The Retro Network

The Retro Network is going ape all week long as we launch a full celebration of one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises of the 20th century. Planet of the Apes has left its mark on movies, television, comics, toys, candy, and Saturday morning animation, and we’re diving into every corner of that legacy. Throughout the week, TRN will be revisiting the classic films that started it all, the live…

Saved by the Bell is one of the most enduring symbols of 90s pop culture, a show that captured the energy, optimism, and neon‑bright personality of the decade. Its rise from a retooled concept to a Saturday morning powerhouse is one of television’s most surprising success stories, and its influence continues to echo through nostalgia, fashion, and the collective memory of anyone who grew up…

Lay’s WOW potato chips were one of the most memorable food phenomena of the 1990s, a product that arrived with enormous excitement, captured the imagination of millions of snack lovers, and then disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Their story is a strange blend of innovation, optimism, controversy, and cultural memory, and it remains one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of…

In the early 1980s, professional wrestling was exploding into mainstream culture. Hulkamania was rising, cable television was expanding, and the WWF was becoming a national phenomenon. But in the middle of all that spectacle, one segment stood out as something entirely new. It wasn’t a match. It wasn’t a promo. It wasn’t even predictable. It was Piper’s Pit, a chaotic little corner of the…

If you grew up in the 90s, you can probably still picture your living room without even trying. All you have to do is close your eyes and suddenly you’re standing in a room built for family, for Friday nights, for sitcoms, for snacks, and for the kind of comfort that only came from furniture that had absolutely no intention of matching anything else in the house. The 90s living room wasn’t sleek…

When the X Men animated series premiered in 1992, it felt like Saturday morning television had suddenly grown up. Kids who were used to lighthearted superhero fare were hit with something entirely different. This show had weight. It had drama. It had serialized storytelling that expected you to come back next week and remember what happened. It had characters who struggled with identity,…

Hope all of you listeners are enjoying your summer. Ken and Chad here interrupting this regularly scheduled break to drop in a BONUS SHOW. We called in our “Loyal Listener” Jerospace a.k.a. Jeremy to help us go down the rabbit hole of board games. It’s another ABC show, and the guys go roundtable and discuss board games beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Give it listen at the pool, on…

When people look back on the golden age of console gaming, the Sega Genesis often stands out as the machine that kicked the industry into a new gear. It was fast, loud, stylish, and determined to shake up a market that had grown comfortable under Nintendo’s steady leadership. The Genesis was not just another console. It was a statement. It was Sega stepping forward and saying that the future of…

We dive deeper into issue 130 of Wizard to discuss the Summer 2002 comics hype, a Last Man Standing battle between Green Arrow and Arwyn from CrossGen, a host theory about why Kevin Smith didn’t write Amazing Spider-Man, a review of Chris Claremont’s Gen 13 reboot, tips to drawing “Sexy Babes” from top comic book artists and more! Get more out of your WIZARDS experience by joining our Patreon to…

Eisner Award nominated comic book creator, Dave Baker joins us to explore an interview with Alan Moore, the announcement of Wildstorm publishing ThunderCats, 3 comic book previews, Marvel movie news of the early 2000s and more from issue 130 of Wizard! Get access to an UNCUT version of the episode with 20 minutes of excellent bonus conversation, plus a PDF scan of the issue, our exclusive…

We’re joined by Matt Moylan, formerly of Dreamwave Productions to talk about the 80s cartoon comics revival of the early 2000s, Jim Lee returning to monthly comics on Batman with Jeph Loeb, Morrison and Quitely on X-Men and more as reported on in Wizard issue 129. Plus, Matt takes us behind the scenes at Dreamwave during their highest highs of producing Transformers comics to their controversial…

🦃 This Thanksgiving in July, I’ve put out some extra table settings for some old friends.   Previously, on the Advent Calendar House, we watched Zack Morris be trash but still manage to find a girl and her dad a Home for Christmas. Now, thankfully, we get to see him a tiny bit more grown-up as we get wheeled directly into a wall back to 1993 for a special Turkey Day episode of “Saved by the…

Did they do it all in the ‘70s with nothing left untouched when it came to storylines for cinema and TV? Revisiting little known or long-forgotten gems from the decade supports this impression. Even Sidney Sheldon was likely a bit too late to claim originality for some of his work when viewed against the backdrop of ‘70s movie troves. In reference to Sheldon’s work, the title in view here is the…

There are fads, and then there are cultural explosions. The CB radio craze of the 1970s was the kind of phenomenon that did not just sweep across America. It rewired the way people talked, traveled, and thought about the open road. For a few wild years, Citizens Band radio turned everyday folks into road warriors, storytellers, and characters in a nationwide conversation that never seemed to…

🎄 It’s another Scrooge Sunday, which means we’re about to be haunted by a series of spirits as we ride the airwaves back to 1980 for a version of “A Christmas Carol” set in the studios of “WKRP in Cincinnati.”   🎙️ Gerry Davila, Scott Leopold, and Michael May join us on a trip through time that definitely wasn’t fueled by special brownies, so stop asking.   📺 You can find “Bah, Humbug” on…

In the early 1990s, Burger King decided it wanted to be more than the place where you ordered at the counter, grabbed a plastic tray, and hoped you could find a clean booth. For a brief and unforgettable moment, the Home of the Whopper tried something completely different. It wanted to feel a little more like a sit‑down restaurant and a little less like the usual fast‑food rush. So it introduced…

⚠️ Warning: Our wartime yuletide takes a grimmer turn in this episode, which includes the death of a man hit by a sniper. But since it’s Christmas, we’re all going to do the best we can to find a bit of hope, joy, and laughter in the face of tragedy.   🎙️ Tim Babb from the Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast and Jamie Ray from Fave Five From Fansjoin us as we report for duty to the 4077th Mobile…