Ah, the writer's strike is still going on but the late night talk shows have taken a step forward to get themselves on the air. (And that great step forward was right over the picket line) This brings about an interesting question: would crossing the picket line matter if no one is watching. Now, when I say no one I am not referring saying "no one" I am saying NO ONE. That means zero. So what kind of zero ratings am I talking about? How about a 0.0 Neilson Rating in Detroit and Philadelphia and near zero ratings in other major markets? You think that would be enough to cancel out a program in a few weeks…but this show lasted A YEAR….and nobody watched. Yes, I am talking about the legendarily (as in legendarily bad) 1980's late night talk show THICKE OF THE NIGHT which featured the usually quite funny Alan Thicke in a program designed to give Carson a run for his money. The first episode featured cutting edge comedy: a "guest host" pretended to fill in for Alan Thicke for the first few minutes until they sprung the fact that this was a practical joke. Har Har. You probably caused a he chunk of the curiosity seekers who tuned in to flip the channel. And flip the channel they did….the program rapidly diminished in audience as it was simply THE TONIGHT SHOW light. In a way, this would turn out for the better for Thicke as he would soon move on to the brilliant sitcom GROWING PAINS. Here are a few clips with Frank Zappa for those feeling a dose of nostalgia: