Square One TV

Cross "Sesame Street," math, and "Saturday Night Live" and what do you get? A weird show for pre-teens that teachers math concepts through sketch comedy and parodies. I remember everything from PacMan to Max Headroom being on this show. And who could forget the Mathnet series at the end of each show?

I loved this show. I can't believe it was on only one season. I must have taped nearly every episode, tho most of them are probably long taped-over. :( I learned so much, and I was completely addicted to the week-long sagas of the mathnet team. Hmmm.... I may just have to go find those tapes now! Ah, nostalgia. Has it been 12 years? wow.

The show presented an enjoyable solution to a serious problem: teaching kids how to do math and to think logically. It filled each half hour with sketches, game shows, music videos, comedy routines, and sporting events which parodied everything from "Let's Make a Deal" to "Who's On First" to "The Honeymooners." I've even used Tony and the Togas' "The Mathematics of Love" in a talent show! Each episode of Square One TV would conclude with arguably the most popular segment of the series, a police satire entitled "Mathnet." Using "...logical, step by step problem solving," Kate and George would always get their man, woman, or gorilla over the course of the week. Square One TV was a fantastic show that was so much fun to watch, you almost forgot you were learning math. As for the people who wanted tapes of the shows, sorry but I erased mine years ago.

And, it was a good show, too. It looked like it had a good-sized budget,anyway. There were no ultra-cheesy sets or grainy 16mm filmed segments(like some other well-known PBS kids shows), from what I remember. Plus, the show seemed truly modern in the realm of PBS educational programs, definitely 1987.

Ah, "Square One TV" - easily one of the most clever children's shows ever made. Parodying pop culture WHILE teaching math to children? People had good ideas back in the eighties.

Mathman and Mathnet were cool as hell. I liked the first "Kate" better, though.