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Season 1 Episodes

1. The Max Headroom Incident of 1987

July 5th, 201212 min

On the night of Sunday, November 22nd, 1987, a mysterious figure in a Max Headroom mask hijacked two Chicago TV stations. Spoiler alert: The perpetrators were never found.

2. Emergency Broadcast Salute

July 19th, 201217 min

An informal (not to mention, loose) history of Civil Defense Broadcasting in the U.S.

3. TV Sign-offs

August 2nd, 201215 min

Remember when TV stations used to go off the air late at night? Anyone?

4. Local TV Special

August 16th, 201221 min

Interested in seeing a clown so laid-back, he forgets he's on camera? Now about a Hawaiian teen idol with a pen fetish? Maybe an American Bandstand ripoff with an evil spirit hosting? If you answered yes to any of these questions, watch this episode--then seek immediate professional help.

5. American EXXXtacy (and other C-band nastiness)

August 30th, 201216 min

The Archive's most infamous episode--for some reason.

6. Conservative Folk Music

September 13th, 201216 min

Meet the artists that made the likes of Joan Baez and Pete Seeger fear for their careers.

7. Format Wars

September 27th, 201221 min

VHS or Beta? Laserdisc or CED? What the hell is a CED anyway? These burning questions (amongst others) answered in this episode!

8. 1-900-ARCHIVE

October 11th, 201221 min

Join Ben as he launches his own 1-900 number. What could possibly go wrong?

9. Halloween Special 2012 (Strange VHS Endings)

October 25th, 201237 min

We still get a lot of flack for this episode (did you really think there were 37 minutes of odd VHS endings out there?). Nonetheless, it's still a favorite.

10. Captain Midnight / Vrillon

November 8th, 201214 min

An Archive double header: The two most famous occurrences of Broadcast Signal Hijacking (well, save for the Max Headroom Incident) are discussed here.

11. Pay TV (but not Cable or Satellite)

November 15th, 201214 min

The Oddity Archive will now be switching to scrambled mode. Please turn on your (preferably, circa 1984) decoder box now.

12. Top (Thanksgiving) Turkeys of the (19)90's

November 22nd, 201219 min

Because we always like to go the extra mile (at least, when it's convenient), the Archive tackles TWO lists of the worst of the (19)90's: The top 4 Trendy Turkeys and the top 4 Technological Turkeys of the (again, 19)90's.

13. Local TV vol. 2 (Kiddie Show Hosts)

December 6th, 201232 min

The 13th episode is a very unlucky one for Ben as he discusses some (all too often, rather off) U.S. Kiddie Show hosts from the early 1950's through the late 1990's.

14. Christmas Special (A Fair Use Christmas)

December 20th, 201223 min

All Ben wanted for Christmas was a silent night...

15. Teletext Heaven (or Hell)

January 3rd, 201316 min

Ceefax and Keyfax, Nite-Owl and Cable Chuckles, oh my...

16. Intermission

January 10th, 201313 min

It's movie day at the Archive! Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, you're not invited. But, at least you can join us for an intermission reel (conveniently containing all Public Domain footage!).

17. Prehistoric Television

January 17th, 201316 min

Given how much we discuss TV on the Archive, a history lesson seemed in order.

18. gniksaM sdrawkcaB (Backwards Masking)

January 31st, 201324 min

?segassem lanimilbus tahW ?huH Everyone knows there are no subliminal messages in music...(!slatrom nwod wob ,woN)

19. Valentine's Day Special (Dating Services)

February 14th, 201326 min

Join Ben as he discusses some of the Dating Services of the 1980's to present. And, if you're good, maybe Ben will let you join him in his own quest for a date.

20. Local TV vol. 3 (Public Access)

February 28th, 201320 min

Temporarily exiled from the big leagues of Internet TV, Ben (again, temporarily) sets up camp at his local Public Access outlet.

21. Protect & Survive

March 14th, 201316 min

It's the feel-good episode of the year as Ben discusses the (in)famous British Nuclear War preparedness campaign.

22. Duck & Cover

March 28th, 201317 min

Because you can (apparently) never have enough nukes...

23. Scary Logos (and other Nostalgic Video Terrors)

April 11th, 201323 min

What is it about end logos and FBI Warnings that scared so many children of the VHS era?

24. Hell's Bells (The Dangers of Rock and Roll)

April 25th, 201322 min

Can pure rock sound really hard-boil an egg? Of course not. It does make for some wicked "deviled" eggs though.

25. Employee Training Videos

May 9th, 201329 min

Things have gotten so dire at The Archive that Ben's been forced to take a "real" job. Join him as he takes a look at his potential employers' training videos.

26. VHS Vault vol. 1 (Amvest Video)

May 23rd, 201322 min

Ever wanted to know the absolute root of the Oddity Archive? Well, it involves a creepy guy in a Hamster costume...

All Seasons

Season 13

Season 13

Jul 25, 2024
Season 12

Season 12

Jul 27, 2023
Season 11

Season 11

Jul 21, 2022
Season 10

Season 10

Jul 22, 2021
Season 9

Season 9

Jul 16, 2020
Season 8

Season 8

Jul 11, 2019
Season 7

Season 7

Jul 26, 2018
Season 6

Season 6

Jul 6, 2017
Season 5

Season 5

Jul 7, 2016
Season 4

Season 4

Jul 16, 2015
Season 3

Season 3

Jul 10, 2014
Season 2

Season 2

Jul 4, 2013
Season 1

Season 1

Jul 5, 2012
Specials

Specials

Sep 20, 2012