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      Stay Tuned

      PG Released Aug 14, 1992 1 hr. 27 min. Comedy List
      44% 16 Reviews Tomatometer 55% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Salesman Roy Knable (John Ritter) spends all his free time watching television, to the exasperation of his wife, Helen (Pam Dawber). One day, TV salesman Spike (Jeffrey Jones) convinces Roy to buy a satellite dish offering 666 channels. The new addition to Roy's home entertainment system sucks him and Helen into Hellvision, a realm run by Spike, who is an emissary of Satan. For 24 hours, the couple must survive devilish parodies of TV programs if they want to return to reality alive. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Sep 19 Buy Now

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      Stay Tuned

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      Audience Reviews

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      Jeff M I frankly didn't expect a whole lot from this movie based upon the premise and the filmmakers, but it would have been nice to get a chuckle or two or perhaps a clever moment here and there. Unfortunately, my expectations were met. I suppose one could call this a cross between PLEASANTVILLE and THE RUNNING MAN, but any promise goes quickly out the window. It's shoddily made, it looks cheap and the attempts at humor are extremely obvious and uninspired. Dawber and the late Ritter were television staples for decades, but sometimes it just doesn't translate to the big screen. And this is a prime example! Everything about this movie feels like a forgettable TV movie that might have aired on Nick at Nite a couple decades ago. The kiddos might find a moment or two of humor here and there, but I think even they will be bored. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/18/24 Full Review Jeffrey P An under-the-radar fun little film from the early 90's that is good for people with short attention spans, and may have influenced some more recent, better known films and shows. You would think this would be an ideal candidate for an updated reboot, but it would likely be too serious and showy and forget to be what this is - light fun for the viewer. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Over 30 years old starring the late John Ritter Shame it made less than $25 million and got mixed reviews I remember watching it over 10 years ago, so much fun Jefferey Jones is deliciously evil and slick This actually feels more prescient now considering it beat Marvel studios to the punch WandaVision borrowed the same idea involving different tv show sitcoms Yet this movie is a much darker and sillier experience involving the devil and broadcast television An entertaining and surprisingly prescient poke at small-screen culture; everything from 1930s cartoons to prime time tv to iconic blockbusters It is a film serving as a forewarning of the dark route TV went down from ISIS abductions to simulated plane crashes Glad though the film has committed performances and unabashed daftness mean it’s an equally enjoyable ride Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/14/23 Full Review Jacob B A decent comedy that doesn't utilise its satirical premise as well as TV shows which have episodes with a similar plot and has some wasted ideas (while in a film noir, it turns out one of the characters used to live in our world but ultimately chose to stay in TV Land, preferring his life there...he gets gunned down shortly afterwards) but has amusing gags, good performances and one memorable sequence that's probably the only reason most people who've heard of this film watch it for nowadays: a hilarious sequence set in a cartoon world directed by animation legend Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes fame. TL;DR: If you don't want to watch the entirety of Stay Tuned, the Chuck Jones segment has been up on YouTube since 2007. However, if you decide to watch the rest of the film, it's intermittently funny, even if it is, at its core, a "Trapped in TV Land" episode from your average TV show, just with bigger production values. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/23/23 Full Review John R This movie is what would happen if CS Lewis had written the Screwtape Letters as a comedy. It's dark and the stakes are high, but the delivery is almost Bill-and-Tedesque. The characters here don't get enough space to really breathe, which makes the movie a little thin, but the idea of Satan's Television Station is enough to gloss over it. It's a wild and wacky time, eclectic and fun. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/11/23 Full Review steve d It got real old real fast. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Why Stay Tuned Is A Dated Artifact of 1990s Comedy Done Wrong

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (16) Critics Reviews
      Joseph McBride Variety Not diabolical enough for true black comedy, too scary and violent for kids lured by its PG rating and witless in its sendup of obsessive TV viewing, Stay Tuned is a picture with nothing for everybody. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: 3/5 Jun 20, 2003 Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle Rated: 2/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed A lot of fun with an admirably twisted sense of humor... Oct 9, 2020 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant Peter Hyams, who has flopped in virtually every genre, despite a strong visual sensibility fleetingly in evidence here, seems devoid of comic ideas at each heavyhanded turn. Jun 6, 2018 Full Review Brian Orndorf BrianOrndorf.com Simply crashes upon takeoff, going nowhere in a hurry, sniffing around for pop culture overkill and domestic depression insight it never makes a genuine play to explore. Rated: D Aug 16, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Salesman Roy Knable (John Ritter) spends all his free time watching television, to the exasperation of his wife, Helen (Pam Dawber). One day, TV salesman Spike (Jeffrey Jones) convinces Roy to buy a satellite dish offering 666 channels. The new addition to Roy's home entertainment system sucks him and Helen into Hellvision, a realm run by Spike, who is an emissary of Satan. For 24 hours, the couple must survive devilish parodies of TV programs if they want to return to reality alive.
      Director
      Peter Hyams
      Executive Producer
      Gary Barber, David Nicksay
      Screenwriter
      Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein
      Distributor
      Warner Bros.
      Production Co
      Morgan Creek Entertainment
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Aug 14, 1992, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jul 15, 2019
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $9.4M
      Sound Mix
      Stereo, Surround
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