History Series / RemoteControl

* BonusRound: Two were done:
** On the MTV version, players had to identify artists in music videos while strapped onto a [[ProductPlacement Craftmatic Adjustable Bed]].
** On the syndicated version, players had to answer TV questions while being spun around on the "[[Series/WheelOfFortune Wheel of]] Series/{{Jeopardy}}".

** In the pilot episode only, a penalty space marked "Off The Air" [[OneHitKill eliminated the contestant landing on that category from further play]]. From the second episode onward, all contestants played two standard rounds, with the lowest-performing contestant eliminated thereafter.

GameShow about TV trivia that was Creator/{{MTV}}'s first venture out of music videos (and thus the very beginning of NetworkDecay to some). The premise was that host Ken Ober grew up addicted to game shows and longed to host his own, so he set one up in his basement and bombarded contestants that dared to enter with questions about television, junk food, and threats to their well-being. The supporting cast was shockingly good for a low-budget cable show of the era and featured Creator/AdamSandler and Colin Quinn before they made it to ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''; Creator/DenisLeary before he developed ''RescueMe''; actresses Kari Wuhrer and Alicia Coppola, who have worked consistently in film and TV since then; and future TV writer Rick Rosner.

** "Ranger Bob", a parody of kids' safety PSA commercials where a park ranger gave ridiculous a safety tip.

* {{Troperrific}}: It's only natural that a show about TV trivia with the world's biggest fanboy as host and parodies of nearly every game show in the book is going to fall under this category.

** In the pilot episode only, a penalty space marked "Off The Air" eliminated the contestant landing on that category from further play. From the second episode onward, all contestants played two standard rounds, with the lowest-performing contestant eliminated thereafter.

* {{Whammy}}: "Ranger Bob" and "Home Shopping Zone".
* {{Zonk}}: The product you were forced to "buy" with your points if you hit "Home Shopping Zone".

!!! "It's his basement, it's his tropes, it's his game show":

* PartsUnknown: 72 Whoopingkof Lane (the spelling was indicated by a street sign laying around on the set).

* RuleOfThree: Three contestants.

* SpecialGuest: ''TheNewlywedGame'' and ''CardSharks'' host Bob Eubanks paid a visit to the show in Season 2, ostensibly to give Ken some pointers on how to host. The episode is especially hilarious for when one of the contestants began heckling Bob ("You got your own show - let Ken do his business here!"), and [[WhatTheHellPlayer Bob responds in kind]] ("Don't let your mouth write a check your butt can't cash!") The SpeedRound then consisted of one word from a TV show's title being replaced with "Whoopie", and the contestants having to supply the correct word.

* PartsUnknown: 72 Whooping Cough Lane.

** Turned UpToEleven with computer and video game adaptations of the game, which showed the contestants being ''blown up or struck by lightning'' (although this may be more due to the limitations of the software at that time, which might not have been capable of animating the actual ejections as seen on the show).

** Turned UpToEleven with Computer and video game adaptations of the game, which showed the contestants being ''blown up or struck by lightning'' (although this may be more due to the limitations of the software at that time, which might not have been capable of animating the actual ejections as seen on the show).

Losers were ceremoniously thrown "Off the Air" and yanked through the back wall while still in their chairs. This part was copied from the 1975 ''[[Series/MusicalChairs1975 Musical Chairs]]'', albeit in [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence a much more violent manner]].

* TakeThat: A skit during a "best of" marathon shown the weekend before Season 4 began featured the incoming hostess thinking, upon hearing the show's description, that she was coming onto ''CouchPotatoes''. Ober proceeded to ''tear into'' said show, accusing them (perhaps rightly so) of ripping his show off.

* DuelingShows: With ''CouchPotatoes'', but this show came first and lasted longer.

* HeyItsThatSound: A good number of them were used on some of {{Nickelodeon}}'s game shows (naturally, since they were also produced by MTV). For example:
** The "wrong answer" buzzer was used on ''[[Series/DoubleDare1986 Double Dare]]'', among others.
** The siren used when time expired in the BonusRound was used when the Brain Bender was solved on ''Series/ThinkFast''.
** The Lightning Round sometimes ended with the win sound from ''Double Dare'' and ''MakeTheGrade''.

* MissingEpisode: Parodied, when Ken supposedly unearthed an episode from ''1975''.

* PromotedFanboy: Ken Ober.
* PropRecycling: The show used props from earlier seasons as decorations in the StudioAudience during later seasons. Props from ''Series/FindersKeepers'' (also a Nickelodeon game) occasionally appeared, but usually as basement clutter.

GameShow about TV trivia that was Creator/{{MTV}}'s first venture out of music videos (and thus the very beginning of NetworkDecay to some). The premise was that host Ken Ober grew up addicted to game shows and longed to host his own, so he set one up in his basement and bombarded contestants that dared to enter with questions about television, junk food, and threats to their well-being. The supporting cast was shockingly good for a low-budget cable show of the era and featured Creator/AdamSandler and Colin Quinn before they made it to ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''; DenisLeary before he developed ''RescueMe''; actresses Kari Wuhrer and Alicia Coppola, who have worked consistently in film and TV since then; and future TV writer Rick Rosner.

!!This show provides examples of:

The show originally aired from December 7, 1987 until December 13, 1991, with a concurrent syndicated version running for the 1989-90 season. Two episodes (one each from the first and last seasons) were aired by MTV[[hottip:*:(2 in the wee hours of the morning)]] in tribute after Ober's death in late 2009.

* ObviousBeta: The two "test" episodes, recorded on a different set than the series. The first "test" show had Off the Air as a ''category'', eliminating whoever picked it right then and there.

** PlayedForLaughs several seasons later with the Christmas episode, where three joke contestants impersonating the "Wise Men" were kicked out and replaced with real contestants after Round 1.

GameShow about TV trivia that was {{MTV}}'s first venture out of music videos (and thus the very beginning of NetworkDecay to some). The premise was that host Ken Ober grew up addicted to game shows and longed to host his own, so he set one up in his basement and bombarded contestants that dared to enter with questions about television, junk food, and threats to their well-being. The supporting cast was shockingly good for a low-budget cable show of the era and featured Creator/AdamSandler and Colin Quinn before they made it to ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''; DenisLeary before he developed ''RescueMe''; actresses Kari Wuhrer and Alicia Coppola, who have worked consistently in film and TV since then; and future TV writer Rick Rosner.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The ThemeTune had a ''little'' more than a passive resemblance to The Ohio Players' "Fire".

* UnexpectedlyObscureAnswer: Played with in the "Public Television" category.

-->-- '''Colin Quinn''', introducing host Ken Ober.

GameShow about TV trivia that was {{MTV}}'s first venture out of music videos (and thus the very beginning of NetworkDecay to some). The premise was that host Ken Ober grew up addicted to television and longed to host his own game show, so he set one up in his basement and bombarded contestants that dared to enter with questions about television, junk food, and threats to their well-being. The supporting cast was shockingly good for a low budget cable show of the era and featured Creator/AdamSandler and Colin Quinn before they made it to ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''; DenisLeary before he developed ''RescueMe''; actresses Kari Wuhrer and Alicia Coppola, who have worked consistently in film and TV since then, and future TV writer Rick Rosner.

Losers were ceremoniously thrown "Off the Air" and yanked through the back wall while still in their chairs. This part was copied from ''Series/MusicalChairs1975'', albeit in a [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence much more violent manner]].

The show originally aired from December 7, 1987, until December 13, 1991, with a concurrent syndicated version running for the 1989-90 season. Two episodes (one each from the first and last seasons) were aired by MTV[[hottip:*:2 in the wee hours of the morning]] in tribute after Ober's death in late 2009.

!!GameShow Tropes in use:

* BonusRound: In the MTV version, players had to identify artists in music videos while strapped onto a [[ProductPlacement Craftmatic Adjustable Bed]]; in the syndicated version, players had to answer TV questions while being spun around on the "[[Series/WheelOfFortune Wheel of]] Series/{{Jeopardy}}".

* ConfettiDrop: BonusRound winners were showered with confetti and streamers while still strapped to the bed or wheel.

* HomeGame: A {{board game|s}}, a PC version, and a {{video game|s}} for the NintendoEntertainmentSystem were all produced.

** LovelyAssistant: Marisol Massey, Kari Wührer, Alicia Coppola and Susan Ashley.
** StudioAudience: Interacts with parts of gameplay, most notably during "Off the Air" segments.
* ProductPlacement: Zenith, Craftmatic and PEZ, just to name a few.

* TheBully: Colin Quinn, if you were unfortunate enough to select the "Wheel of Torture" channel. You could either lose 10 points or have a wheel spun which dictated what method of schoolyard mischief Quinn would deal to you ("Purple Nurple", "Noogies" and "The Tape Arm", to name a few) and gain 10 points.

* CrowdSong: "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", "Hit the Road, Jack", or one of several others, whenever someone went Off the Air.

* DuelingShows: With ''CouchPotatoes''; however this show came first and lasted longer.
* [[ExpositoryThemeTune Expository]] [[TitleThemeTune Title]] ThemeTune: "Kenny wasn't like the other kids... ''Remote Control!''"

* [[HeyItsThatSound Hey, It's That Sound!]]: A good number of them were used on some of {{Nickelodeon}}'s game shows (naturally, since they were also produced by MTV). For example:

* PartsUnknown: "72 Whooping Cough Lane"

* PungeonMaster[=/=]SoUnfunnyItsFunny: PlayedForLaughs with "Mr. Baggy Pants".
* ResetButton: Employed in an early episode in which all three contestants were completely clueless; at the end of the first round Ober and his "mother" had all three of them yanked Off The Air simultaneously, and they were replaced with new players picked from the audience after the commercial break.
** PlayedForLaughs several seasons later with the Christmas episode, where three joke contestants impersonating the "Wise Men" were kicked out and replaced with real contestants after the first round.

* ScareChord: Used in the first season (and shortly into the second) when at the beginning of the second round Ober said, "The points are doubled...and so is the ''danger''!"
* ShoutOut: '''Constantly''', to {{game show host}}s, other shows, etc. Parodied on some episodes which were themed "salutes" to random objects.

* SpecialGuest: TheNewlywedGame and CardSharks host Bob Eubanks paid a visit to the show in season 2, ostensibly to give Ken some pointers on how to host. The episode is especially hilarious for when one of the contestants began heckling Bob ("You got your own show - let Ken do his business here!"), and [[WhatTheHellPlayer Bob responds in kind]] ("Don't let your mouth write a check your butt can't cash!") The SpeedRound then consisted of one word from a TV show's title being replaced with "Whoopie", and the contestants having to supply the correct word.

* TakeThat: A skit during a "best of" marathon shown the weekend before the fourth season premiere featured the incoming hostess thinking, upon hearing the show's description, that she was coming onto ''CouchPotatoes''. Ober proceeded to ''tear into'' said show, accusing them (perhaps rightly so) of ripping his show off.

Losers were ceremoniously thrown "Off the Air" and yanked through the back wall while still in their chairs. This part was copied from ''MusicalChairs1975'', albeit in a [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence much more violent manner]].