How come when a show that syndicated, you never catch the pilot episode or the final episode? I was flipping the channels the other day and ran across the Waltons. How exactly did it become "Walton mountain" to a poor mill owner? How exactly did Gilligan cause the minnow to get wrecked?
Did they ever explain how Batman became Batman?
I've never even seen these pilot episoded and was always curious if they explained stuff like that like they do now for a new show.

 

I also have wondered that. I think that they should play the episodes in order. Don't leave us hangin! lol

 

yeah it always suxed when I was a kid (in the 80's) got into the batman show (the original), and they would show a two episode show. Killed me that the first would be continued, and the next episode was totally different, and wouldn't start where the first left off. Would really chap my hide. (who says chap my hide anyways? Ill effects from hanging around FTE too much.)

 

This has always bugged me as well. I was starting to think of some far off reasoning for this, but I just started confusing myself. I actually saw the pilot for Highlander one time, so maybe the pilots and finales do play in syndication, at that one time you miss the show.

 

as much as i hate to admit it, i just recently watched ALL episodes of the waltons. they play everyday on TVLAND. i started watching season 3, went to the end, and thankfully, TVLAND started over so i got to see it from season one. the original was not really a pilot. there was a movie that came out before the series called "the homecomming". it had all the "waltons" in it, but some were played by different actors. the movie was such a hit, they created a series that just started up where the movie left off. i never really watched the waltons as a kid, but i got into them as an adult. i watched about 99% of them. there were some episodes that TVLAND didn't air. oh, it is called Walton Mountain because it was settled by a walton. they don't really own the whole mountain, but they do own a lot of land. if you get a chance, watch them all.
Batman's (bruce wayne) parents were mugged and murdered in front of him when he was young. he vowed to fight crime. since he was left a great deal of money, he was able to fund his crime-fighting. it's all right there in the first batman movie.

 

FX played X-Files in order, too. I was thankful cuz I missed 3 seasons and they had 2 hours a night so I could catch up quickly.

 

The explanation about how the boat ended up is in the song.

"
The weather started getting rough,
the tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
the Minnow would be lost.
The Minnow would be lost.

The ship aground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
with Gilligan,
the Skipper too.
A millionaire and his wife,
a movie star,
the proffessor and Mary Ann,
here on Gilligan's Isle. "

 

copied from another website:
The Skipper, Jonas Grumby, and his first mate, Gilligan, had been running an excursion boat, the S.S. Minnow, from Honolulu, Hawaii, offering a three- hour tour that included a free lunch aboard the boat.

On a Tuesday in September 1964, the Minnow left the Honolulu harbor carrying 5 passengers. The day the Minnow set sail, the radio operator issued weather information from the previous day, making no mention of the approaching tropical storm. When the Minnow got out to sea, the storm flared up, and the tiny ship was tossed. As the Minnow neared a reef, the Skipper ordered Gilligan to throw the anchor overboard, which Gilligan did--neglecting to make sure it was securely tied to the ship. The crew and passengers of the Minnow would have otherwise endured the storm and returned to Honolulu, but instead the Skipper lost control of the ship. Gilligan then threw the blowtorch overboard, and the ship's compass broke. In fact, Gilligan fell overboard, and the Skipper fished him out. After drifting at sea for 3 days, the Minnow finally picked up a current and drifted to the shore of an uncharted island that couldn't be found on any of the Skipper's Navy charts.

 

I've seen the pilot episode of Cheers several times, in fact just saw it again a couple of weeks ago. I used to be a big Gilligan's Island fan, and always wondered about the pilot episode on that one myself. I was told years ago that the first episode started with them already on the island. I guess the theme song, as Dennis pointed out, has all the info on the circumstances that brought them there, so that was considered to be enough. I also met a guy recently who knew the names of all the characters, I.E. Jonas Grumby=the skipper, Gilligan's first name, The Professor's name, etc. Thurston Howell always called his wife Lovey, and that was her name, not just a term of endearment. Of course, we all knew Ginger Grant's full name, but what about MaryAnnes' last name? equium, where is that website? -TD

 

http://www.gilligansisle.com/

 

Wow. The things people put up as websites.

 

this is how i knew if TVLAND skipped episodes of The Waltons:
www.the-waltons.com
a whole lotta info on the waltons

 

Ever watched a show you used to love as a kid, only to discover- as an adult- that it was really stupid?

I used to love Speed racer growing up. I mean, the Mach 5 was the most awesome car ever! but recently I watched an episode on Speed channel. they were running a Speed Racer marathon. I endured one episode before I !

 

When i heard that SciFi was going to start showing "the incredible hulk" series, i got excited. i couldn't even finish the pilot episode.

 

I often wondered in the show Knott' s Landing how....oh nevermind