of those shows where it didn't matter how bad the plot was, or that the plot was always the same, cuz it was more about the characters.
As a kid I LOVED Face, cuz he was soooooo darn cute and charming. I also remember thinking Murdock was the funniest. But when I watch it now, I think they're all great in their own way. So, who is/was YOUR favorite character?
(OOOH come on! You can't let BA win!!!! No way is he the BEST character! All he did was grunt and look mean and say 'i pity the foo'. Come on folks...vote for anyone but BA!)Poll #704128 The A-Team
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 49
Who is/was your favorite A-Team Character?
Hannibal (the leader)
9 (18.4%)
Face (the cute con man) 7 (14.3%)
Murdock (the crazy guy) 21 (42.9%)
B.A. (Mr. T) 9 (18.4%)
Colonel Decker (the bad guy) 0 (0.0%)
Amy (the girl) 2 (4.1%)
What's the A-team? 1 (2.0%)
on the Prairie. Albert was the adopted son of Charles & Caroline Ingalls. Matthew was born in December 1966 with autism and a hole in his heart. He was adopted in real life too. After Little House on the Prairie, Matthew starred in one of my favorite shows of the 
early 80s, Whiz Kids, which unfortunately only lasted for one season. This is an awesome show that deserves to be remembered in its own right! It was about a bunch of computer hacker kids. It would be great to watch it now just because it would seem so outdated! But, back to Matthew, after Whiz Kids, he had guest starring roles on Highway to Heaven, Amazing Stories, and Night Court. Now he mostly does voice-over work for video games. There isn't much out there about his current life, but if you ever get a chance to check out Whiz Kids and you grew up in the 80s, I recommend it! :)
