A classic from the not so distant (okay, kind of distant <>) past, Get Smart makes an entrance on the list week! This 1968 episode from season three of the campy spy show starring the slap-sticky Don Adams as Agent 86 and Barbara Feldon as the always on top of it Agent 99, deals with a maniacal guru trying to control the minds of teens ... of course this pure fantasy as anyone whose raised teenagers knows you can't even get them to pick up their socks much less control their minds, but nonetheless, the Groovy Guru is churning out zombies and the top agents from CONTROL have little time to save the day.

Hit play to find out why this episode of 60's spy fun is on the list of the 100 greates episodes of television ... and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. And while you're hitting things, go ahead and hit that number 5 star and hammer out a quick "we love you" post ... we love feedback and I promise, we'll love you in return!

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This particular episode, a two-parter airing first on March 12, 1987, tackles death when Alex processes through the loss of his friend Greg and the guilt he feels because he should have been in the car. This episode takes an unconventional narrative approach, with Alex interacting with memories and his subconscious in almost dream-like vignettes, revealing layers of his personality and insecurities. This shift from the usual sitcom format allowed the episode to explore themes of grief and self-discovery more profoundly, earning critical acclaim, including an Emmy for its outstanding writing, a Writer's Guild and Director's Guild award.

Aside from its unconventional approach, outstanding writing and directing, and increidble acting, there's another aspect to the episode that can't be overlooked ... the fact that a lot of kids experience loss and really had no idea how to process their emotions much less how to talk to their parents about them, and their parents were also ill-equipped to help their kids through these complex emotions. Seeing someone else going through similar emotions had to have helped countless families through a medium that we sometimes forget really can do so much good.

Undoubtedly, this episode (both 1 & 2, counting them as a single episode) belong on this list. Do yourself a favor and download Pluto on your streaming device and watch this Season 5, Episode 23/24 masterpiece. The blend of humor mixed with pain reminds you why you love television ... and reminds us what televisoin really can be.

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You know how some shows take time off and tell you in advance? Yeah, that's not us because, well, we don't really plan on taking time off it just sort of takes us off! We hope you enjoyed the few weeks off and that it helped you catch up on your other, less favorite podcasts that you sacrifice listening to so that you can take in ALL of the richness that each episode of Raised on Television has to offer!

Now, on with the show! We're on #69 on TV Guide's list and today's entry is a 1984 episode of Buffalo Bill, "Jerry Lewis Week. This is an interesting show with a great ensemble cast that Stephanie keenly points out is largely underutilized. So tune in for a breakdown of the episode and then we'll have some great bonus content for you later in the episode. We're glad to be back and even happier you're here!

Be sure to visit us online at raisedontelevision.com ... it's still a work in progress so you never quite know what you're going to find ;)

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