I discovered that the NBC app had Amazing Stories, which I loved as a kid, so I checked out an episode called “remote control man.” The plot is your typical 80s anthology series loser wuss guy beaten down by his cartoonishly nagging wife, bratty kid and mean boss. TV is his only escape, but his wife sells it to buy shoes.
He buys a new TV that the salesman promises the guy will really like. Long story short, he can “change channels” and change his shitty family to TV stars. He keeps a hot blonde around for fucking, and changes her to June Cleaver when it’s time to make breakfast. His kids are Face from the A-team and Arnold from Diff’rent Strokes. I’m not making this up.
Things quickly spiral out of control, and pretty soon some badguys come for Face.
One of them gets turned into Richard Simmons, and then Hulk shows up.
Pretty soon the house is flooded with celebrities and a bunch of contestants from Let’s Make a Deal,” and they all tell him he should turn off his tv and spend time with his family. He does, as if suddenly realizing how lucky he is. Which he’s not, because his wife and kids are all written as irredeemable pieces of shit. His fat younger son turned on the garbage disposal while his dad’s hand was stuck in it in the beginning of the episode, hoping to mutilate him, and his wife smashes his stuff with an axe.
He keeps the magic remote, though. So I’d imagine at some point he probably came to his senses and turned them off for good.
Patrick Walts 
Do you remember the episode with Mark Hamill? The one where he saved all his toys and comics? That was always one of my favorites.
I’ll have to check that one out. I don’t remember it. It sounds like a really good one
I’ve never heard of this show and yet I already love it lol
It was a Steven Spielberg-produced anthology show that aired around 1985 or so. Had great John Williams theme music.
I just watched it. That was a good one.
I’m gonna have to go back and watch some episodes again. I haven’t seen any since I was a kid.
Netflix had them for a long time but the picture was glitchy and the sound was like two seconds off, it was unwatchable
Reblogged this on Patrick Walts.
Late, but yeah, I was 11 when Amazing Stories came out. I remember looking terribly forward to it. A train crashing through a house?? Yes, please.
I saw them all. Its weird, watching this show now makes me feel very old and makes me realize just how long ago 1985 was. The High Ball Express accident in Ghost Train was 75 years before, 1910. A time when 1910 was only 75 years before, wow. Now 75 yrs ago is World War II, heh. And Santa 85 was modern & current at the time. Ha. Now its as ancient as 1949 was to me then.
Anyhow, loved Remote Control man and wanted it to be real (oh the naïveity of youth!) Even wrote a short story about, lol.
Train through the house episode was great. I loved anything like that as a kid. I loved “The Secret Garden” miniseries, too
The Hulk in that episode wasn’t Lou Ferrigno. It was 1980’s celebrity trainer, Jake Steinfield. In 1988, he had a short lived TV show, called “Body By Jake”.
I always wondered about that Hulk, as Lou Ferrigno was 6’4″ or 6’5″, at that time. Yet, a 6’3″ Lyle Alzado towered over him. Looking on IMDB, I discover it’s six foot tall Steinfield.
Wow, didn’t even notice. My mom had a body by jake workout vhs in the 80s and a friend and I used to make fun of it all the time.