Here's your Dark Shadows lineup this week on Decades

Dark Shadows airs Monday-Friday at midnight on Decades, a digital broadcast television carried by  local television stations. The network has developed a handy guide to help you find out if Decades is available in your area and, if so, how to watch it. If you're among the lucky ones here's what you can expect from the series this week:

Monday, Feb. 25
Episode 296: Unconvinced that Maggie is unable to recall the identity of her kidnapper, Barnabas plans to kill her.

Tuesday, Feb. 26
Episode 297: Maggie tells Barnabas about her visit from Sarah. Later, Barnabas tries to kill Maggie and hears Sarah.

Wednesday, Feb. 27
Episode 298: Burke asks Elizabeth to sell Seaview to him. Maggie’s memory of what happened begins to return.

Thursday, Feb. 28
Episode 299: Julia warns Barnabas to stay away from Victoria. Barnabas learns of Victoria’s interest in Burke.

Friday, March 1
Episode 300: Victoria dreams someone entered her room. Barnabas is alarmed that Victoria may marry Burke.

Dark Shadows returns to television Oct. 29

It's been a long, long time since Dark Shadows has been on television in any significant manner. Following its lengthy run on The Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s, the show has made only fleeting appearances on television, usually around Halloween. That drought comes to an end Oct. 29 when Decades adds it to its weekday lineup, where it will appear every midnight like a ghostly wail \Monday through Friday.

The series will begins where it always does, with episode 210 and the arrival of Barnabas Collins. While I expect some of the old timers to gripe about this decision, it's as elegant introduction to the series as you could possibly ask. Those episodes from the spring and summer of 1967 represent Dark Shadows at its purest, when it was still a fairly traditional melodrama with a vampire lurking around the fringes. Decades plans to keep the show on its schedule until next spring, offering 260 episodes daily ... this will take viewers from Willie Loomis learning a hard lesson while graverobbing in #210, to #470, shortly before Adam is fully assembled by Dr. Eric Lang. That's a LOT of story.

If you don't get Decades in your area, don't sweat it right now. You can catch the first few dozen episodes streaming on Hulu and Amazon, and you're welcome to watch along with the rest of us every midnight. (I don't have Decades either, and this is my strategy.) If you don't already have a Twitter account, make sure to get one ... lively conversations during the broadcast will go a long way toward telling service providers what you want. If we can bring enough new fans into the fold we might even keep Dark Shadows on Decades long after #470.

DARK SHADOWS LIVES!

To find out where to how DECADES visit http://decades.com/

Dark Shadows joins Decades' evening lineup

"What the heck is happening with Dark Shadows over at Decades?"

It's a question I've been asking myself all week as conflicting news about the television series began to hit websites as diverse as Broadway World and Dread Central. I didn't help matters earlier in the month when we incorrectly announced DARK SHADOWS was returning to Decades as part of its weekend programming called "The Binge" for Halloween. This turned out to be absolutely wrong, but the press release that went out earlier this week didn't clarify things much.

As it reads, the announcement suggests that Decades would be airing 260 episodes of DARK SHADOWS as part of a Halloween event beginning Oct. 29 ... which is partially true. The channel will be airing an episode each night that week at midnight, after which it will remain on the schedule in that timeslot until 2019. I've been told the show will remain a regular part of the channel's programming until at least next Spring, but if you do the math 260 episodes is enough to let Decades show an episode every weeknight for an entire year. That will take audiences from the introduction of Barnabas Collins in #210 to #470, shortly before Adam is fully assembled by Dr. Eric Lang. That's a LOT of story.

To summarize, beginning Oct. 29 Decades will be airing an episode of DARK SHADOWS Monday-Friday at midnight until sometime in 2019.

Viewing numbers will probably play a role in how long DARK SHADOW/ Decades relationship lasts because that's how TV works. We'll have to wait and see what happens, but that doesn't mean we should sit on our hands. I expect The Collinsport Historical Society to organize online viewing parties for particular episodes so, if you don't already have a Twitter account, I suggest you sign up for one before Oct. 29. We need to show Decades that we want DARK SHADOWS to become a permanent part of its lineup and an active, passionate web presence will certainly not hurt our case.

To find out where to watch DECADES click http://decades.com/

Spend some time with Barnabas Collins this Halloween

Dark Shadows is taking over television this Halloween! With the exception of the 1991 revival series (which is currently streaming in its entirety on Hulu) the entire franchise is pretty well represented. Also, there's some misinformation circulating about what's happening with Decades in October. I've got a copy of the week's broadcast schedule and they are NOT showing 260 episodes of Dark Shadows. Instead, they're going to ring in the witching hour each night with a single classic episode of the series, beginning with #210.

Come see how the vampires do it on TCM

You might want to stay up past your bedtime on Oct. 27 this year becauseTCM has scheduled Dan Curtis' original DARK SHADOWS movies to air in the wee, wee hours of the morning. HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS kicks things off at 1:30 a.m., followed immediately after by NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS at 3:30 a.m. And, if you're some kind of pervert, switch over to Freeform at 7 a.m. to watch Tim Burton's 2012 DARK SHADOWS.

If you're into that kind of thing, you've got lots of chances to see Burton's cinematic take on the classic television series. Freeform is not only bringing DARK SHADOWS back this year as part of its 13 Nights of Halloween marathon, it's expanding the marathon to a full 31 days. Burton's costume porn is scheduled to air a staggering five times on Freeform during October, once for every horseman of the apocalypse (plus a bonus fifth viewing to put the humanity's last survivors out of their misery.) Here's a full schedule of broadcast dates for October. FYI: I'm still waiting to hear back from Decades, which could possibly air a marathon of the original DARK SHADOWS television series at some point during October. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: There's good news and even better news. Decades will be celebrating Halloween by broadcasting epsisodes DARK SHADOWS throughout the holiday week. Decades will air episodes weeknights at midnight EST beginning Monday, Oct. 29, with episode 210 and ending Friday with episode 214. Sometime next spring, though, Decades has plans to broadcast episodes new to the network. I'm sure we'll be hearing about those plans soon enough.

Click HERE to see if you receive Decades in your hometown.

Oct. 7
11:20 p.m. EST, DARK SHADOWS (Freeform)

Oct. 8
6:30 p.m. EST, DARK SHADOWS (Freeform)

Oct. 18
6:30 p.m. EST, DARK SHADOWS (Freeform)

Oct. 18
3:30 p.m. EST, DARK SHADOWS (Freeform)

Oct. 27
7 a.m. EST, DARK SHADOWS (Freeform)

Oct 27
1:30 a.m. EST, HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (TCM)
3:30 a.m. EST, NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (TCM)

Binge on Dark Shadows with Decades this Halloween

Marathons of DARK SHADOWS have become a holiday tradition for Decades, a network that specializes in classic television. As a lead-up to its "official" launch in 2014, Decades broadcast 68 straight hours of the classic soap during the summer, followed later that fall with a weekend marathon at Halloween called "The Binge." This is the third year running that the channel has celebrated Halloween with a DARK SHADOWS marathon, which features a block of episodes pulled from the earliest appearances of vampire Barnabas Collins in 1967.

The festivities kick off 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 28 with episode 257, at which point Maggie Evans is already a prisoner of Barnabas Collins. The marathon comes to a close at 6:30 a.m., Oct. 30, with episode 340, an episode from early in the show's color transition. If my math is correct, the Binge represents 83 consecutive episodes of DARK SHADOWS, during which TCM will also be broadcasting the feature films HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (4:15 p.m. EST) and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (6 p.m. EST).

On Oct. 31, Decades will also be airing a special episode of "Through the Decades" devoted to Halloween. The episode will include a profile on Harry Houdini, a look back at "some of the media's favorite monsters," and will showcase the debut of DARK SHADOWS. This episode of "Through the Decades" airs 7 a.m., 1 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., EST.

Some readers are going to take issue with Decades repeating this block of programming, a modest episode pool that appears to make up the entirety of Decades DARK SHADOWS offerings. Sure, this narrow range omits a lot of the show's best cast members and characters, who are introduced a little further down the line. But it's difficult to argue that the early episodes of Barnabas Collins, with their cobwebby sturm and drang, represent DARK SHADOWS at its absolute Halloween-iest. If you were to ask a dozen fans of the series to select 100 consecutive episodes to air specifically for Halloween, there's a good chance most of them would draw from the same collection at Decades.

Click HERE to see if you receive Decades in your hometown.

There's no escape from Barnabas Collins this Halloween

When it rains, it pours: Decades is broadcasting an extended block of DARK SHADOWS episodes in time for Halloween!

Marathons of the series have become a holiday tradition for Decades, a network that specializes in classic television. As a lead-up to its "official" launch in 2014, Decades broadcast  68 straight hours of DARK SHADOWS during the summer, followed later that fall with a weekend marathon at Halloween called "The Binge." This is the third year running that the channel has celebrated Halloween with a DARK SHADOWS marathon, which showcases episodes pulled from the earliest appearances of vampire Barnabas Collins in 1967. While a schedule of this year's activities is pending, look for this extended block of DARK SHADOWS to air the weekend of Oct. 28.

Click HERE to see if you receive Decades in your hometown.

Coincidentally, Oct. 28 is also the day TCM is airing a double bill of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS. HOUSE begins at 4:15 p.m. EST, with NIGHT following at 6 p.m. ... which means a few fans will have to decide whether or not to change the channel for a few hours that day. Has something like this ever happened before? It feels unprecedented.

If that's not enough for you, Freeform is offering to rot your teeth with the cinematic equivalent of candy corn, Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS. While the movie is keeping a respectful distance from Oct. 28, you can catch it on television at 4:10 p.m. EST Oct. 23 as part of a Burton marathon, and again 8:20 p.m. Oct. 26, 7 a.m. Oct. 27, and 11:30 a.m. Oct. 30.

For those of you who cut the cord, fear not! Amazon Prime is now streaming the first 17 DVD collections of the series ... plus two collections of "Dark Shadows: The Beginning," taken from the first 200 "Pre-Barnabas" episodes of the series. All told, this represents more than 750 episodes of DARK SHADOWS, taking you from the introduction of Jonathan Frid as "Barnabas Collins," right up through the entire 1897 story arc and David Selby as "Quentin Collins." (UPDATE: Amazon has since added Collection 23 to their Prime offerings.)

Meanwhile, over at Hulu, you can watch nine DVD collections of the series. Sadly, they're not entirely consecutive ... the streaming service is offering volumes 1 and 2 of the series, followed by volumes 5-9. It's a little anemic, sure, but Hulu appears to be the only service streaming all 12 episodes of the 1991 DARK SHADOWS "revival" series. So, there's that.

What's happening with Dark Shadows at Decades?

Since launching back in 2015, the Decades network has had a pretty warm relationship with DARK SHADOWS. The show has been featured occasionally as part of its "binge" programming, and was even one of the first series to be showcased during the lead-up to the network's official launch. It also received a special episode last fall of it's docu-series "Through the Decades"  in celebration of the show's 50th anniversary.

Lots of fans have been asking for DARK SHADOWS to join the network's regular rotation, but that's yet to happen. But, if actress Kathryn Leigh Scott's Facebook page is any indication, something is in the works over at Decades:

Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes! I'll be celebrating tomorrow with David Selby and Lara Parker . . . we're doing an interview for Decades! Honestly, what could be better than spending the day with dear good friends . . . decades indeed!

Feel free to speculate in the comments section below. Is there another binge in the works ... or something more?

UPDATE: Kathryn has shared a bit more information on Facebook. The trio were taping an interview with Herbie J. Pilato for the series "Then and Now." Any day is a good day to talk about DARK SHADOWS, but I'm still holding out hope that there's some mitigating factor for the interview ...

Binge on Dark Shadows this weekend for Halloween

Decades will be airing a DARK SHADOWS marathon this weekend, beginning at 1 p.m. EST Saturday, Oct. 29.

DARK SHADOWS is turning into a Halloween tradition for Decades, which specializes in classic television. It's the second year running that the channel has marked the holiday with a "binge" marathon of the series. As a change of pace, though, this weekend's binge will not begin with the introduction of vampire Barnabas Collins, but will skip ahead a few weeks to episode 251. By this point in the storyline, Maggie Evans is already a prisoner of Barnabas, whose patience is rapidly running out as his victim refuses to bend to his will.

All together, Decades is airing 84 episodes of DARK SHADOWS, bringing the festivities to a halt at 6:30 a.m. EST on the morning of Oct. 31.

Click HERE to see if you get Decades in your area.

Happy Halloween!

Via: DECADES

Dark Shadows Turns 50

June 27 is a major milestone for DARK SHADOWS. For orthodox fans, it's the official birthday of the show, which debuted on ABC in most markets on that day in 1966. Sure, the series rebooted (ugh, that term) itself several times during the next 1,225 episodes, but for practical purposes DARK SHADOWS began with Episode 1.

Still, you'll find a great many people who prefer to celebrate the beginning of DARK SHADOWS with the arrival of Barnabas Collins less than a year later. Case in point: Today, Decades will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series by broadcasting the first 12 episodes of DARK SHADOWS ... beginning with actor Jonathan Frid's debut in episode 211. Keep in mind that Decades is not binging these episodes. Rather than airing them in a single six-hour blast, they'll be peppering blocks of episodes throughout the day (and into the next morning.) There's also an episode of the hour-long program "Through the Decades" that will be include a segment devoted to DARK SHADOWS.

Also worth mentioning is the Decades Feature, "The Celluloid Closet," which will air several times throughout the day. The documentary is about the depictions of homosexuals in film and television, and will probably be of interest to many fans of DARK SHADOWS.

Below is a directory for the day's events. Click HERE to see if you get Decades in your area.

Note: All times and dates are EST.

Monday, June 27

7 a.m. Through the Decades
On June 27, Through the Decades turns back the lens of time on the day in history when the landmark gaming company Atari was founded. We’re also looking back on the origins of the LGBT community’s annual Pride Parade and we remember the debut of television’s cult classic DARK SHADOWS. The episode features an interview with fan Steven August Papa, and Walter Podrazik, television curator at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, as well as interviews with DARK SHADOWS cast members Jonathan Frid, Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker.

9 a.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 211
A stranger arrives at Collinwood, introducing himself as Barnabas Collins, a cousin from England. (Originally aired April 18, 1967.)






9:30 a.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 212
At the Old House, Barnabas speaks to the portrait of Josette, declaring that he has come home to stay. (Originally aired April 19, 1967.)

10 a.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 213
Carolyn Stoddard tries to learn what hold Jason McGuire has over her mother Elizabeth Stoddard. (Originally aired April 20, 1967.)






3 p.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 214
Barnabas meets Roger Collins, who comments on his resemblance to the original Barnabas’ portrait. (Originally aired April 21, 1967.)






3:30 p.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 215
At the Blue Whale, Willie refuses to tell Jason where he’s been. Jason notices blood on Willie’s sleeve. (Originally aired April 24, 1967.)






4 p.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 216
Jason forces Willie to apologize to Carolyn and Elizabeth. He discovers bite marks on Willie’s arm. (Originally aired April 25, 1967.)






7 p.m. Through the Decades 


9 p.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 217
Hearing a heartbeat, Willie sneaks out of Collinwood and goes to the cemetery, Jason follows him. (Originally aired April 26, 1967.)






9:30 p.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 218
Barnabas asks permission from Roger and Elizabeth to take up residence in the Old House. (Originally aired April 27, 1967.)

10 p.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 219
Dr. Dave Woodard informs Roger that Willie’s illness has been caused by a loss of blood. (Originally aired April 28, 1967.)






Tuesday, June 28
1 a.m. Through the Decades 

3 a.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 220
Elizabeth allows Barnabas to live at the Old House. Barnabas moves in with Willie as his servant. (Originally aired May 1, 1967.)






3:30 a.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 221

Waitress Maggie Evans meets Barnabas at the Collinsport Inn. She later feels she is being watched. (Originally aired May 2, 1967.)

4 a.m. Dark Shadows, Episode 222
Barnabas commissions artist Sam Evans, Maggie’s father, to paint a portrait of him, but only at night.. (Originally aired May 3, 1967.)

Decades to celebrate 50 years of DARK SHADOWS on June 27

DECADES will be releasing DARK SHADOWS from its vaults on June 27, the 50th anniversary of the show's debut on ABC.

As part of the celebration, DECADES will air 12 episodes of the series, a selection that includes the debut episodes of vampire Barnabas Collins. DECADES is also devoting an episode of its original one-hour daily series "Through the Decades" to DARK SHADOWS, featuring an interview with fan Steven August Papa and Walter Podrazik, television curator at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. The episode also features interviews with DARK SHADOWS cast members Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) and Lara Parker (Angelique).

Online, Decades.com will present the 1968 Dick Cavett interview with Frid. Once thought lost, this rare audio recording is taken from an interview on THE DICK CAVETT SHOW not seen on television since it originally aired. The interview covers a variety of topics including the actor’s thoughts on researching and playing Barnabas Collins, a memorable and chaotic press tour he took for publicity, fan mail influencing the show, and his rapport with actress and co-star Grayson Hall.

Click HERE to see if you get Decades in your area.

The DARK SHADOWS Binge returns to Decades this weekend

Beginning tomorrow, Decades will air the second half of its DARK SHADOWS marathon. The binge kicks off at 1 p.m. EST with episode 295, which is also the first color episode of the series. It's also the debut of the show's now color opening, complete with wavy credits. (If I remember correctly, DARK SHADOWS was actually taken off the air for a week so that the studio could be re-tooled for color taping.)

If you use Twitter, keep an eye on the #CollinsTweet hashtag. While I'm not organizing any formal activities this weekend, you can bet that won't stop fans from chatting about DARK SHADOWS during the Decades marathon. You can find me on Twitter at @CousinBarnabas.

Click HERE to see if you get Decades in your area.

Q: BUT WHAT IF I DON'T GET DECADES?

You have at least two fall back positions. The first is to simulate the marathon using DVDs. The second option is a little more interesting ...

During the last year, Hulu has been quietly expanding its offerings of DARK SHADOWS episodes. As of Oct. 30, they have a whopping 8 DVD collections streaming online. This covers episodes 210 (the introduction of Barnabas Collins) to episode 532. That adds up to more than 300 episodes (about 25 percent of the series) streaming at your fingertips. You can take a look at Hulu's DARK SHADOWS catalog HERE.

Then again, maybe you don't need to watch the show at all this weekend ... if neither of these options work for you, feel free join in the conversation, anyway, Just search Twitter for the hashtag #CollinsTweet to find us!

DARK SHADOWS: Marathon Wrap Up

I feel like I should be handing out bananas and bottled water to all the people who participated in last weekend's DARK SHADOWS #CollinsTweet event. Marathons can be fun, but they can also be exhausting. And people were starting to get a little ... twitchy as when the sun set yesterday on the second day of the series "binge" on Decades.

About now Bingers be like " My name is Victoria Whatever" 😀 #CollinsTweet

— maureen oberle (@moberle) October 25, 2015

The channel played more than 80 consecutive episodes of DARK SHADOWS over the weekend, beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday.  Fans spent much of the event talking about the show on Twitter, tagging the epic discussion with #CollinsTweet. The final episode of the binge aired shortly before dawn today.

I was hoping people would get involved, but was bracing myself for disappointment. Decades is available in quite a few homes in America (about 45 percent of households, according to its Wikipedia page) but there are many markets left out. The channel isn't available anywhere in my state, so I tried to keep up with DVD and the episodes available on Hulu. Luckily, this overlap in programming availability didn't appear to hinder the discussion at all.

Not gonna lie. This #DarkShadows Binge on @decadesnetwork got me feeling all like... #CollinsTweet #OhYeahThatsGood pic.twitter.com/uxLQBL8rib

— DanThat'sCool! (@DanScontras) October 25, 2015

And we had a few guest appearances, as well. Kathryn Leigh Scott and Kathleen Cody graciously dropped in Saturday to talk about their experiences with DARK SHADOWS. CHS contributors Patrick McCray and Brooke Perrin also took shifts, playing the roles of Collinsport Cheerleader to online fans, who found interesting (and occasionally outrageous) ways of expressing their love of the series.

@decadesnetwork #CollinsTweet pic.twitter.com/45etfswloD

— Judi Walker (@Jisella59) October 25, 2015

And we're going to do it all again next weekend! Decades kicks off a second DARK SHADOWS marathon at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, beginning with episode 295, the show's first color episode. It will absolutely be a busy weekend for everyone, which will make boosting participation even more challenging. (And we might have exhausted our reserves of DARK SHADOWS cast members on Twitter during last weekend's event.) But you never can tell who might show up.

Stay tuned!

DARK SHADOWS: Binge & Tweet

As you might have heard, Decades will be airing more than 80 consecutive episodes of DARK SHADOWS beginning this Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. The channel hits a lot of major television markets in the U.S., but there's a chance you don't live in one of them. I don't, but that's not going to stop me from taking part in these marathons ... one way or another.

And we've got some fun events planned for the weekend. Original cast members Kathryn Leigh Scott and Kathleen Cody will be stopping by on Twitter to chat with fans. Scott will be joining us at 6:30 p.m. to chat about Episode 221 of DARK SHADOWS, the episode where here character Maggie Evans first meets Barnabas Collins. You can find her on Twitter at @kathleighscott.

At midnight on Saturday, actress Kathleen Cody is joining the conversation. Because of the curious habit of television to broadcast episodes of DARK SHADOWS produced during 1967, Cody doesn't actually appear in any of the episodes scheduled for this weekend (she was probably in junior high when these episodes were taped, but was already a working actress). Still, she will absolutely have an interesting perspective on these episodes. You can find her on Twitter at @_KathleenCody.

Here are a few other accounts to keep an eye on during this weekend's marathon:

Decades TV Network:
@decadesnetwork

The Collinsport Historical Society:
@CousinBarnabas

Angela Englert:
@mechaangela

Brooke Perrin:
@BrookieLouWho

Dark Shadows/Big Finish Productions:
@darkshadowsbfp

Cody Schell (author of the DARK SHADOWS audio dramas "The Flip Side" and "Red All Over"): @CodyQS

Miguel Rodriguez:
@HIFFSD

It's pretty easy to participate in the event. All you need is a Twitter account to start chatting during the marathon. The idea is to keep the online discussion focused on the episode that is airing, whenever possible. The marathon begins at 1 p.m. Saturday with episode 210, with each new episode beginning in half-hour increments. If you don't get Decades, you can always keep pace with DVDs. (Though expect occasional lag because of commercial breaks.)

And here the most important element of the discussion:
Be sure to tag all of your tweets with #CollinsTweet. There's a group of DARK SHADOWS fans that chat about the series every Sunday evening, and we'll be hijacking their hashtag for the marathon. If you don't use the #CollinsTweet hashtag, other fans won't be able to find you.

Which DARK SHADOWS character are you?

In preparation for their upcoming DARK SHADOWS marathons, Decades has shared a personality quiz to determine which character you're most like. (I got Barnabas Collins, to the surprise of nobody.)

Decades has two weekend marathons of the series planned to celebrate Halloween this year. The first "binge" begins at 1 p.m. EST on Oct. 24, kicking things off with episode 210 ... the first appearance of vampire Barnabas Collins. More than 80 episodes will be playing back-to-back this weekend. Click HERE to see if Decades is available in your area.

The second marathon begins 1 p.m. Oct. 30, beginning with episode 295, the first color installment of DARK SHADOWS.

There are a few wonderful moments of serendipity scattered throughout the first weekend's marathon. First up, one of the best episodes of DARK SHADOWS (according to our readers) is part of the weekend's festivities. Episode 233, where Barnabas Collins recounts the tragedy of Josette Du Pres to Victoria and Carolyn during a thunder storm at Collinwood, is set to air at midnight on the first day of the marathon.

The following midnight sees the broadcast of episode 281, which sees Victoria Winters relive Josette's death during a séance at the Old House. How's that for setting the proper mood for Halloween?

Stay tuned for more details!

Via: Decades

DARK SHADOWS returns to Decades this Halloween

DARK SHADOWS is returning to television this Halloween courtesy of Decades.

It's the second time the nostalgia-friendly channel has broadcast DARK SHADOWS in 2015. The series aired for 68 straight hours back in May as part of the channel's "soft launch." All told, Decades broadcast 130 episodes of the classic series, beginning with episode 210, the introduction of vampire Barnabas Collins.

DARK SHADOWS returns to Decades for two weekends in October, repeating the same batch of 130 episodes. The first marathon takes place Oct. 24-25, with the second scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 1. As an interesting aside, Decades is also developing a game as a companion piece to the marathons. Details about the game will be released later this month.

Click HERE to see if you receive Decades in your hometown.

Via: Decades

Barnabas Collins rises from the grave TODAY!

(I'm bumping this blogpost from April back to the top of the feed ... because Decades' DARK SHADOWS binge marathon begins tonight!)

I received an e-mail from Weigel Broadcasting yesterday confirming what most of us suspected: When DARK SHADOWS begins airing as part of the new Decades channel in May, it will begin with the introduction of Barnabas Collins.

Episode 210 of the series will air 6 p.m. on May 13, kicking off a DARK SHADOWS marathon of consecutive episodes ending on the morning of May 16. (Episode 210 is technically the first episode to feature vampire Barnabas Collins, though actor Jonathan Frid isn't seen until the following episode.) In all, Decades will air 130 episodes of the series, wrapping with #340, where Barnabas pressures Dr. Julia Hoffman to murder the increasingly nosy Dr. Woodard. It's an interesting stretch of episodes that also includes the series' transition from black and white into color. You can see the May schedule for "The Binge" below.

Sadly, there are no plans to air DARK SHADOWS on a regular basis once Decades begins in earnest May 25. I suspect this is because Decades is defying traditional broadcast strategies to create "themed" programming on a daily basis. THROUGH THE DECADES, a one-hour daily program hosted by AMERICAN JUSTICE's Bill Kurtis, will highlight daily themes by providing news clips and commentary. I'm expecting Decades to have a fluid schedule that will change regularly to meet the demands of these "themes."

Click HERE for a list of stations that are carrying Decades.

Counting down to DARK SHADOWS on Decades

If you want to watch DARK SHADOWS when it begins airing on Decades later this year, you won't need cable.

The nostalgia channel is set to formally launch on May 25, and currently holds affiliation agreements with 21 television affiliates in 15 states. You'll actually be able to watch Decades using an television antenna, though you'll need one that's HD compatible to receive anything more than static.

While a formal schedule has yet to be announced, Decades actually began airing programs in January in bulk-episode packages called The Binge. DANIEL BOONE is currently airing, to be followed in quick order by THE SAINT, PETER GUNN, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and others. You can get a full scheduled of The Binge by clicking HERE.

Beginning 6 p.m., May 13, Decades will begin airing 68 straight hours of DARK SHADOWS. We're going to have to wait and see how this show will fit into its regular programming when Decades begins in earnest May 25, because Decades ain't exactly Nick At Nite.

What sets Decades apart from other nostalgia channels is its intent to "theme" daily programming. THROUGH THE DECADES, a one-hour daily program hosted by AMERICAN JUSTICE's Bill Kurtis, will highlight these themes by providing news clips and commentary. It will be interesting to see how a daily program like DARK SHADOWS — which had hardly anything to do with the era in which it originally aired — will fit into this kind of schedule. It isn't a show that's going to mesh well with clips of the moon landing, Woodstock, the Vietnam conflict and other historic touchstones of the day. It's also possible I'm completely misinterpreting the concept.

(Note: It's probably not a coincidence that Me TV recently included DARK SHADOWS in its MeMadness event. Decades has partnered with Weigel, a Chicago-based company that distributes Me TV.)

Below is a list of stations that will be carrying Decades. Visit rabbitears.info for updates

DECADES

CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles KCBS-TV

Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto KOVR

San Francisco-Oakland-

San Jose KPIX-TV

COLORADO

Denver KCNC-TV

FLORIDA

Miami-Fort Lauderdale WFOR-TV

ILLINOIS

Chicago WBBM-TV

MARYLAND

Baltimore WJZ-TV

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston WBZ-TV

MICHIGAN

Detroit WWJ-TV

MINNESOTA

Alexandria KCCO-TV

Minneapolis-St. Paul WCCO-TV

Walker KCCW-TV

NEW YORK

New York City WCBS-TV

NORTH CAROLINA

New Bern/Greenville WCTI-TV

NORTH DAKOTA

Valley City, KRDK-TV

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia KYW-TV

Pittsburgh KDKA-TV

TENNESSEE 

Johnson City WCYB-TV

TEXAS

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DARK SHADOWS returning to the airwaves in 2015

The news broke last night that DARK SHADOWS reruns will begin airing on the new DECADES channel beginning in May. I was otherwise occupied last night and was among the last people to hear about this news.  Luckily, my friend Will McKinley has written an incredibly thorough piece at his website about when, where and how you can find the series, which is part of an array of nostalgia programming the comprises the DECADES line-up. You can read it HERE. In fact, I insist you read it.

It's probably for the best that the Collinsport Historical Society wasn't one of the sites to spearhead this news yesterday, because I've got mixed feelings about the announcement. I've got no love for nostalgia, and the roster of television shows set to air on DECADES looks ... boring. Many of the channels that champion nostalgia are just glorified flea markets of entertainment, buying up whatever programs they can get on the cheap. Turner Classic Movies skirts this problem by interpreting the word "classic" in their name as "good" instead of "old." I think The Sci-Fi Channel avoided this problem to a lesser degree in its early years by doing the same. While there are some legitimately great shows set to air on DECADES, I can't help but shrug at this announcement. I sincerely hope that the availability of DARK SHADOWS on television will ignite interest in the show, but broadcast television is a dying medium. And channels like DECADES ghettoize programming in a way that almost guarantees that they're only going to reach "pre-sold" audiences. I mean, LOVE AMERICAN STYLE? Who the hell wants to watch that? Comedy Central used to use that show as Sunday morning filler. It's one tiny rung higher than airing an infomercial.

What I'm trying to say is this: The people who are going to watch DARK SHADOWS on a channel like DECADES are going to be people who already have an emotional investment in the show. DECADES is probably counting on this, because younger viewers have hardly any interest in watching programmed television. I'm 43 years old and have watched exactly one television show during the last five years that aired during its regular time slot: The final episode of BREAKING BAD. And I was checked into a hotel room in Florida at the time, which left me with no other options.

If you were to talk to someone half my age, there's a better-than-good chance they'd tell you a similar story. More to the point, they've grown up in an age where they can watch television wherever and whenever they want, so the idea of having to schedule viewing is an alien concept to them. If you're among the people who are going to actually watch DARK SHADOWS on DECADES, more power to you. Having a daily reminder on television that DARK SHADOWS is something other than the name of a box office dud attached to Johnny Depp's name is a good thing. As long as the DVDs of the show remain available to audiences, though, it's hardly a game changer.

- Wallace McBride