Stay Tuned (1992)

The Knables are having marriage problems: Roy is a lousy plumbing supplies salesman by day and couch potato by night, and his wife, Helen, is a successful senior product manager for a vitamin company. Roy watches too much TV every night and Helen just cannot stand it. Then one night, Helen offers Roy a night to save their relationship: a romantic getaway without phones, their children, and especially no TV. Unfortunately, when Roy's hooked on the big screen, there's no going back. This frustrates and angers her and Helen decides to smash the family console with one of Roy's trophies as a wake-up call to reality. A heartbroken-to-disoriented Roy then hears the doorbell and finds out that it's a mysterious salesman named Spike who offers him the "ultimate getaway" from all the hate, frustration, and failures: a new remote controller and a new state-of-the-art satellite TV. Roy accepts the new TV by signing a free trial contract not knowing that he just sold his soul to the devil himself. But later, Helen is both not impressed and steamed. After a fight outside, the "dish" activates. Roy and Helen try as hard as possible to escape, but it was too late for the force of gravity from the dish sucks them into the "Cable Television World of Hell" - all six hundred and sixty-six channels worth. Now they must survive through every episode of shows such as the game show "You Can't Win", the U.W.W.F. (Underworld Wrestling Federation) match, "Northern Overexposure", "Driving Over Miss Daisy" and a cartoon sequence called "RoboCat", "Autopsies of the Rich and Famous", "Duane's Underworld", "HTV", and "Off With His Head", all within 24 hours. If successful, they will return back to home, but if they fail, the devil keeps their souls forever. After they survived one day without harm, Roy gets sent back home while Spike hold Helen hostage. Now with the help of their children, Daryl, a communication whiz, and Diane, a fashion freak, Roy must re-enter the underworld of Hell Vision TV and save his wife, while keeping a distance from Spike. It is then that Roy will learn the hard way that there's more things in life than only a television. Like commitment. (Formerly written by Christopher Howell)

Keywords: axe, bmx-bike, deal-with-the-devil, decapitation, director-also-cinematographer, dog, donut, exploding-house, fencing, guillotine

Genres

Taglines:

Quotes:

Helen Knable: You sadistic bastard!::Spike: Runs in the family! My father was an oil company president.

[as cartoon mice, Helen threatens to leave Roy]::Roy Knable: Where are you going to go, your cartoon mother's house?

[as a cartoon mouse, Roy is trapped in a donut while Robocat is shooting at him]::Roy Knable: My doctor was right. Doughnuts will be the death of me.

Spike: Wait a sec... you don't get it, do you? Without me, you don't get out of here.::Roy Knable: Sorry, Spike, you're cancelled!

[Roy Knable, played by John Ritter, arrives on the set of Three's Company. The theme from Three's Company is being played, and Janet and Crissy open the door and enter the set]::Three's Company Spoof, Three's Company Spoof: [together] Where have you been?::Roy Knable: [looking towards the camera] Aaaaaahhhh!

Spike: [on the set of HV One (News)] This just in... Helen Knable has been kidnapped and taken to Channel 1. We take you there live.::Helen Knable: [tied to a wagon on railroad tracks] Roy, I don't know where you are, but get your butt back here!::Spike: Unfortunately, her gutless failure of a husband won't lift a finger to save her. Isn't that right, Roy?::Roy Knable: No.

Helen Knable: Dynamite. He's going to hit me with a train AND blow me up? ROY!

Executioner: Any last requests?::Roy Knable: Yeah, how about the long version of 'Stairway to Heaven'?::Executioner: I'm afraid zat is not where you are going.

Crowley: Nice disguise. Interesting concept. Diagonal boobs. Could you fix that thing?

[Helen and Roy Knable get sucked out of the HVTV dish and land in their backyard - the Knables' neighbor's dog is in their yard]::Roy Knable: Whoever left the gate open is grounded for a week.::[the dog runs toward the Knables and then get sucked into the HVTV dish]::Roy Knable: Check that. Whoever left the gate open gets double their allowance.