Theme: Adductional TV - An extra letter is added to one word of each familiar TV show and the resulting phrase is accordingly clued. (Added later: John just pointed out that "the added letter is always the second letter of one of the words".)
25A. Documentary about a Ravi Shankar concert tour? : SITAR TREK. "Star Trek".
27A. Sitcom about an endearing dimwit? : LOVE THAT BOOB. "Love That Bob". Unknown to me. Fun new phrase. I bet Dennis wants a different clue.
43A. Show about a nonsensical grain grinder? : BLARNEY MILLER. 'Barney Miller".
70A. Drama about an opinionated military? : JUDGING ARMY. "Judging Amy".
100A. Talk show about words like "zeppelin" and "dirigible"? : THE FLYING NOUN. "The Flying Nun".
119A. Sitcom about a team of aromatherapists? : THE MOOD SQUAD. "The Mod Squad".
122A. Financial show about the fermented honey market? : MEAD MONEY. Mad Money.
39D. Drama about an Asian virus? : KUNG FLU. "Kung Fu"
63D. Drama about an obnoxious superhero? : BRAT MAN. "Batman".
I don't quite get the title, John. Does "Adducational" (in place of "Educational") simply signal a letter addition? I wish the added letters I, O, L, R, O, O, E, I & R amount to "ucational". That would be a perfect title.
I like the varieties of the shows, also the way the 9 theme answers are arranged in the grid, giving solvers a piece to bite in every section.
Normally we don't see non-theme answers like URBAN MYTH (6D. Modern folklore) & ARISTOTLE longer than theme answers, as they might befuddle solvers. But all the question marks & "show"/"drama" indications in today's theme clues avoid any confusion. Plus, those two words just look pretty in the grid.
Also a pangram, all 26 letters are used at least once. No helper squares. Clean grid. Moderate amount of clechos today.
Across:
1. Shrimp kin : PRAWN. So, why the plural for prawn is prawns, but the plural for shrimp remains the same?
6. Eclipse shadow : UMBRA
11. Grain layer : BRAN. Fiber-rich.
15. Pennsylvanie, e.g. : ETAT. French spelling: Pennsylvanie.
19. Bellow's "The Adventures of __ March" : AUGIE. No idea. It's a Saul Bellow novel.
20. "Air Music" Pulitzer winner, 1976 : ROREM (Ned)
21. Like Hubbard's cupboard : BARE
22. Very attractive : FOXY. Do you think Megan Fox is foxy?
23. Amherst sch. : U MASS
24. Bowlers have them : BRIMS. Bowler hats. Of course I was thinking of strikes/spares.
30. Reserved : SET ASIDE. Oh, I was thinking of "shy" reserved.
31. Geometry figure : AREA
32. On __-to-know basis : A NEED
33. Hypothetical primates : APEMEN
35. Not at all excited : CALM
37. Entered gradually : EASED IN
39. Waste, as time : KILL
48. Giant in the woods : SEQUOIA. Giant sequoia. Not some giant animal.
50. "Great taste" beers, familiarly : LITEs. Miller Lite.
51. Summer goal, maybe : TAN
52. "No __!" : PROB
54. Pressed for payment : DUNNED. Caused problem for some solvers last time. My brother knows very limited English, dun is one of them.
55. "__ all in your mind" : IT'S
56. Moral principles : ETHICS
59. Lincoln Ctr. site : NYC
61. Prolonged pain : AGONY
62. Hopi home : PUEBLO
64. Symbol on the film poster for Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High" : NOOSE
67. Mt. Shasta's state : CALIF
69. Box for practice : SPAR
73. Sheep's kin : LAMB. Lambkin. Lampkin.
77. In concert : AS ONE
79. Natural sponge : LOOFA
80. Telescope eyepiece : OCULAR
82. Brooks of country : GARTH. Garth Brooks. Country music.
85. Boston Coll. conference since 2005 : ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)
87. Confident comeback : SO CAN I
89. JFK posting : ETA
90. Ill will : ANIMUS. Anima is "Jung's feminine side".
92. "Mayor" author : KOCH (Ed)
95. Former USSR member : UKR (Ukraine)
96. Ankle bones : TARSI
98. Early stage : INFANCY
103. Many a texting whiz : TEEN
104. 10,000 square meters : HECTARE. New word to me. Hect denotes 100. I don't know how 10,000 comes from.
106. Lampblack : SOOT
107. Sioux enemies : OMAHAS
108. Starbucks size : VENTI. Italian for "twenty". Hence 20 ounces.
111. Attending USC, e.g. : IN LA
115. Like some drilling : OFFSHORE
124. Straight up : ERECT. And 1D. "Straight Up" singer Abdul : PAULA
125. Bizarre : OUTRE
126. Procter & Gamble razor : ATRA
127. Cowardly Lion's farmhand alter ego : ZEKE. And then BRAIN (76. Scarecrow's lack).
128. Of the kidneys : RENAL
129. Got together : MET UP
130. Really smell : REEK
131. Ice cream brand : EDY'S. Crossword constructor's favorite ice cream brand. Super friendly grid edge word.
132. Nonplus : ADDLE
133. Until now : AS YET
Down:
2. Bit of tongue-wagging : RUMOR
3. Mescal source : AGAVE
4. Joker : WISEACRE
5. Twitter source : NEST. Bird. Not the Twitter Charlie Sheen has been exploiting. Just a publicity stunt. He's not insane. Really.
7. "Le __ d'Arthur" : MORTE. The Death of Arthur.
8. Payoff : BRIBE
9. Do over, as a kitchen : REMODEL
10. "Are not!" comeback : AM SO
11. Hardly big shots? : BBs. Nice clue.
12. Like a bump on a log : RAISED
13. Goddess of the hunt : ARTEMIS. Apollo's twin sister.
14. Straightened up : NEATENED. OK, a bit of an echo to the "Straight up" earlier.
15. New newts : EFTs.
16. Inner tube shapes : TORI. Plural of torus. Don't confuse it with TORII the Japanese gateway. Or Angels' Torri Hunter.
17. Hewed : AXED
18. Little shaver : TYKE. Shaver = Small boy.
26. Tried to get a seat : RAN
28. "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" speaker : HALE (Nathan)
29. More despicable : BASER
34. 1955 Argentine coup victim : PERON. Which one, Eva or Juan?
36. First name in nature photography : ANSEL (Adams)
38. Chalet backdrop : ALP
40. Sphere opening : IONO. Ionosphere. Ha Ha, this is the word Jayce wanted on Saturday. Dictionary says it means "ionized".
41. Property claim : LIEN
42. Feminine title : LADY
43. Air traffic images : BLIPS
44. Like the sky during fireworks : LIT-UP
45. On a liner, say : AT SEA
46. Liner's primary section : MAIN DECK. I've never boarded a liner.
47. Disguised, briefly : INCOG (Incognito)
49. Wharf on the Seine : QUAI. Quai d'Orsay. Nice area.
53. Old-timey words of emphasis : BY CRACKY. Have yet to see anyone uses it in our blog.
57. WWII Axis general : TOJO. The Japanese general. Responsible for Pearl Harbor attack.
58. Earthworm environs : SOIL
60. Short film maker? : CAM. Awesome clue.
65. Cone head? : SNO. Sno-cone.
66. Big heads : EGOS. Consecutive "head".
68. Rhône city : LYON
71. Juanita's "a" : UNA
72. Entangled : AFOUL. Run afoul of.
74. Last Olds made : ALERO
75. Quemoy neighbor : MATSU. Matsu Island. Gave me trouble, as we call it "Mazu Island" in China. Quemoy also has a different name: Kinmen (or Jinmen). See this map? Only Kinmen.
78. Eschew : SHUN
81. BP competitor : CITGO
82. Pace : GAIT
83. Only daughter of Elizabeth II : ANNE
84. Abundant : RIFE
86. Terra __ : COTTA
88. Rembrandt's contemplative subject : ARISTOTLE. With a bust of Homer. See here.
91. Gossip : SCHMOOZE. Fun word.
93. Longtime New Yorker cartoonist Roz : CHAST. Saw ROZ clued as "Cartoonist Chast" before.
94. "I Saw __ Again": 1966 hit : HER
97. Appraised items on a PBS "Roadshow" : ANTIQUES. Loved "Antiques Roadshow".
99. Had a hankering : YEARNED
101. Frantic : FEVERED
102. Villain to "avoid" in 1980s Domino's Pizza ads, with "the" : NOID. Here is a clip. Off my radar.
105. Insolent : CHEEKY
107. Resistance unit : OHM
109. Edit : EMEND
110. Dieter-friendly : NO-CAL. No calorie. And 117. Diet : FARE.
112. Like fruitcakes : NUTTY
113. Oater actor Lash : LARUE. Do you know why westerns are called oaters?
114. Like crackerjacks : ADEPT
115. General Bradley : OMAR
116. Grand affair : FETE
118. Black Hills st. : S DAK
120. Zeus' spouse : HERA
121. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA
123. Puzzle finisher's cry : YES. I like how it ends today's Down answers.
Here are two pictures from WM's "Almost Edible" gallery show. Click on each one for clearer definition.
C.C.
