Connor, I can't thank you enough for taking me on a wonderful stroll down Memory Lane. I sent the link to Laurie so she could enjoy it, too. Would that I didn't know what's coming after "To be continued..." The Fox version of BT is definitely a cautionary tale of, "Be careful what you wish for."
Still credit you with being the reason I was able to visit the apartment! It was so nice running into you at TCA a few years ago. And regarding "what came next" - that should be the first indication that "you should not replace Tom Bergeron," because disaster usually follows. Then again, breaking up the Tom/Laurie/Bob/Jim quartet was the first mistake...
Connor - I was lucky enough to be one of the producers of Breakfast Time. We all seem to agree that this was the most fun any of us ever had on any TV show. Thanks so much for making this run down memory lane. We all still talk about this amazing experience!
Fox Family was also a gem. They had their own original movies at one point...that channel, though lacking the live stuff like FX, also felt like a scrappy up and comer, which is weird since it was ultimately owned by a giant billion dollar corporation, though it never really felt that way.
Thank you Connor! I just came across this video and it's really amazing to once again to relive my time at FX. I started out as a channel host producer...and later worked on The Pet Department & Breakfast Time. I will say that my time on The Pet Department was joyous and YES - it was a just a show about pets - but it managed to educate a lot of people on the importance of "finding a pet, caring for a pet and enjoying a pet." So much so - that it actually won a Day Time Emmy Award. In terms of the program reminding you of a low budget public access show...wasn't that the whole style of fx? The follow me direction of the hand held style of the cameras was a product of the unique location but it was also purposeful. The way we put together segments for Breakfast Time - sometimes creating props using construction paper rather than fancy graphics...was meant to get back to basics - shake things up...and break down the 'walls' of all those stuffy morning programs and created something alive and spontaneous. Sometime it worked, sometimes it didn't...but it all had value.
Thanks so much for watching!! Criticism is totally valid, my characterization of The Pet Department is my biggest regret here - a poorly executed joke that came off way harsher than I ever intended it to - I would definitely reword it if I was able. But I’m so glad you enjoyed the rest of the video! I had so much fun watching through all the archives - thanks for all the work you did to make it happen!
Hang on now Connor! I hosted The Pet Department and it won a Daytime Emmy Award after being nominated three years in a row. 😊 Yeah, kind of an odd show, but nothing else like it on TV and we had our loyal fans. Otherwise, totally loved this video and the follow up about Fox After Breakfast. So well done.
Oh my gosh! I have felt bad about how I characterized The Pet Department ever since this video went out. My remarks came off so much harsher than I ever intended. My sincere apologies, Steve, but I'm so glad you stuck around and enjoyed the rest of the series :)
You don't know me, Steve. But, I feel that The Pet Department along with Breakfast Time and Personal FX: The Collectibles Show were the FX live shows that really worked.
Steve, did you ever keep up with whatever happened to Jack in the years after the show ended? As it's been nearly 30 years I'm sure he's no longer with us. I was able to meet him (but not you :( ) at the apartment in January 1995, and he was a really sweet dog.
I was the phone technician in this building (26th and 5th), and I spent a lot of time hanging out in that apartment. I even had the rare opportunity to sit cross-legged in front of BB King as he played on Breakfast Time. Tom Bergeron and Jeff Probst were both really nice guys and I was always glad to see them achieve such success.
The early years of fX from the fX Apartment was like if an entire cable channel was being run by the cast of "Friends". If I was a bit older back then, I would've watched this show religiously. The whole mid 90's aesthetic of it just slapped PERFECTLY with the times!
When I became a Breakfast Time fan, I was a newly minted college grad who had just moved into my first apartment, struggling through the early days of my first full-time job. The Breakfast Time crew seemed like an extended family to me, starting off my day with humor, comfort and information. I'll never forget Breakfast Time!
The GOAT of morning shows! I would like to mention the folks associated with Breakfast time that are sadly no longer with us. RIP to Bob Keeshan, Spencer Garbett, Suzanne Whang, and Patricia Moreno. I'm sure there's others I didn't mention, but those are the ones I knew about.
It's interesting to see how a cable channel that has become known for violent, dark, critically acclaimed TV-MA rated shows, started off doing goofy talk shows in an apartment. While on the subject of Fox, I think you should really talk about the Fox Family Channel (now Freeform) in a future video someday.
Love loved loved launching and working on this show with the talented cast and studio support teams. What a great time to work in television and a fun group to work with!!!
I feel like 90's television tried, even if it was often thwarted at really doing anything different. I think letting go of shows like this was the beginning of the end of broadcast tv. I remember the 90's being the start of everyone knowing ratings/household shares, box office returns, unit sales of music etc... It all became a numbers game and innovation often lost out. I much prefer going live with a podcast on yt than watching anything on broadcast anymore. Also Connor what a pro you are. I always click immediately to watch as I know you are going to give me something that is great quality, interesting and worth my time.
I wish I could've seen the show in the 90s. Unfortunately, I was about 5 when it started, it wouldn't have applied to me. I grew up watching Tom Bergeron on AFV and Hollywood Squares and I just wanted to say that I definitely think he is just so great and just has this wonderful personality that can go from dad to something a little rebellious. Great, great host ❤️
I was 13 or 14 when it started but didn't catch it from the very beginning and I always kicked myself for that lol. Ironically, they were doing a remote at my local amusement park one morning and that's what ended up catching my eye. Was hooked after that.
@@mattdemes3454 Hey Matt, sorry I'm so late to the party, but what was your favorite thing about the show? I personally love how the atmosphere is so relaxed and fun.Laurie and Tom play well off each other.
Very thankful I stumbled upon these little docs about Breakfast Time and Fox After Breakfast. Its important we remember innovative, authentic, fun things... not just that hang onto them for dear life and bring that spontenaiety into daily life. We are all really realllllly are dying for it and so many folks dont even know it.
I loved that you pointed out the cool fonts used. That's one thing I loved about aesthetics of the 90s - the sort of grungy and off-the-wall designs and fonts, the bright colors used for shows like this, Talk Soup, etc. So much better than the usual mundane aesthetics for news shows.
I'm glad records of stuff like this exist. Every sea change is a new chance for innovation to happen. It always gets destroyed and consumed by larger forces, but life finds a way, and new opportunities always happen. Stuff like this inspires the next generation of risk takers to take those risks. And something else awesome will exist
I was thrilled to see this video exists! I watched this show when I was in middle school whenever I could, and absolutely loved it. Even now, whenever I see Tom Bergeron, this is what I remember him from. But I have never seen anyone else talk about it ever! Thank you so much for bringing back some great memories.
I'm not sure why but I woke up thinking about this show today and found your video. I used to watch Breakfast Time, live, from age 13 - 15 and it was one of my favorite things ever. I would watch as much as I could before I had to leave for school. I remember even drawing Bob the Puppet on an envelope and sending fan mail to the show once. Thank you so much for this video! This brought me back to a very happy time and some great memories of waking up early just to watch this TV show live.
I was at home with a baby in a small town that had no local TV stations. We had cable and this show helped my sanity as a new mom and I loved it!!! It was my favorite channel and morning show. Loved it not spewing news and being so real. Thank you for this trip down memory lane. Wish we had something like this nowadays.
That's me in the ballroom on the left at 20:18 and again at the table with Bob at 39:46! On this second visit to the apartment in 1995, I snuck a group picture in and put it on the shelf behind the couch. It was a framed group photo of me and my friends from when we visited the year before. It stayed there until nearly the end of the show in 1996. 📸
Breakfast Time was the absolute best. This show got me watching FX in it's early years. Don't forget they had an exercise show that aired live at 6:30 am before BT. The show was shown in the ballroom.
I'll make my comments brief: this seems both way ahead of its time, but also seems like something that could only come from a time as fancy free as the 90s. When the troubles of today finally settle down, and we learn again to unclench ourselves, maybe Breakfast Time's...time...will come again.
I love the Apartment Show as my morning background tv when my kids were little. It’s what stated my day, then one day it was gone. Thanks for this video
I loved Breakfast Time! I watched it every day when I was in Middle School, it was the highlight of my day because it provided so many laughs. Watching it daily also provided running gags because they constantly referred to things that happened in the days prior. Also, I remember the episode where the band left, hilarious! Lastly, if my memory is correct, when they went live across the nation, they started referring to themselves as Breakfast Time, Anytime - the gag being that it was always breakfast time anywhere in the world.
I was always a GIANT fan of FX. I was starting high school in the fall of 1993, so this was totally my thing as a sorta loner who spent a lot of time watching TV then. It felt like a grand experiment that they decided to put on TV. Loved the idea of constant live shows, because it made you feel part of it all, even though I was 1000 miles away from NYC, have never even been to NYC, knew none of the hosts...still, felt like they were almost family. The laid back format worked so well and that huge loft apt was just fantastic. As for Breakfast Time...what was not to love? They would do interviews in the bath tub! The "director" was a faceless dude in a control room behind a newspaper, and they had the puppet co-host! As much as FX has done some fantastic stuff since it transitioned big time around 2000 or so...that period was great, and it's a shame it isn't still around in some form.
Stumbled upon an episode of the show going through some old VHS and yes, I too had forgotten all about it, but what a great show! Lots of great humor and seeing people enjoy what they're doing never gets old!
I miss fX of the mid-90s! I was lucky enough to see a lot of it though because I was still in school, I didn’t see much of Breakfast Time. (My favorite was BackChat with Jeff Probst.) ❤
I was just getting into high school so I would tape it every morning. But I wasnt old enough for a job to pay for an endless supply of vhs lol so I only have I think 2 episodes that I was able to hold on to.
I remember this. I was in middle school when FX came on, and I think my local cable company was one of the first to carry it. I remember stumbling on it and checking it out when the Backchat came on that night and all the letters and such were "Hope the channel does well when it starts." So I think I somehow caught it on day one. FX was usually on my TV after. And during I think summer break I was watching Breakfast Time when they were doing a segment outside the ER of a hospital right down the road from me. I remember telling my grandmother I was gonna go ride my bike, rode down, and right up to where they were filming. They were great people. The camera guys were talking to me about how they setup and the cool cameras. When it was time to film, I think the Producer told me to "Go stand right there so we can get you in the next shot." I stood where he told me next to some nurses from the hospital while they filmed. Not sure if I really was in the shot, and no one believed me when I got home.
That show was a lot of fun to watch. I had FX in my studio apartment and watched this show. Bob the Puppet was legit really funny! And Breakfast Time showed America what Tom Bergeron could do! We didn’t see the last of him, obviously 🙂
I didn't forget. I briefly talked to Tom about this show once back in the early 2000s when he was doing Hollywood Squares. I think he was surprised I remembered it.
They literally stopped a live show on cable television to have a snowball fight with some dickhead kids, why did they cancel this show???? This is HIGH ART
If you haven’t, watch the follow up. In short, upper management at Fox changed, the new exec in charge wasn’t a fan of the show and a bunch of changes were made that turned the entire thing into the very program it was satirizing
Never watched FX but this looks like it was a fun time. It brings out the genuineness I think most of us love from TV, RU-vid, etc. And heck i just saw Bob for the first time... And even i stand by Bob!
I missed out on the good stuff, but I watched the heck out of Fox After Breakfast and was in love with the freewheeling spirit. See also Mtv Live, before they sanded off all the edges and ended up with Total Request Live.
Connor! You do these videos soooo well (your views should be in the millions). I was too young to appreciate Breakfast Time, and I’m a big fan of Tom’s, after growing up with him being the AFV Guy, so, I am definitely going to watch the episodes on RU-vid. It seems like we have to open the media vault to see spontaneity and fresh ideas, because just about everything today is the same and terrible!! Thank you for caring enough to make these videos. As an editor, I know just how long these projects take to put together. Thank you. -Kenneth
I was one of those people who watched this show religiously when I would have been in my mid-teens; before going to high school. I even stuck with it when it moved to FOX; until I went to University. I remember vividly sitting in front of my dad's huge 90's era big-screen TV and laughing until I was chocking or barely able to breath. Still one of the best segments is when the Roadwarrior Wong went remote and was doing something like Wheel of Fortune and, I believe, Tom Bergeron said "Two Wongs don't make a White". God that was a good show.
I wish it hadn’t taken over a year for me to see this video! I have always maintained that Breakfast Time was the best morning show of all time. I couldn’t watch it all the time during its original run, but whenever I was able to, I would watch it live, and I was always delighted with it. (I also was one of the fans of The Pet Department and made a concerted effort to watch Backchat.) in the past, I have searched for anything I could find online about the show, but they never seemed to be much. So thanks for this look back at a remarkable program. I’m even going to look at part two, though I know, sadly, what’s coming.
My family and I absolutely LOVED Breakfast time. I thought Tom Bergeron was entertaining, and I had the biggest crush on the talented & lovely Laurie Hibbard (I was 13). Being in school & participating in extracurriculars, I didn't have much time for the rest of the original content, except I always had a chance to catch BackChat before hitting the hay for the evening. I appreciate the time & effort you put into tracking these clips down, and the fine editing & storytelling you present in this stroll down memory lane.
I loved The Big Breakfast. It was a great way to start the day with jokes and general messing about. Such a pity these types of programmes have died out. I think producers are scared someone will say something edgy and then there's an uproar from Karens.
I imagine all the commenters here - and, you, Connor - would be left with quite the impression by the UK's Big Breakfast morning show. It was broadcast from inside an entire house - all the rooms were used and two puppets were deployed as sidekicks, too. It was very off-kilter compared to its ilk and became a big hit - really a pop culture phenomenon - with young people across Britain. The Big Breakfast ran on the UK's Channel 4, though, in an era when the UK only had four terrestrial (network channels). Back then, Channel 4, which had launched only a decade earlier, was known for and proud of its edgier, more experimental output; so in a way, the show didn't feel like quite such a big departure. It was must-watch TV for teenagers and students, for the first couple of years, I'd say. Overall, it ran for about 10 years after its launch in the early '90s, if memory serves, until times and fashions changed and its format felt less inventive and a bit stale, and it had clearly run its course.
Discovered your channel over the weekend and enjoy your videos. You've mentioned the UK show The Big Breakfast for a couple of seconds here, but absolutely everything on this show was lifted from the UK version, from the puppet, the house setting including the bed, the description of the guests in the text on screen, the FX logo in different situations before the break (channel 4 for the UK show) literally everything has been directly lifted from the UK show which hasn't been properly told here. The Big Breakfast is absolutely iconic over here in the UK, great 90's TV.
I can second this statement. I’d never heard of the US show but it looks every bit as riotous and enjoyable as The Big Breakfast was in the UK around the same time, had I been living in the US I would have watched this show every morning. Interesting fact: The filming site of the UK show is now surrounded by what was subsequently redeveloped as the London 2012 Olympic Park
For me, it isn't the forgotten morning show because I had never heard of it before this video. I never had a chance to forget it. But I will be watching part two. 👍
This was the best morning show. When FX was new to the game and the channel was littered with amazing live hosts. I miss this format and wish it would return.
Great video, man; I only heard of it because someone posted their segment with Elliot Smith, where he’s reserved in his interview and leaves everyone smitten with his performance, and no one in the replies could believe that a show featuring Tom Bergeron with a Bob even existed. Loved this, excited to watch the next one!
Loved this retrospective, but I Gotta correct you on one VERY MINOR Thing...4:05 - CBS Actually DID put up a Cable Network in the mid-90s (1997 to be exact) called "CBS Eye on People"; a channel with a focus on Human Interest stories...Suffice to say, the channel Bombed big time, and by 1999 it was purchased by Discovery Networks who then re-named it "Discovery People"--but that didn't help them one bit, as the channel folded altogether in 2000.
The word “nostalgia” comes from two separate Greek words: “nóstos” meaning “homecoming” and “álgos” meaning “pain”. In short, “to ache for home”. I don’t know what jarred my memory to think about Breakfast Time after all these years, but I am feeling all sorts of nostalgic. I remember making that a part of my morning every single day. I was sad to see it leave the air. Laurie, if you read this… just know, I had a crush on you. Thank you for this video. It must have taken you a lot of time and effort to compile and edit all the footage. It is much appreciated! It’s weird, but I sorta feel like I’m part of an elite in that I am so blessed to have the memory of this short lived yet ahead of its time show. I really felt familiar to the hosts, road warriors and guests. I could keep babbling on how stellar a show it was, but I’ll end this on a bittersweet note of reflection: I love(d) this show probably for the most selfish reason of all… I was young and the world and life still seemed like there was semblance of hope.
Firstly I have just gotten Algorithm’d to this channel and am spending my “I really should be asleep” time watching every video. These are SO cool and SO different than anything else I’ve learned about on RU-vid. I love how you say “when else am I gonna talk about FX” like I’m not dying to know about every step between the stuff in this video to It’s Always Sunny.
What a great video. Early fX was so cool. I was enthralled with it as a kid, even though I never watched any of the reruns. I always thought the 70s sitcoms and soaps were a weird complement to the fresh live programming, but maybe that's because I was a kid. The font, lower thirds and general irreverence remind me a lot of early espn2, a channel you mention as being launched around the same time. A channel called "Pittsburgh Memories" on RU-vid has a full Under Scrutiny episode from the day of the OJ criminal trial verdict and it's a great time capsule. She's a really good host.
I've never heard of this but it has the kind of energy I would love to see. There's no way to to be zany and enthusiastic when reporting on the umpteenth shooting I guess.
I can’t believe I missed this show when I was younger, I was just shy of my teens and this would have been the best morning show for me. To me it feels like the perfect morning show. Ya wake up tired, get a bowl of cereal and laugh yourself awake by their light hearted hijinks. Though from the clips from this video the off the cuff and whole crew is part of the show mentality I did/do see in the old school TNT show MonsterVision and Shudder’s Last Drive-In when it comes to the Joe Bob set segments.
It's interesting to see how much from The Big Breakfast stayed in the FX version - The home-like set, the crew being part of the show, News being kept to short bursts per hour and a general light hearted mood - the UK version later on also had a "Friday Song" during the Denise Van Outen and Johnny Vaughn era which was a second wind for TBB after Chris Evans flounced after the first few seasons. I suspect the Fox version will be a similar story to Channel 4 - it was a raitings hit but mangement also spent it's life being fed up of dealing with the sort of drama that having a live unscripted show might bring them. C4 would eventually retool the show into a "2.0" verison with a fancy 2000's uplift but with younger hosts and banned crew interactions. They would revert the show back but C4 always wanted to tame the show - the party had to end eventually.
well i definitely remembered Breakfast Time one of the reasons is they sent me two tee's (which i still have) for participating in the show, also they did call me to be a part of the segment as a viewer, but it did turn out to be one of those mundane segments because i had no idea what to be expected
I've never heard of this show! These clips were making me laugh out loud. I wish they had brought this to a larger audience. That studio apartment was so cool!
This was absolutely great to watch! Can't wait for the 2nd part. I didn't have the chance to see BT when it was on fx (our archaic cable system didn't carry the channel), so I only got to experience it when it went to the FOX network as Fox AB. I remember thinking how fun it was, but had no clue how much fun it really was over on fx. Keep up the great work Connor!
This was the Microsoft Bob of morning shows. Apt style and quickly gone before it got going. Good video... actually watched the 2nd part 1st, but both very good!
I LOVED this show. It came on while I was in a deep depression. Working on coming out of it, I got a night job, but was sure to VCR the show to watch. Of course, a crush on Laurie. So upset when it moved to Fox and what they did to it. "We won't change a thing. However..." P.S. My Uncle was a backup family one day. P.S.S. My cousin was in the antiques business and he knew the guy from the show.
I was in my early 20s. I remember clearly the first time I saw this show. Two things: WTF IS this?? OMFG this is AWESOMEEEEEEEE! It is hard to explain but we LOVED Tom and Laurie! The announcer!! ROFL And Bob. ❤️ I know Tom is famous for so many other amazing things… but I always, immediately go back to the apartment
I used to wake and bake me some breakfast for while watchin’ this show, and it was GD hilarious (I’m pretty sure)! I din’t even have to be up until noon, that summer...
I'm in the UK (I've never even been to America) and found this video off the back of watching two recent RU-vid documentary series on our version, the Big Breakfast, even those I came across accidentally when watching documentary about something else then came across the Big Breakfast documentaries on their channel,I'm actually a bit young to remember the Big Breakfast I think I was about 6 when it ended in the early 2000s, (minus the summer season brief reboot they did in recent years), but anyway I ran out of documentaries on that but one mentioned an american version and i was curious how it compared and it actually looks like it was pretty good, the only things that seem really different between Breakfast Time and the Big Breakfast is Breakfast Time seems from what I can gather is the presenters seem more regular on Breakfast time, they changed every year or two (or months) on Big Breakfast, and the colour scheme is more muted on Breakfast time, the colours of the furniture and walls in the uk one are SO bright you almost needed sunglasses to watch it haha. Anyway, I enjoyed this video and I'll watch the next one really soon.
I was on an episode of BT - Jennifer Tilly was a guest. I was there with my Audio Production class in college. Very fast moving and wild to see how it all worked from the inside! Thanks for the post! Any idea where I can find the episodes?
I have vague memories of "Breakfast Time", and I really enjoyed what I saw. The main problem was that I was already watching a morning show that was broadcasted on the FOX affiliate in Chicago during that time called "FOX Thing in the Morning". The show was hosted by Bob Sirott (now a Chicago media legend) and Marianne Murciano (who was one of the main anchors of the show's predecessor/successor "Good Day Chicago", and later married Bob while on "FOX Thing"). It was closer to "Breakfast Time" than "The Today Show" in terms of its Lettermanesque attitude and somewhat off-the-wall segments. I was a mega-fan of that show, and unfortunately "Breakfast Time" was on at the same time, so I couldn't tune in to both.
I watched “Fox Thing” back then, too. For some reason I was always under the impression that the FX show was based on “Fox Thing” because they had such a similar vibe (at least it seemed so back then).
I loved this show so much. I was in college and taped every episode I wasn't up to watch live. (And being in college, there were more I watched on tape than live but it was still a blast.) I remember faxing in to Jim asking him to include my hometown in the weather report one morning, and he did a few returns later. I was hoping to see one of the best wheels-off segments in Breakfast Time history in the Russian Bath House segment. Poor Phil Koegan accidentally dropped his suit a little too far coming out of the water, leading to perhaps Bob's greatest one-liner, "Well, now we know Phil isn't Jewish."🤣
Seems like this show took a certain amount of inspiration from the earlier seasons of Late Night with David Letterman, as well as Letterman's earlier morning show, both of which having the head writer Merrill Markoe, who loved doing loose stuff like this.
As soon as I saw a clip of this show, I knew it was based on The Big Breakfast - can't imagine anything like that taking off in America. Even this is way more tame.
Hi I was actually on that show with Jerry Stiller, have you seen that episode? I was there showing how children’s book illustration was done… It was so crazy and out of control in a great way… Doug Kennedy
I remember breakfast time when it aired. It was the most funnest show I had ever seen my mother and I just watched it religiously it was different. It was unique what a missed opportunity. EDIT: For decades more seasons.
