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Home , 60 Minutes, Anthology series, Arthur Godfrey, Arthur Murray, Bill Bixby, Crossing Jordan

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INTRODUCTION

In the following pages we present, in a sin- eral headings. For example, newscasts are gle volume, a (or several lifetimes) of summarized under News, movie series under series, from the brash new medium Movies and sports coverage under Football, of the 1940s to the explosion of choice in the Boxing, Wrestling, etc. All other series are . More than 6,500 series can be found arranged by title in alphabetical order. There here, from to Everybody Loves is a comprehensive index at the back to every Raymond, The Arthur Murray [Dance] Party cast member, plus appendixes showing an- to Dancing with the Stars, E/R to ER (both nual network schedules at a glance, the top with George Clooney!), in Space to Lost 30 rated series each season, on Earth to Lost Civilizations to simply Lost. and other information. Since the listings are alphabetical, Milton Network series are defined as those fed out Berle and The Mind of Mencia are next-door by broadcast or cable networks and seen si- neighbors, as are Gilligan’s Island and The multaneously across most of the country. . There’s also proof that good Broadcast networks covered are ABC, CBS, ideas don’t fade away, they just keep coming NBC, Fox, CW, MyNetworkTV, ION (for- back in new duds. , meet merly PAX) and the dear, departed DuMont, ’s Talent Scouts. UPN and WB. We both work, or have worked, in the TV Original cable series are listed in two dif- industry, care about its history, and have ferent ways. Major series seen on the largest done everything possible to get the facts cor- cable networks (those reaching at least rect. If you have an earlier edition of this 50 percent of U.S. homes) are generally listed book, there are thousands of additions and alphabetically and in detail; others, includ- improvements here, appearing on every page ing those appearing on less widely available (this new edition adds the equivalent of a networks or on networks without regular se- new 200- to 300-page book to the last one). ries schedules (like news, weather and docu- The book has been carefully researched for mentary channels) may be summarized the scholar, but it is also, like television itself, under the network’s name. Due to the flood of for your enjoyment—as well as for trivia new series on cable in recent years we have quizzes, bet-settling and gifts for that TV fan had to become somewhat selective in which you know. Guard your copy, though. People cable series to include. Favored for inclusion get so interested in what’s in here that the are (1) series with casts, such as dramas and book might “walk away.” , (2) series that had reasonably long runs, typically two seasons or more, and The Rules: What’s in This Book (3) series of any type with especially large au- (Listen Carefully!) diences. There are more than 1,000 cable en- This encylopedia lists regular series car- tries, including shows and entries for all the ried on the commercial broadcast and cable major cable networks. If you don’t find a ca- networks in early evening, and ble show under its own name, check under late night (roughly, between 6:00 P.M. and the network. 3:00 A.M.). In addition we have included the Syndicated series are sold by their produc- top syndicated programs that have aired pri- ers to individual stations, and are therefore marily in the evening hours. We cover the en- seen at different times in different cities, and tire history of network TV in the United not at all in some areas. Thousands of syndi- States, from its inception on a regular basis in cated programs have been produced over the 1944 through April 15, 2007. Our definition of years, many with very limited distribution. a “series” is a program that ran for at least four Only the principal ones are included here. As consecutive weeks in the same time slot—or with cable series, and with some exceptions, was intended to. the general rule is that they must have been A few program types are found under gen- available to at least half of all U.S. television

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homes. Other programs that may have been program was off during the summer months. seen in your city after 6:00 P.M.—but are not For syndicated and cable series, we have indi- included here—are local programs and syn- cated the years the program was in produc- dicated series which did not achieve wide- tion, and when it was first telecast. spread distribution. Cast: Regular cast members, those who were This is the first book to trace programming seen on a recurring basis, are listed along with back to the very founding of the networks, the years in which they were seen during the and, consequently, it includes some very original run. We have gone to considerable early network series that were seen in only effort to separate regulars from guests mak- two or three cities on the East Coast. The net- ing occasional appearances, as the latter works spread quickly, however, first by send- were not part of the continuing casts. Notable ing out (films) of their shows to guests may be listed in the series description. nonconnected stations, and soon after with Principal sources of scheduling informa- live connections to stations in the Midwest tion were the files of the networks, cross- (in 1949) and on the West Coast (in 1951). checked against detailed logs maintained over Under each series’ main heading you will the years by NBC and ratings reports from find the following: . For the very earliest First/Last Telecast: The dates on which the programs, listings in TV Guide and various series was first and last seen on a network. newspapers were consulted; however, read- This includes repeats on a network during its ers should be aware that pretelecast publicity original run, but not later reruns on local sta- does not always reflect what actually aired. tions, which will be at a different time in each Nielsen rating reports are useful as they indi- city, and may go on long after the program cate, after the fact, what was actually telecast. has ceased production. Generally the first Cast and content data were drawn from a and last telecast dates indicate the original multitude of sources including network and production run of a network series. syndicator files, press releases, listings in TV Broadcast History: The days, times, and net- Guide, reviews in Variety, Billboard, and Tele- works on which the series was carried (eastern vision magazines, Internet Web sites, and, of time). Special episodes which ran for only one course, our viewing of the shows. , we or two weeks in other than the normal time watch almost everything. slot are not reflected. DUM indicates the Du- —T.B. and E.M. Mont TV network, and (OS) indicates that the

A Short History of Network Television by Tim Brooks

Television goes back a good deal further decade of radio, when virtually every home than most people realize. There was no single had a set, and superstars and hit shows be- inventor of television, although Dr. Vladimir came a familiar phenomenon. Comedies, Zworykin’s invention of the iconoscope in dramas, quiz shows, and variety hours were 1923 provided a basic element, the “eye” of all developed for a mass market, establishing the TV camera. Demonstrations of various formats that would later be transferred virtu- kinds of experimental TV were made in the ally intact to television. While radio and TV late 1920s, including even primitive color are only vaguely related technically, there is television in 1929. began no doubt that the great radio networks of the semiregular telecasts from its laboratories in 1930s were the direct entertainment prede- Schenectady in May 1928, mostly for the cessors of today’s TV. benefit of a few nearby engineers who had re- By the end of the 1930s interest in TV was ceiving sets. NBC opened experimental TV picking up. In 1938 NBC transmitted several station W2XBS in in 1930, followed notable telecasts from its New York station, by a similar CBS station in 1931. But for the including scenes from the Broadway play Su- next several years TV seemed to go nowhere. san and God starring and Pictures were fuzzy, screens tiny, and costs Paul McGrath from the original cast. Also in astronomical. In addition, there were several that year the NBC station carried the first live, incompatible types of transmission, and en- unscheduled coverage of a news event in gineers spent much time arguing over a sin- progress. An NBC mobile unit happened to gle set of technical standards—something we be working in a park in , New York, take for granted today. when a fire broke out on Ward’s Island, For the public at large the 1930s was the across the river. The TV crew swung their

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cameras around and telecast live pictures of in Schenectady, thus forming history’s first the raging fire to surprised viewers. network of sorts. (The feasibility of transmit- Looking for a memorable event with which ting pictures between two widely separated to inaugurate regular TV service, NBC de- cities had been demonstrated in 1927, when cided upon the official opening of the World’s Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, Fair in New York on April 30, 1939. President speaking in Washington, D.C., was seen in a Franklin D. Roosevelt was seen arriving and New York laboratory, by special hookup.) delivering the opening address, thus becom- The New York–Schenectady link was accom- ing the first incumbent president to appear on plished by the simple method of having Gen- television. NBC announcer Bill Farren de- eral Electric pick up the signal off the air from scribed the proceedings and also conducted New York, 130 miles away, and rebroadcast interviews at the fairground. Thereafter, from it. The picture quality thus obtained was not 1939–1941, both NBC and CBS presented a very good. In 1941 some NBC New York tele- surprisingly extensive schedule of programs casts began to be fed to the Philco station in over their New York stations for the several as well, giving NBC a three- thousand sets then in use. There were few station “network.” But all of this was intermit- regular “series,” however—every night was tent, and there were still no regular series as an event. If you had a set, you simply turned it we know them today. on at night (there was seldom anything tele- Commercial television first saw the light of cast during the day) and saw what was being day in 1941, when both NBC and CBS were sent out from the studios that night. Anything granted commercial licenses for their New that moved was worth watching. York stations, both on July 1st (so neither A sample night’s entertainment, shortly af- could claim a “first”). NBC’s call letters be- ter the World’s Fair inaugural, was called came WNBT on channel one (now WNBC-TV simply The Wednesday Night Program and on channel four), and CBS got WCBW on ran from 8:00–9:07 P.M. It opened with a fash- channel two (now WCBS-TV). ion show described by commentators Renee Just as commercial television was begin- Macredy and Nancy Turner, followed by ning to take root, World War II put a stop to songs by The Three Smoothies, a sketch called everything. Little was telecast during “The Smart Thing” (cast included Martha years, except for some training programs. Sleeper, Ned Wever, and Burford Hampden), The DuMont Laboratories, which had been dancer Hal Sherman from the show Hellza- experimenting with TV for years, received a poppin’, and finally a magic act by Robert commercial license in 1944 for WABD, New Reinhart, who also served as emcee of the York (now WNYW-TV on channel five), serv- program. If you’ve never heard of most of ing as the cornerstone of that company’s ill- these names, neither had most viewers in fated network venture. 1939. Appearances by stars, especially the big With the war over, work started anew. The names of radio, were few and far between, and year 1946 marked the true beginnings of television had to rely primarily on cabaret tal- regular network series. NBC’s WNBT began ent and young, lesser-known Broadway actors feeding its programs on a more or less regu- and actresses for many years to come. lar basis to Philadelphia and Schenectady, Viewers didn’t mind. There was a common forming NBC’s “East Coast Network.” Du- bond of pioneering between viewers and Mont opened a second station, WTTG, in broadcasters in those days, and in fact a good Washington, D.C., to which it fed programs— deal of communication both ways. NBC kept even though there were in mid-1946 only a a card file listing every known set owner and bare dozen sets in the nation’s capital. Net- sent out postcards each week listing the pro- work television’s first major series effort, and grams to be telecast, asking the viewer’s the program which set many precedents for opinion of each one. These were the first TV programs to come, was a regular Thursday “ratings.” night big-budget variety hour called Hour Most television programs were seen in Glass, which ran for ten months beginning New York only, which was, throughout the in May 1946. It was a pioneer in many ways 1940s, America’s TV “capital.” It was the first and helped spread the word that with more than one station operating, could provide not only a novelty gadget for and it had by far the largest number of sets in the gadget-minded, but regular high-quality people’s homes. However, the possibility of family entertainment as well. networking, along the lines of the great radio Several other network series began in chains, was pursued from the very begin- 1946, including the long-running You Are an ning. As early as 1940 NBC began to relay Artist, Mrs. Carveth Wells’s Geographically some telecasts to the General Electric station Speaking, Television Screen Magazine (an

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early version of ), Play the Game meant color TV from the start for everyone, (charades), Cash and Carry (quiz), Face to and would also have made obsolete all of the Face (drawings), I Love to Eat (cooking), and equipment in use by CBS’ rivals because the Faraway Hill (the first network ). different systems were incompatible. The All of these programs can be found under choice had to be color or black and white, but their individual headings in this book. not both. Unfortunately, the CBS system was Most early programming was quite experi- clumsy and unreliable compared with the mental, just to see what would work in the fairly well-developed black-and-white TV of new medium. Costs were kept to a minimum, the day, and its adoption would probably and advertising agencies were given free have set TV back several years. (Eventually time by the stations, to get them into the stu- the CBS electromechanical system, with its dio to try out TV. (Programs were often pro- spinning disc within every set, was discarded duced by the advertisers themselves.) Such altogether. It is RCA’s all-electronic, black- visual formats as charades, cartooning, and and-white compatible color system that we fashion shows were favorites, along with use today.) While the verdict was out, CBS de- sports events and adaptations of radio shows, layed investment in a network. telecast on a one-time tryout basis. Two events changed CBS’ mind. First, a A landmark was the of Kraft Tele- critical government decision went against the vision Theatre in May 1947. This was not only CBS color system. Then the NBC network’s the first regularly scheduled drama series to coverage of the 1947 World Series—the first go out over a network, but was also blessed World Series on TV—suddenly made it very with sufficient money from a sponsor to in- apparent that an explosion in TV set owner- sure uniformly high-quality productions. ship was about to take place. CBS, if it did not Gradually stations were added to NBC’s move quickly, was in danger of being left at and DuMont’s chains, two more stations in the starting gate. A crash program of series de- Washington, D.C., additional facilities in velopment was instituted, and early in 1948 Philadelphia, then , then . CBS began feeding programs out over its own Stations not connected with the East Coast small network. opened in the Midwest and Far West, often The 1947 World Series brought in televi- receiving network programs on . sion’s first mass audience. It was carried in But where were CBS and ABC? New York, Philadelphia, Schenectady, and Both were fully committed to the idea of Washington, D.C., and was seen by an esti- networking, but each hung back for a differ- mated 3.9 million people—3.5 million of them ent reason. ABC did not yet have a New York in bars! The TV set over the corner bar was a flagship station on the air from which to first introduction to the new medium for originate programming. ABC had in fact many people, and it helped sell thousands of been buying time on other stations and pro- sets for the home. After that, TV ownership ducing programs on their schedules just to was contagious. The first set on the block al- give its own technicians experience in studio ways brought in dozens of curious neigh- production techniques, against the day when bors, who eventually went out and bought ABC would have its own station. An early ex- sets of their own. ample was Play the Game (1946), which was By 1948 television networking was on its produced by ABC using DuMont’s facilities. way. Several of the longest running programs In early 1948 ABC lined up a network of four included in this book premiered in that year, stations, a curious amalgam of DuMont and including Ted Mack’s Original Amateur independent stations, for a series called On Hour in January, ’s Star the Corner with radio star Henry Morgan— Theater in June, ’s Toast of the which it now considers its first “network” Town in June, and Arthur Godfrey’s Talent program (although Play the Game was also Scouts in December. NBC opened its mid- seen over a network). Finally, in August 1948 network of stations in September ABC got its own New York station and pro- 1948, and in a special ceremonial telecast on duction center on the air and began network January 11, 1949, East and Midwest were service on a regular basis. linked. For a time was an important CBS delayed its entry into network televi- production center for network programs, but sion for quite a different reason. It had had an without the talent pool available in New York active New York station for years. But CBS it could not compete for long. Kukla, Fran & was committed to the idea of color TV, and Ollie and Garroway at Large were probably tried hard to get its own color system accepted the most important series to come out of by the Federal Communications Commission Chicago in its TV heyday. as the industry standard. This would have In September 1951 the link was completed

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to the West Coast, and America at last had ties were the most elaborate in the industry. nationwide television. Los Angeles was not What went wrong? to become the principal network production One important factor working against Du- center until -produced filmed dra- Mont was the fact that the company did not matic shows became the TV norm during the operate a radio network, as did NBC, CBS, second half of the , however. and ABC. An established radio network not In the early years of network operation only provided its competitors with a ready NBC had the largest audiences, with Milton talent pool to draw on, but also gave them a Berle, Kraft Television Theatre, Your Show of foot in the door in signing up choice affiliates Shows, Dragnet, and other top hits. But by (which were usually associated with network the mid-1950s, through a combination of as- radio stations) in many cities. Another devas- tute program development (I Love Lucy, Ed tating blow was a ruling by the government Sullivan) and carryovers from its top radio that DuMont, unlike the other three net- shows (Arthur Godfrey, ), CBS works, could not own the legal maximum of took the lead, which it proudly retained for five television stations. two thereafter. Nevertheless, NBC Most of the affiliates over which the TV and CBS, the two giants of TV, were never far networks send their programs are locally apart. ABC and DuMont were far behind, owned. Each network could by law own out- fighting for survival—for it was rapidly be- right only five VHF stations. These five were coming apparent that there was room for only critically important because they provided one other network in the U.S. There were sev- the base of revenues to support the network eral reasons for this. For one thing the talent (for years the networks themselves all lost pool available for successful TV shows was money). They also guaranteed that all of the severely limited and very high priced. NBC network’s programs would be seen in at least and CBS had so many of the trump cards that those five markets. NBC, CBS, and ABC each there just wasn’t very much left over for an- obtained their quota of five stations early in other network, much less for two others. the game. But because of a series of compli- Whenever a new talent emerged on DuMont cated legal rulings involving its relationship or ABC, such as Ted Mack (Original Amateur with (which also owned Hour) or , he would soon be stations), DuMont could not, and thus was stolen away by the “majors” with the promise denied both the revenues and guaranteed of much more money. program clearances that a full roster of five Even more important, there were a limited big-market stations could provide. In addi- number of stations to go around. Outside of tion, Paramount refused to give DuMont any New York and a few other large cities, very further financial support after 1939. few places in the U.S. were serviced by more ABC had financial problems too, but in than two, or perhaps three, stations (some ar- 1953 it got the boost it needed by merging eas still aren’t). NBC and CBS always got the with United Paramount Theaters. With a heavy best stations in each city, leaving ABC and infusion of capital provided by the merger, DuMont to fight for the scraps, or perhaps be ABC began developing programs in earnest, seen only part-time on a “shared” station. including the landmark deal in 1954 that In many ways DuMont seemed to be in a brought Walt Disney to television and in 1955 good position to become America’s third net- the arrangement with Warner Brothers that work. The company was led by a brilliant produced many hit series (see under Warner and progressive engineer, Dr. Allen B. Du- Bros. Presents). With the ABC–Paramount Mont, who seemed to have made all the right Theaters merger, DuMont’s fate was sealed, decisions at the right times. He was involved and the latter network finally went out of in experimental from business in 1956. his laboratory in in the early Structurally, little changed in TV net- 1930s, long before ABC was even founded (in working for the next thirty years. In the mid- 1943, as a spin-off from NBC). DuMont had a 1950s, compatible color TV was introduced, base in manufacturing, and in fact marketed pushed hard by NBC (whose parent com- the first large screen (14-inch) home TV set in pany, RCA, manufactured the sets). Video 1938. Knowing that large amounts of capital tape effected a behind-the-scenes revolution would be needed for television development, in the 1960s by freeing producers from the he obtained financing from giant Paramount cumbersome aspects of film and the hectic Pictures in 1938 and began active TV pro- uncertainty of live production. There was gramming in the early 1940s. DuMont was periodic talk of a fourth national network, close on the heels of NBC in setting up a net- such as the ill-fated Overmyer Network work in 1946–1947, and its production facili- (“ON”) in the 1960s, but nothing came of it

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until 20th Century–Fox launched its Fox ple. But Uncle Miltie’s influence was enor- Network in 1986 (with the ill-fated Late Show mous. Not only was he TV’s first superstar, Starring Joan Rivers). Even network owner- but the excitement he created for the new ship remained unchanged until the . medium helped television ownership spread The giant conglomerate ITT and later billion- like wildfire, from less than 2 percent of U.S. aire Howard Hughes each tried to buy ABC, homes when he premiered in 1948 to over 70 but no one succeeded until a cash-rich sta- percent by the time he left the air in 1956. tion owner, Capital Cities Broadcasting, Berle’s Tuesday night swallowed the network in January 1986. was typical of the first wave of television Five months later the giant General Electric programming—frantic, corny, but always Co. gobbled up RCA, and with it NBC. CBS highly visual. If ordinary people were going was taken over by investor Laurence Tisch to spend $400 for a small-screen “radio with three months after that. pictures,” they wanted to see movement and It took ABC nearly thirty years to reach action, and lots of it. Berle gave them fall- parity with CBS and NBC in audience size. down slapstick with crazy costumes and sight It did not have a number-one rated series gags galore. Ed Sullivan offered a three-ring until Marcus Welby, M.D., in the , and circus of comedians, acrobats, opera singers, it did not rank number one as a network for scenes from plays, and dancing bears. The Ed a full season until 1976–1977, when long- Wynn Show, The All Star Revue with Jimmy time leader CBS was finally deposed. In the Durante, Your Show of Shows with Sid Cae- 1980s CBS recaptured first place, then sar, Fireball Fun-For-All with Olsen and John- yielded to NBC. But the race among them son, and with became increasingly irrelevant compared practically everybody (, Martin to the decline in viewership of all three as and Lewis, , ) all viewers flocked to cable TV, which offered did the same. Such broadly played slapstick both convenient reruns of classic network and variety looked so old fashioned that some fare and original programming of its own. called it “vaudeo”—a wedding of vaudeville The “big three” still command the largest and the new video medium. audiences, but with more than 80 percent of Other types of series exploited the new American homes receiving alternative pro- medium’s visual possibilities even further. gramming via cable or satellite, that is I’d Like to See and You Asked for It brought changing. TV itself is flourishing. It once viewers their own visual requests. Photo- seemed that people might finally be getting graphic showed models posing so tired of it; today they’re watching more than that home viewers could take pictures of ever, from a greater and greater variety of them right off the screen. Pantomime shows sources. like Mike Stokey’s were popular. Trends in Programming: The Eight Eras Variety programs, however, drew the of Prime Time largest audiences. Talent shows prolifer- Television programming has changed a ated, led by Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts great deal over the years, both in style and (for up-and-coming professionals) and The content. Each decade has had its program Original Amateur Hour (for your local tap trends, reflecting not only the evolving tastes dancers and kazoo players). Future stars of the American public, but also important like , , and behind-the-scenes changes in the business that could be seen trying out on determine what we see. We have come a long Hollywood Screen Test, but Godfrey’s audi- way from the silly slapstick of Milton Berle to tion staff flunked a greasy-haired young today’s raunchy relevance. singer named before he could Prime time program history can be divided even get on the air! into eight principal eras. Early situation comedies frequently used The First Era: “Vaudeo” (1948–1957) broadly played physical comedy. The num- ber one hit in the mid-1950s was I Love Lucy, In the beginning there was Milton Berle. with the inspired mugging of Lucy and the His time at the top was actually rather continual exasperation of her bandleader short—his series ranked number one for husband, Desi. There were many others, in- three seasons (1948–1951), in a period when cluding , The Stu Erwin relatively few people even had a TV set. Later Show, Jackie Gleason’s Honeymooners, and major hits such as I Love Lucy, , . Of the major stars of the day, and were number one for a only Jack Benny and seemed longer time and were seen by far more peo- to rely primarily on verbal humor. Another

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popular genre was the family comedy, full of a lucky break for Jim Arness, who would warm, homey values and typified by The star for the next 20 years in Gunsmoke. The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, The Danny series started off slowly in the ratings, but Thomas Show (Make Room for Daddy), Fa- quickly gained momentum and was fol- ther Knows Best, and Mama. Such family lowed by a veritable stampede of others: shows have been among TV’s longest run- Cheyenne; Have Gun, Will Travel; Tales ning series. of Wells Fargo; Wagon Train; Rawhide; Although vaudeville dominated early TV, Wanted: Dead or Alive; The Virginian. There some series tried a more intimate approach. were variations on the theme, including Much of Arthur Godfrey’s appeal was due to true-history Westerns (Life & Legend of Wy- his folksy, down-to-earth humor, and his att Earp), anthology Westerns (Zane Grey weekly , Arthur Godfrey & His Theater), “family” Westerns (The Rifleman), , had an easygoing pace. Godfrey and even a Western that satirized the other did not showcase stars; instead, his regular Westerns (Maverick). By 1958–1959, seven “family” of performers including Tony Mar- out of the top ten series were Westerns—a vin, , Julius LaRosa, and Frank dominance seldom achieved by any pro- Parker and Marion Marlowe were seen every gram type. week. was also known for his What set these series apart from earlier wry, low-key style, while singer/host Perry kids’ Westerns like The Lone Ranger and Como was so relaxed that he became the butt Hopalong Cassidy was that they were written of jokes: “Wake up, Perry!” for adults, in the style of such recent movie “Serious” television was represented mainly hits as High Noon and Shane. They often tack- by dramatic , which offered led adult subjects and relationships: Just what a different play with a new cast each week. was the relationship between Matt Dillon and Some of these series had a unifying theme, Miss Kitty, anyway? Kids could still enjoy the like the newsworthiness of Armstrong Circle action, while adults got something more than Theatre and The Big Story, but most simply a Saturday-matinee plot and a moral. presented good drama drawn from a variety TV violence took its first major upswing dur- of sources (original scripts, short stories, ing the era of the adult Western, to the dismay adaptations of the classics). Among the more of critics. The range of weapons used by TV’s popular of these stage-type series were Kraft horseback crusaders was truly remarkable. Television Theatre, , The adult Westerns signaled a major change Philco/Goodyear TV Playhouse, Ford The- in the source of prime-time TV programming. atre, Fireside Theatre, Robert Montgomery All of them were on film, and most of them Presents, and Studio One. The last of these were produced by the major Hollywood movie great series, , left the air in 1961. studios, which had previously avoided in- Another kind of innovation was represented volvement with television as if it were the by the daring, though never highly popular, plague. From this time on most TV series series of , who experimented would be products of Hollywood’s dream fac- with the visual comedy effects possible in the tories rather than the live, theater-influenced new medium. New York stage. Like a product’s switch from There were relatively few action or adven- wood to plastic, this change made an impor- ture shows in the early days, largely because tant difference in the texture and “feel” of all of the studio-bound technical requirements future entertainment programs. of TV. Dragnet was the most popular police The last hurrah for live, Eastern-originated show, and one of the few series filmed in programming was the big-money quiz show Hollywood—most of the big variety, comedy, fad which began in the summer of 1955 with and playhouse series originated live from the fabulous success of The $64,000 Ques- New York. But that was to change. tion. The quiz shows were marvelous theater; a contestant agonized in an isolation booth The “Adult Westerns” Era while the host ticked off a complicated, mul- (1957–early 1960s) tipart question which could be worth a fabu- Saturday, September 10, 1955, was an im- lous amount of money. There was usually portant night in television history. If you just one climactic question per week, for were watching CBS at 10 P.M. that evening ever greater amounts of money. The you saw big John Wayne, standing by a cor- from week to week was palpable, and con- ral, introducing a new series that he had testant-heroes like Charles Van Doren on been asked to star in. He couldn’t take the Twenty-One became national celebrities as role, but he had recommended a lanky they slowly climbed from obscurity to wealth young actor to take his place. It proved to be before America’s eyes—on live TV. Unfor-

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Series Weapon Wanted: Dead or Alive Steve McQueen’s sawed-off carbine The Rifleman ’s fast-cocking Winchester with a large ring that supposedly allowed him to fire off the first round in three tenths of a second Wyatt Earp Hugh O’Brian’s oversized Buntline pistol Shotgun Slade ’s unique two-in-one shotgun Adventures of Jim Bowie Scott Forbes’s Bowie knife Cisco Kid Pancho’s bullwhip Hotel de Paree The shiny little discs in Earl Holliman’s Stetson, with which he could blind adversaries

tunately some of the shows turned out to A second factor in the demise of the West- have been fixed (contestants were given the erns was concern over TV violence, which answers beforehand, and coached on how to had centered on crime shows such as The Un- triumph or fail on cue). They were all swept touchables and Bus Stop, but which spilled off the air in 1958–1959 in one of television’s over into Westerns as well. By 1961 Congress most embarrassing scandals. was holding hearings on the subject, and net- While the adult Westerns were at their work executives were under heavy pressure zenith another type of filmed program took to tone things down. root, a type that proved to be one of the most Even more important forces were at work durable formats of all. The “swinging detec- behind the scenes—forces which would ulti- tives” were sexy, as fast with a wisecrack as mately change all TV programming. The re- with a gun, and usually operated in an exotic search companies that measured TV audiences locale. They began with in were beginning to report those audiences in in- 1958, which combined a couple of hip pri- creasing detail—not only how many homes vate eyes, some beautiful women, a colorful were tuned in, but detailed ages and incomes sidekick (Kookie), and the glamorous back- of the people who watched each show. It drop of L.A.’s Sunset Strip. In the wake of its turned out that the adult Westerns were attract- success came Hawaiian Eye, , ing older people, while young adults and kids Checkmate, Burke’s Law, and many others were tuning to situation comedies. Since ad- right up to Magnum, P.I. and Remington vertisers wanted to reach high-consuming Steele in the 1980s. young families, sitcoms were in. By the early 1960s the flood of adult West- erns was beginning to abate. There were The “Idiot ” Era simply too many of them on the air—as many (early to late 1960s) as 31 in a single season—and new entries The 1960s was the youth decade, and many found it hard to attract attention. Does of the comedies that poured onto the screen anyone today remember 1960–1961’s Gun- seemed to be aimed at the young. Most of slinger (), Stagecoach West them had a gimmick to attract attention. Bev- (Wayne Rogers), or The Westerner (Brian erly Hillbillies, the number-one program Keith with a mongrel dog)? from 1962–1964, put hayseeds in high soci- ety, while Gomer Pyle had its bumpkin turn- Number of Westerns in Prime Time, ing the Marine Corps upside down. In Green by Season Acres the premise was reversed, with city 1955–1956: 9 folks out on the farm. of- 1956–1957: 11 fered reporter the biggest story of 1957–1958: 20 his career, except that “Uncle Martin” wouldn’t 1958–1959: 31 reveal his powers to anyone else; meanwhile 1959–1960: 30 pretty Samantha on used her 1960–1961: 26 witchly powers more than husband Darrin 1961–1962: 16 would have liked. TV’s sexiest , Barbara 1962–1963: 13 Eden, frustrated her “master” (Larry Hag- 1963–1964: 8 man) and delighted viewers on I Dream of 1964–1965: 7 Jeannie. Bizarre, comical characters turned up on The Addams Family, ,

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The Flying Nun, and Batman, and slapstick The first major series of the period to ac- silliness was alive and well on Gilligan’s Is- knowledge that there was a world beyond land, Mr. Ed, McHale’s Navy, , Hogan’s Gilligan’s Island was I Spy in 1965, the series Heroes, and many other shows. that reintroduced blacks to prime-time star- Kids themselves were the stars of some of ring roles. Blacks had scarcely been seen on the comedies as in Dennis the Menace, Leave television since the early 1950s, and never in It to Beaver, The Show, and The respectable, nondemeaning leading roles. I Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Kids like car- Spy, Julia, , and The Mod Squad toons, so we had The Flintstones and The Jet- changed all that, and dozens of black or mi- sons in prime time; animals turned up on nority series followed in the 1970s. The por- Flipper and Daktari; rock music on Shindig trayal of women began to change as well, and Hullabaloo; on Lost in from the dependent housewives of I Love Space and . Lucy and Donna Reed to the liberated singles Of the many fads that swept America in the of and . 1960s, probably the biggest was the James Direct political commentary within an Bond–super agent vogue, which started with entertainment format was a little longer the Bond movies in 1963–64. The trend was in coming, but when it did it produced soon reflected on the TV screen in such hits some enormous hits. The Smothers Brothers as The Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Secret Comedy Hour premiered in February 1967 as Agent, and Mission: Impossible. One of the a lightweight, youth-oriented variety show, funniest comedies of the 1960s, Get Smart, but quickly swung toward biting political satirized the whole genre. satire which caused the CBS censors to have A few Westerns lingered on, notably fits. On NBC, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In pre- (the number-one series from miered in 1968 with a similarly topical ap- 1964–1967) and Gunsmoke, which enjoyed a proach, and shot straight to the top of the as a 7:30 P.M. kid’s show. Drs. Kildare ratings; it was the number-one program on and kept women enthralled, as did television from 1968–1970. the continuing anguish on prime time’s first Ratings for the fall 1970 schedule seemed hit soap opera, Peyton Place. Men could find to suggest that “relevant TV” might have excitement on a wave of war shows, among passed its peak. A slew of highly contempo- them Combat!, Twelve O’Clock High, and rary, youth-oriented shows were introduced Garrison’s Gorillas. that fall, among them The Storefront Lawyers, Was there anything serious on TV in the The Young Lawyers, The Senator, and The early 1960s? The answer is “not much”; even Young Rebels (the 1960s youth movement the network newscasts were only 15 minutes transplanted to the Revolutionary War). All long until 1963. The Show did of them failed. But a midseason replacement, offer comedy written on an adult level, and scheduled with great trepidation by CBS, The Defenders sometimes presented serious, gave relevance new life. All in the Family, relevant drama. More typical was the fate about a blue-collar bigot and the folly of his of George C. Scott’s first network TV series, ways, ranked number one among all series East Side/West Side, a gritty 1963 drama about for five years, the longest time on top for any an inner-city social worker; it lasted a single series in television history. In its wake came season opposite Sing Along with Mitch. The spin-offs (Maude, ) and a new following year, That Was the Week That Was wave of shows dealing with issues TV had (“TW3”), a pioneering attempt at social satire, scarcely ever touched before: interfaith mar- was driven off the air by Petticoat Junction. riage (Bridget Loves Bernie), anti-war senti- The Relevance Era (late 1960s–1975) ments (M*A*S*H), life at the bottom of the economic ladder (, Chico & The East Side/West Side and TW3 were shows Man). Maude had an abortion, and Edith ahead of their time. America was changing, Bunker was attacked by a rapist—comedy and the gap between TV’s land of make-believe had never been like this before! and the real world was becoming a gulf. Some shows stayed away from serious is- While Jed Clampett and Pvt. Gomer Pyle ca- sues. Action-adventure was represented by vorted on our television screens, Kennedy and the descendants of 77 Sunset Strip, including Khrushchev had brought the world to the , Five-O, , , and brink of nuclear war over Cuba, and black . and Little Americans were burning and looting the House on the Prairie were gentle reminders slums of Los Angeles. Television, like many of of a simpler time, carrying a message about society’s other institutions, had to change. the value of love and the nuclear family.

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A situation comedy that premiered on hodgepodge typified by The Big Event. Few ABC in 1974 seemed to be even more of a new “relevant” series were able to get a throwback—but would prove to foothold; among them were and be a harbinger of the next era of prime-time Quincy, M.E. “Serious” TV was relegated TV programming. Major changes were about mostly to mini-series, such as the spectacu- to take place, in part due to government larly successful . In addition, 60 Min- complaints about TV violence and the in- utes, an obscure CBS public affairs series that creasing frankness of the relevance shows, had been bumping around the schedule especially in time periods when children since 1968, enjoyed a remarkable surge in were watching. In 1975 the networks were popularity, aided by fortuitous scheduling forced to “sanitize” their early evening line- Sunday night at 7 P.M. It happened that a pe- ups with a curiously cynical concept called culiarity in government regulations pre- the 8:00–9:00 P.M. Family Viewing Time (cyni- vented the networks from competing with cal because children hardly view only be- entertainment series in that time slot; only tween 8:00–9:00 P.M.). Henceforth, programs “public service” was allowed. Given this pro- in that time slot would have to be suitable for tection from normal competition, 60 Minutes “family viewing.” No rapes and no abortions. caught on in a big way, eventually becoming the number-one program on television—the The ABC “Fantasy” Era (1975–1980) only news series ever to do so. As prime-time programming had swung like a pendulum from the escapism of the early Soap Operas and the “Real People” Era 1960s to the relevance of the early 1970s, it now (1980s) swung back again—at least partway. Happy By 1980 ABC’s escapist hits were in de- Days, the perfect inoffensive 8:00 P.M. show, cline, their novelty worn thin. Fred Silver- grew steadily in popularity, paralleling the man had defected to NBC, and new hits were vogue for one of its secondary characters, the hard to come by. In addition the competitive Fonz. By 1976 it was the number-one program environment was changing radically. Cable on television. At that time ABC’s fortunes were TV networks were spreading across the in the hands of , a master pro- country, and commercial broadcasters found grammer who knew how to milk a rising series an increasing portion of their audience si- for all it was worth. Using Happy Days as his phoned off to watch commercial-free movies launching pad, he built a whole evening of and specialty channels (all news, sports, rock similarly lightweight programs on Tuesdays music, etc.). With so many viewing alterna- with Laverne & Shirley at 8:30 followed by the tives, the commercial network schedules progressively sexier Three’s Company, Soap, looked increasingly stale and derivative. and Family. The same thing worked on Wed- Gradually two new trends emerged. The nesday, where Eight Is Enough captured the soap opera, that serialized format so popular kids at 8 o’clock and Charlie’s Angels gave in daytime, became a hit in prime time as adults something to leer at at nine. well, introducing a continuing-story element Other hits were carefully nurtured in strate- missing from most prime-time series. Dallas gic places throughout the week, almost all of was the first major hit, followed by Dynasty, them thoroughly escapist comedy/action (for Falcon Crest, and . Other series the kids) or sexually titillating. Thursday had also began to work in continuing stories, Welcome Back, Kotter and Miller; Fri- such as the rocky romances on Hill Street day, Donny and Marie; Saturday; The Love Blues and . Boat and ; and Sunday, The The other trend was sparked by the much Six Million Dollar Man. Mork and Mindy was talked-about Real People in 1979 and was, in spun off from Happy Days, and The Bionic a sense, a swing back to reality. These pro- Woman from The Six Million Dollar Man. grams set out to reflect the real world, espe- ABC, long the number-three network, vaulted cially its lighter, more entertaining aspects, to number one in the ratings for the first time without necessarily trying to change it (as the in its history. relevance shows had tended to do). That’s In- As ABC’s fantasy and sex filled the air, the credible and Ripley’s Believe It or Not fol- other two networks struggled to compete. lowed closely in the spirit of Real People. They managed a few imitations of the ABC 20/20 was a cross between 60 Minutes and a style (CBS’ Dukes of Hazzard, NBC’s CHiPs), celebrity magazine, while TV’s and but CBS survived mostly on carryovers from Practical Jokes was a close relation to that old its glory days of the early 1970s (it had been snoop, . The number-one hit, in the vanguard of the relevance movement), , presented a realistic view while NBC floundered with an uneven of child rearing; and

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St. Elsewhere brought reality to police and broadcast networks seemed to care little doctor shows. Numerous syndicated pro- about). Other entertainment channels were grams picked up on the reality trend, among thematic, such as The Sci-Fi Channel and them PM Magazine, , . Rather than copycat pro- and The People’s Court. gramming, cable networks tended to provide There were still escapist fantasies like The something different. When the broadcast net- A-Team, , The Fall Guy, and works all flocked to make torn-from-the- Magnum, P.I., some of them so slapstick they headlines “reality” movies, USA Network bordered on comedy. Wildly careening auto- produced a steady stream of original roman- mobiles, a favorite since the days of Starsky & tic thrillers, TNT filmed sweeping historical Hutch and The Dukes of Hazzard, were a epics such as Gettysburg and Geronimo, and favorite device. In Knight Rider, the vehi- HBO offered Hollywood-style “events” (Bar- cle (a talking Pontiac Trans-Am named barians at the Gate, Stalin). KITT) could actually fly through the air. As the dawned, the cable networks Landings were often hard, but no one ever expanded into original series in a big way. got hurt. CNN’s Live was a major force in the 1992 Presidential elections; Nick’s Dou- The Era of Choice (1990s) ble Dare, Clarissa Explains It All, and Ren and When I first wrote about the (then) “Six Stimpy were hits with kids; USA’s Swamp Eras of Prime Time” in 1984, it looked as if fu- Thing and Theater enthralled ture updates would be easy. One network sci-fi fans; and MTV mirrored its own rest- would sooner or later stumble upon the next less “MTV generation” with innovative series trend, the other two would immediately copy such as Liquid TV and The Real World. Later, it, and the viewing public would be inun- Biography, Rugrats, , The Statler dated with clones—the next programming Brothers Show, and WWF Wrestling drew big “era.” But it hasn’t worked out that way. In- audiences. stead, the once tightly controlled world of na- Cable was not the only source for new tional television has exploded into hundreds viewing alternatives in the 1990s. Original of channels, all with their own independent syndicated series, which bypassed the net- voices. No longer can three powerful net- works and were sold directly to stations, works dictate what you will see, and no longer were booming. There had always been some does programming move in lockstep. For the successful shows of this type, such as first time viewers have a real choice, all the Lawrence Welk and , but a new era time, and they are using it. began with the fabulously successful Star The principal engine of change was cable, Trek: The Next Generation (1987)—a fran- a minor force until the early 1980s when chise which NBC had refused to give a sec- changes in government regulations (which ond chance after its original Star Trek series had previously protected the broadcast mo- in the 1960s. The same network shot itself in nopoly) ignited rapid growth. By 1987 cable the foot again in 1990 when it discarded a had wired 50 percent of U.S. TV homes, and lightweight hour called Baywatch, only to see today “cable networks” can be seen in ap- it continue in production for syndication and proximately 87 percent of households, via ei- become, reportedly, the most popular TV ther cable or satellite. At first the cable series in the world. By the 1990s scores of networks, lacking the vast financial re- original non-network series filled the early sources of the entrenched broadcasters, evening, , and (on independent sta- could afford only old movies and reruns of tions) prime-time hours, among them Ameri- old network shows. But necessity led to inge- can Gladiators, , A Current Affair, nuity, resulting in viewing alternatives that Entertainment Tonight, Hercules, Highlander, the older networks would never provide. Renegade, Rush Limbaugh, Star Trek: Deep There was continuous news (CNN), music Space Nine, and Xena: Warrior Princess. (MTV, VH1), documentaries (Discovery), in- The reaction of the three old-line networks struction (The Learning Channel, Mind Ex- to all this new competition was largely busi- tension University), cultural programs (A&E, ness as usual. As the prime-time soap operas Bravo), and services (The Weather Channel, faded in the late 1980s, all three turned to QVC). Movie channels offered films that were reality, in forms as diverse as America’s Fun- new (HBO), old (AMC), and in between (TNT, niest Home Videos, Unsolved Mysteries, and TBS, USA). offered a safe yet . and Grace Under Fire exciting environment for kids, while The were funny looks at the real-life problems of Family Channel and TNN were built around lower middle-class parents during hard times; traditional family values (something the Murphy Brown welcomed a parade of real-

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life newscasters to her fictional newsroom kicked off by The Bachelor in 2002 and con- (and took on the real-life Vice President of the tinuing with The Bachelorette, Joe Million- , Dan Quayle, in a debate about aire and Average Joe. American Idol arrived the morality of choosing to raise a child later in 2002 and led to a wave of talent shows alone); Major Dad worried about his base be- including a new and America’s ing closed due to Pentagon cutbacks. Quirki- Most Talented Kid. The next smash hit was ness was in (, Picket The Apprentice (2004), which shifted the set- Fences), as were shows about spoiled young ting to the workplace but with no less back- singles bonding (, Friends, Ellen). biting. The meanness of many of these shows Two of the three major networks were now began to wear thin and by 2005–2006 “nice run by bottom-line oriented investors who people can win too” shows such as Idol, Ex- treated them as mere factories, not show treme Makeover: Home Edition and Dancing business, leading to a proliferation of low- with the Stars were dominating the ratings. cost and sometimes sleazy prime-time “news- Meanwhile cable had its own strange varia- magazines” which often screamed as loudly tions on “reality” ranging from Jackass to as the supermarket tabloids (Dateline NBC, Project Runway and a raft of celebrity-gazing Day One, Turning Point, 48 Hours, Primetime programs (The Osbournes, Anna Nicole, Live, Street Stories, Eye to Eye with Connie Growing Up Gotti and Flavor of Love). Chung, et al.). Every mass murderer and For a time as reality overspread the net- sexual deviant in America seemed to have his work schedule cable seemed to be the refuge fifteen minutes of fame on these “informa- of scripted drama, with hits like La Femme tional” shows. Nikita, Any Day Now, Strong Medicine, The Because the older networks steadfastly re- Shield, Monk, Dead Zone, and fused to differentiate themselves, competition The Closer. But a new wave of drama gained even sprang up from new broadcast networks. traction on the broadcast networks as well, The first was the hip, racy Fox Network in 1987, including CSI, , The Third which scored hits with several shows the older Watch and, in 2004–2005, the huge hits networks had turned down as too “different” , Lost and Grey’s (Cops, Married with Children). Later, Warner Anatomy. Women became more empowered Bros.’ WB Network and Paramount’s UPN (Judging Amy, Crossing Jordan, Medium, launched a mix of prime-time comedy and ac- , anything on Lifetime). Sitcoms tion serving youth and ethnic minorities. were receding, although there was a sub- trend toward slobbish guys with smart, sexy The Reality Era (2000s) wives, as in The King of Queens, According to As the chaotic ’90s, with its mixture of Jim, Yes Dear and Everybody Loves Ray- spoiled-singles sitcoms and gritty reality- mond. Youth was served more than ever be- drama (ER, N.Y.P.D. Blue, Law & Order) fore, with teen angst on Dawson’s Creek, 7th wound to an end, network television stum- Heaven and One Tree Hill (and, humorously, bled on to the “next big thing” in real reality on ), as well with shows. Imagine, putting real people on the whole networks like MTV, the Cartoon Net- screen and watching them worry, scheme work and Comedy Central (where the faux- and sweat! The vanguard of this new wave newscast became a prime was the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Million- news source for the younger generation). aire in the late summer of 1999, which re- Kids got cable hits like The Powerpuff Girls, minded networks of the value of audience SpongeBob SquarePants, Lizzie McGuire and participation (anyone could get on the show Yu-Gi-Oh! Most of the time there are more by calling in and taking some tests) and of people watching cable, in aggregate, than are showing us ourselves on the screen. Survivor watching the broadcast networks, even in 2000 clinched it, with its soap opera back- though individual broadcast shows draw biting and theatricality as one contestant af- larger audiences than individual cable ter another was “voted off the island.” MTV shows. A concern is that as niche cable chan- had been doing this sort of thing for youth nels are gobbled up by huge entertainment since The Real World premiered in 1992, but conglomerates their individuality is elimi- now adults discovered it, and a flood of imi- nated in the relentless chase for big, common- tators followed. denominator audiences. MTV, once a voice First there was a wave of stranded-on-the- for music, becomes “lifestyle”; The Nashville island (or somewhere) shows, including Network, once the voice of the heartland, be- Temptation Island, Big Brother, The Amazing comes generic male Spike TV; A&E, once Race and The Mole. Next came the catfights high-tone programming, becomes gimmicky on the romantic “rose ceremony” shows, reality; Faith & Values, once a home for reli-

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gion, becomes the general entertainment centage of U.S. homes with one or more TV ; CourtTV, once a window sets leaped from 1 percent to 50 percent in into real trials, becomes generic “crime and five short years (1948–1953), and passed 90 punishment”; and so on. percent in the early 1960s. Today 98 percent All this choice has not deterred viewers of U.S. homes have TV—it is everywhere. from their time-honored tradition of com- And the average home has its set on eight plaining about TV. However, Bruce Spring- hours a day, every day, watching and record- steen’s 1992 song “57 Channels (And Nothin’ ing. You can even catch up on shows on the On)” seems supremely ironic, given the di- Internet or on your iPod, representing “per- versity mentioned above; the problem may sonal,” portable TV that many think is the well be a generation unwilling to give any- wave of the future. The explosion in cable thing more than five seconds of its attention, channels has only added to the enormous va- rather than a lack of quality alternatives. As riety of programs available. the authors are acutely aware, as we try to As for the programs we’ve watched, they’re keep up with it all on your behalf, this is tele- all in these pages. Leaf through the book, vision’s of Choice. guided perhaps by the year-by-year network Over the years America’s love affair with schedules and top program rankings in the television has matured from initial infatua- back. A panorama of the series and the stars tion to an accepted, and pervasive, part of who captivated America for 60-plus years is everyday life. It happened very fast. The per- on display.

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