Name That Show!
Growing up, one of the things my friends and I did to keep ourselves amused was hold mock game shows. Our favorite was a play on Name that Tune called Name that Show. Each week, a different kid in the neighborhood was in charge of taping theme music from anywhere from 10-30 TV shows. We’d then get together on Saturday afternoon and see if we could stump each other with our selections. We even gave bonus points out for quick answers.
So now I’m pleased to present Name that Show, in blog format! Were you a TV junkie growing up? Grab a pencil and paper and get ready for a romp down memory lane. For extra fun, grab your significant other and see who scores best!
How to score: For each one of these TV theme shows you guess correctly, give yourself 10 points. Some shows are more difficult than others and have 5 additional bonus points if you guess before the time indicated (or just at all). When you’ve finished all ten shows, check the inviso-text answer key at the end and tally your points. Then post your total in the comment thread (unless it’s too embarrassing to share) for the rest of the world to see. Have fun and let me know what you think (too hard? too easy?).
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Action/Adventure
1974-1978
Of course you knew this one, right? But did you guess within the first 35 seconds? If so, give yourself +5 bonus points for being a major geek of the 70’s. But before you vacuum the shag carpet, invite the friends over, bust out the fondue and get all cocky, you better think again. They only get harder from here.
• • •
Comedy
1968-1970
I’ll admit I didn’t watch this show in first run since I wasn’t alive then, but I came to know and love it in re-run heaven. Anyone from New England might have a slight advantage here, but I suspect the humor from this beloved show based on a hit film of the same name is universal. Give yourself +5 points if you guessed it at all. Yeah, it’s that hard.
• • •
Documentary
1976-1982
One of my favorite TV shows of all time, and if you know me, then that’s enough of a hint already. Even if you never watched this show first hand as a kid, I’m willing to bet you still know what it is thanks to the distinctive theme music. The track includes a bit of narration at the end that might help those in the dark.
• • •
Action/Crime
1975-1976
This short-lived TV show of the 70’s spawned a bunch of siblings and its music might initially be confusing to the uninitiated. However, if you’re quick on the draw and guess this one before the main theme starts at the 20 second mark, you’ve well earned those +5 bonus points.
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Adventure
1978-1979
I just love the funk that oozes from this groovy 70’s theme song. This one will probably be either instantly recognizable or you won’t guess it at all. For those who manage to snag the solution, there’s an extra 5 points in it for you if you guessed correctly within the first 10 seconds. A tall order perhaps, but not for fans of this classic show.
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Mystery
1977-1979
This childhood favorite aired on ABC and had a memorable opening credits sequence. Chances are the name of this one is right on the tip of your tongue, so give yourself an extra 5 bonus points if you managed to uncover the clues and identified this riddle correctly.
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Adventure/Sci-Fi
1983-1984
Quite possibly the hardest show on the list, it aired for only one season on ABC. You know those shows that TV executives decide rip-off from popular movies? Yeah, this is one of those. If you know what movies were blowing away audiences in 1982, then it might not be game over (no Googling!). Five bonus points await you for guessing this one correctly.
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Mystery/Thriller
1970-1973
This spooky show aired for three seasons in the 70’s and managed to walk away with two prime-time Emmy awards in the process. It was so scary, I wasn’t even allowed to watch it as a kid, which was just fine with me. The bit of narration at the end might help you identify it, but perhaps not.
• • •
Sci-Fi
1970-1971
I told you these would be difficult didn’t I? And you thought this was gonna be a cake walk. A full 5 extra points await you if you correctly name the British import with the swinging theme music heard here.
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Drama/Crime
1977-1983
I shouldn’t even award bonus points for this one it’s so easy. If you don’t know the name of this show, then chances are you’re too young to remember a time before remote controls, CDs and cheesy cop shows. You’ll need to be quick to get these 5 bonus points though, keep an eye on the second hand!
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The Amazing Inviso-Answer Key
Got all your guesses written down and bonus points ready to tally? Then roll your cursor over the block of text below for the answers to this edition of Name That Show. It’s like magic!
• Show 1 – The Six Million Dollar Man
• Show 2 – The Ghost & Mrs. Muir
• Show 3 – In Search Of…
• Show 4 – S.W.A.T.
• Show 5 – The Amazing Spiderman
• Show 6 – The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
• Show 7 – Automan
• Show 8 – Rod Serling’s Night Gallery
• Show 9 – UFO
• Show 10 – CHiP’s
How Did You Score?
145 TV Junkie / You know all the words to The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
120 – 140 Couch Potato / You can name all six Charlie’s Angels
80 – 115 Armchair Warrior / You probably remember who shot J.R.
30 – 70 Average Joe / “Porkchops & applesauce” is just what’s for dinner
0 – 20 Bookworm / You don’t even know how many castaways there were
Man… that was hard! You need to do more 80s, less 70s for me to have any chance. Only 15 points (for the first one), and that was with Steph (trying) to help.
Anthony, are you telling me you weren’t able to guess even show #10? I knew you weren’t a TV addict, but I mean, comon! Show #10!! 🙂
Perhaps an all 80’s version is in order if this goes over well.
Nope, not even number 10. I think I only saw about 10 minutes of one episode.
I feel like I watched plenty of TV as a kid, but I suppose the actual number of series I watched was probably pretty limited, at least by the standards of your old neighborhood. 🙂
Another example of the standardized testing gone awry! 🙂 I must admit I didn’t do well at all. I guess being a few years younger (circa 1973) and leanings toward different genres was my downfall.
Am I ashamed? Never! For I have logged plenty of hours in front of the magic glowing box over my lifetime to know in my heart that I am a true Junkie, though this test reveals me (wrongly) as a lowly Bookworm (which I should take as a compliment since I never was one).
Wow, some moldy oldies, there… Gimmie some more!
//k
This was a blast! Here’s one for you. These are both from the same show, but the second is a lot easier than the first:
Hard
Easy
Emergency!
Blast! I was trying to style the answer so it appeared in white, but it didn’t work!
That’s great! Sorry about the non-styling. My blog template isn’t set up for it in comments I think. I would *not* have guessed that first on as Emergency. I know the show from the second one.
Fun!!
I got 40 points with 10 from #1, 15 from #4, and 15 from #7. Totally drew a blank on #10 even though I watched the show, recognized the theme, and had a Ponch action figure. My mind must be going. On a good day, I still would have only gotten 60 points.
PS – I think I got S.W.A.T. in like two seconds 😉
I scored only 20 points (#1 & #4). I’m kicking myself for getting #10 wrong. I used to watch #2, but I drew a blank. Thanks, it was fun.
I got the first one right away but then it all got fuzzy for me until the last one! I guess that “bookends” the results for me as a “bookworm.” Like Anna, I’m a 1972-vintage with leanings toward different TV show genres. I’m a happy TV addict who is now using Netflix to catch up on everything!
🙂
Man, that was hard! I got cocky early on because I got #1 and #2… but then hit a dry spell until #6… then got #8 and #10 (not in the first few seconds, though)… so my score was 70.
Nice job Amy! I think that’s the best so far. I think my wife scored a 70 too, but she had an advantage since she knows what kind of shows I like 🙂
lol this is brilliant, although I’m in agreement with a 80s quiz as well.
We have another ‘geeky’ game that we play regularly ‘The Age Game’ – just going through random celebs on Wikipedia guessing their age.