1979's top TV show - an elegant program for a more civilized age?

 

How's this for good fortune: a YouTube channel called The AVTB Archives posted a two-part recording of the very show that I needed to find for 1979 - but the videos were only posted about three months ago. Had they posted them three months from now instead, I'll have probably moved on, maybe without finding a full episode to watch.

Instead, I get a feature on Mikhail Baryshnikov, an exposé on sketchy oil-selling business practices, and a look into a battle between thrill-seeking desert-riders and the desert-lovers seeking instead to protect the environment and creatures.

And the bonus: commercials! A promo for a short-lived Steve Guttenberg sitcom called Billy that plays like a version of Walter Mitty; a speaker phone to help you succeed in business; and Barney Miller himself selling a Chrysler hard.

Part One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JKD2S1WJg8

Part Two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JetmxwKP_VQ

I have fond memories of watching this throughout high school with my parents, wrapping up the week with what now feels like old-fashioned (maybe ancient), in-depth reporting.