TVSquad

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

The original version of Star Trek has been a show with two faces. On the one face, it was a serious show that dramatized the good and glorious future we humans could have after we screwed everything up (though, with so many wars going on around the galaxy, how good and glorious could it be?). On the other face, at least to some, it was a campy science fiction show that featured poor special effects, bad acting, and tunics that really didn't hold up to space travel too well.

Since the show left the airwaves in 1969, that second face is the one that television shows throughout the decades have parodied. Whether it be the original series itself, or the subsequent movies, or the conventions that sprung up from this show that lasted only 79 episodes. Shows both animated and live-action have found ways to skewer the show's, and its fans', good intentions. After the jump you'll find a few examples of those parodies either to laugh with or be angry at.

As AOL Television continues their look at the 50 Best TV Comedies -- Ever with their Top 10, we here at TV Squad are also looking at television comedy, but with a slightly skewed difference. Last week, we took a look at the Saturday Night Live cast members from 1996 to 2006 that made it to the big time. This week, we get a bit more serious.

There are those in the industry who say that it is easier to go from acting in a drama to acting in a comedy than it is the other way around. Yet, as you will see from the list we've compiled after the jump, there are plenty of comedic actors who have jumped from the world of comedy films, stand-up comedy, and television sitcoms into the more serious world of drama. In many cases they have had even greater success than they did on the other side of the tracks. There have even been instances where they stayed in the drama genre and never went back to being funny.

There's something really great about being able to buy an entire season of a TV show, or the entire run, on DVD. It can be addictive, too. But isn't it interesting that even though there are scads of great -- and some not-so-great -- series committed to DVD and readily available online or at the local superstore, there are a ton more that aren't? And what about great TV specials? When I read this list, it got me thinking about which TV programs I would buy in a heartbeat. My list is very subjective -- maybe even eclectic -- but here's my ten TV shows that need to be on DVD.

The Bob Newhart Show
Recently, when the American Masters did a special about Bob Newhart, they showed footage from The Bob Newhart Show. No, not the one with Suzanne Pleshette as Emily. They had clips from the 1961-62 Bob Newhart Show on NBC. It was a variety hour, showcasing many of his now classic routines. It looked really funny, filled with his inspired sketches and bits. And it was critically acclaimed, too, winning Emmy and Peabody awards. Naturally, NBC canceled it after just one season. I'd love to think that there's enough footage from those shows to create a DVD.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Boots Randolph: He was a renowned sax player best known for his early 60s hit "Yakety Sax," which was later used as the theme song on Benny Hill. Randolph recorded dozens of albums and played in many bands, and was part of the Million Dollar Band on Hee-Haw for many years. He died after suffering a brain aneurysm and falling into a coma two weeks ago. He was 80.

You may recall that Carol Burnett filed a lawsuit against 20th Century Fox Television for using her "charwoman" character in the "Peterotica" episode of Family Guy. A parodic version of the animated cleaning woman from The Carol Burnett Show appeared in the first few seconds of the episode as a cleaning lady at a porn shop. You can watch the clip here.

Burnett claims the character was used without her permission, along with a snippet of the music from The Carol Burnett Show.

This isn't a very good day for companies under the Fox banner. First Zsa Zsa's husband, and now this.

Veteran comedienne Carol Burnett is suing Twentieth-Century Fox because they used her animated "charwoman" character (the cleaning lady with the mop and bucket from The Carol Burnett Show) in an April, 2006 episode without her permission. She's asking for $2 million.

I think I have to start taking law classes or something, if these celebrity lawsuits keep coming at this pace. I think I remember this episode. It showed the charwoman as the maid at a porn shop. If the show can be sued for pop culture references like this, the lawsuits will never end, since the show has about 20 of them in every episode, and some aren't too flattering.

[via TV Tattle]

As we told you earlier, Sony Pictures is going to release a 4 disc Not Just The Best Of The Larry Sanders Show DVD set on April 17. The set will include 23 of the best episodes, a ton of extras like interviews and behind the scenes footage, and new interviews with costars and guest stars, but some fans aren't too happy about how the show is being handled.

The first season DVD set was released in 2002 and, according to DVD Dossier, was met with anger by fans of the show. They say the video transfer was really grainy and unprofessional, not to mention the fact that the extras were lacking. The site wants to know why they are releasing this "best of" set instead of continuing the season sets with a release of season 2.

Anyone have the first season DVD set? How is it? Are you looking forward to this set?

[thanks to Judith for the tip]

I don't think I've ever heard news that this was coming to DVD, but fans can be happy that this special set comes out on April 17.

It's not a first season set (is there a first season set out?), it's more of a "best of" from all six seasons, even if it is titled "Not Just The Best of The Larry Sanders Show." The four disc set will include 23 episodes, a making of featurette, deleted scenes, a cast reunion, and interviews with several stars and guest stars: Jeffrey Tambor, Rip Torn, David Duchovny, Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Carol Burnett, and Alec Baldwin.

The interviews were done a year ago by Garry Shandling himself, with a handheld video camera, so you know they're not going to be just DVD filler interviews and footage.

When my friend Kathy Howe heard I was going to participate in a conference call with Megan Mullally today, she said, "OMG, tell her I LOVE her and want to MARRY her!" So, Megan, if you are reading this, now you know. I did not have the chance to ask Megan any questions during today's conference call (though I did try!), but I did get to listen to all of the other questions and responses. So, here is an overview of the conference call about NBC's forthcoming The Megan Mullally Show.

At the TCA Awards presentation last night, TV legend Carol Burnett was given the critics' award for career achievement. The award is in honor of almost fifty years of entertaining audiences, mainly via her weekly variety series The Carol Burnett Show, which ran from 1967-78.

Burnett deserves any award she gets; I only remember watching her show in the syndicated reruns (I think the first-run show was on too late for me to watch it), but even a young kid like me appreciated the slapsticky, physical humor that was performed by Burnett and her cast. Of course, Carol is multi-talented; she is a heck of a singer and has done pretty well in dramatic roles, too.

The TCA also gave awards to Steve Carell and Hugh Laurie for their performances in The Office and House, respectively, and cited Grey's Anatomy as the program of the year. Other award winners are listed at the bottom of this article.

Actually, she might have come with no money at all, because I'm not sure if the five cents she stole from a waiter was in Jamestown, NY (where she was from) or in New York City, where she went to become an actress in the 30s. Either way, it makes me feel good to know, since I'm having leftovers again tonight.

This is just one of the TV celebs on this list, which shows what various famous people had in their pockets when they left home to get rich and famous. Lawrence Welk had $3, Roseanne Barr had $400, and Carol Burnett had $1000, but that dwindled to $528 after dental work.

Donald Trump had $200,000.

1. CBS, Saturday nights, 1970s: Come on, how can you miss with shows like Bob Newhart, All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore, and The Carol Burnett Show. I think Carol Burnett was one of the first shows that my mom let me stay up late to watch.

2. ABC, Friday nights, 1970s: The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family. Yeah, that's right, The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family! You got a problem with that? My sister and I would go down to the corner store and stock up on candy, chips, and ice cream, and then race home to watch Marcia get hit in the nose with a football. Good times.

(S02E19) I don't watch this show any more for the plot. I watch it for the fan-frickin-tastic guest stars, and the awesome one-liners.

I mean, you know that Susan is going to get in some ridiculous situation with one of the many men she's dating / in love with / sleeping with / pretending to date. You know that Andrew is going to think he finally pulled one over on his mom, only to get slammed by the vastly more experienced scheme-stering of Bree. You know that Karl is going to be a dog and Gabby is going to be a little bit heartless and Lynette is going to (once again) get conflicted about her role as mom or wife.

You watch for the fun. The fun that includes Kyle Maclachlan as a random man in the movie theatre that Susan picks to pretend she's dating, then use as a confessor. And Carol Burnett as Bree's step-mother. Not to mention Gabrielle and Carlos appearing in court to defend their (essentially) kidnapping of their to-be-adopted daughter.

A few months ago Joel had a few complaints, mainly about seeing so many senior TV stars (like Carol Burnett) in crappy insurance commercials. Well, hopefully we won't be seeing her in those spots anymore because Burnett just signed on to guest star in an upcoming episode of Desperate Housewives.

Burnett plays Bree Van De Kamp's stepmother Eleanor Mason and apparently she's going to be very bitchy. At least that's what Burnett told show creator Marc Cherry to make the character. Eleanor shows up after Bree's son Andrew starts dropping some family secrets. So let me get this straight: a moody, bitchy stepmom on Wisteria Lane? Yeah, I think that'll fit in just fine. The episode is set to air on April 9.

One of the hazards of being home from work is the minefield that is daytime TV. It's pretty scary when you think about it; ads for denture cream, diabetes testers, and insurance to take care of your "final expenses" abound, mainly because a major component of the audience that time of the day is retirees. However, for an almost-middle-aged person like myself, seeing those commercials is a scary harbinger of what is to come, especially if I don't take care of myself like, say, Wilford Brimley.

But there is also a sad component to the daytime fascination with mortality: the disappointment you feel when you see your favorite TV legend selling Medicare supplemental insurance or life insurance on TV.