AXS TV is turning back the clock with the new “Retro Night” block—the ultimate celebration of the enduring pop culture that defined the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, fueled by a pair of original retrospectives and the EMMY-winning music sitcom The Monkees. “Retro Night” airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, beginning April 7, with The Monkees airing at 8:30 p.m. ET. All 58 episodes of The Monkees, which is distributed by Sony Pictures Television, are available in HD on AXS TV. [Read Gordon S. Miller’s review of Season 2.]
This nostalgia-fueled lineup puts the spotlight on the music, movies, personalities, and more that made each decade so memorable, serving up a special roster of classic series, star-studded retrospectives, and original premieres—bolstered by the network debut of the groundbreaking 1968 music sitcom The Monkees. Starring music legends Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith, the series captures the original boy band as they embark on a sidesplitting quest to make it big in the wild world of rock n’ roll. Notable guests include Stan Freberg, Liberace, Burgess Meredith, Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley and Julie Newmar.
“The Monkees sitcom was truly ahead of its time and paved the way for countless series and bands throughout the decades and still is,” said founding Monkees member Micky Dolenz. “I am so pleased that AXS TV is featuring it in their ‘Retro Night’ lineup. I hope that it will continue to inspire and entertain new generations of viewers for years to come.”
“Retro Night” also features season two of the AXS TV original series The Very, VERY Best Of The 80s at 8pE, where a rotating panel of celebrity guests breakdown the decade’s top Teen Flicks, Early 80s Sitcoms, Fantastic Mullet Men, Epic Movies Of 1983, Aliens, and Game Shows. Highlights include appearances by beloved entertainers such as Brady Bunch duo Susan Olsen and Barry Williams; Growing Pains star Tracey Gold; Diff’rent Strokes standout Todd Bridges; Facts Of Life favorite Mindy Cohn; Happy Days scene-stealer Anson Williams; film and television bombshells Morgan Fairchild and Tia Carrere; and Horror icon Dee Wallace.
Rounding out the lineup is the all-new original series Nothing But Trailers Flashback, presenting original theatrical previews of unforgettable films such as Return Of The Jedi, Scarface, 16 Candles, The Towering Inferno, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and many more, in eight themed episodes covering ‘80s Teen Movies, ‘70s Disaster Movies, ‘80s Action Movies, and ‘60s And ‘70s Westerns, among others.
“AXS TV’s new ‘Retro Night’ lineup is like a perfect time capsule compiling everything we love from three of pop culture’s most definitive decades,” said Katie Daryl, Executive Producer and Vice President of Programming for AXS TV. “The ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s were packed with iconic music, groundbreaking movies, legendary series, timeless fashion, and so much more, with each era leaving an indelible mark on entertainment that remains to this day. Whether you lived through it or wish you had, this block is the perfect chance for our intergenerational audience to fall in love with these decades all over again, and we invite viewers of all ages to join in on the fun as we take the ultimate trip down memory lane.”
RETRO NIGHT LINEUP Starting April 7
- 8:00pm ET – The Very, VERY Best of the 80s
- 8:30pm ET – The Monkees
- 9:00pm ET – Nothing But Trailers Flashback
Micky Dolenz will be on tour this April performing all of the Monkees classic hits in select cities, for details see MickyDolenz.com
