Square One Television

Square one simply rocked :) It was held together by a lot of silliness but that's ok. Mathman (pacman-like cartoon) ruled and was my favorite part of the show :) I was less fond of many of the game shows, especially "piece of the pie". Production was best during the first season, though later seasons had gems like "Nobody's Inn", a parody of John Cleese in "Faulty Towers" and nearly as well done :)

A teriffic show that makes mathematics fun, SQUARE ONE TELEVISION features sketch comedy, spoofs of TV shows and movies, game shows (with actual preteen contestants), music videos (some by your favorite recording artists), and much more. Plus, every day featured the detective series "Mathnet," where episodes that involved using math to catch criminals were made in five parts each and expanded over 5 episodes-a week's worth of episodes. It was a truly amazing show. Cancelling it was not the thing to do. At least you can see reruns on the Noggin network, if you are lucky to

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.

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.

I remember watching this show and its spin off Mathnet. The Mathnet segment was my favorite. I waited through the other parodies just to watch that sketch. I also remember the magician who had the audience pick any number, then through a series of calculations would show that everyone would have the same answer. I hate doing math, but I did those "tricks" every time to see if he was right. My parents are teachers and loved watching the show along with me. It was a great show for parents and kids because if the kids didn't get the parodies, they got the math knowledge and parents watched just for the laughs. they should bring the show back.