TV by the Decade :: June 27•July 3

CBS

Only seven new series made their debuts this week across the decades, and six of them were all in the same year, with a few being mildly successful and the rest disappearing as quickly as they appeared. The one truly successful series was the sole 1951 debut, but it also become one of the most controversial television shows in history the moment it aired. Read on to get more information, and see if any of your favorites are on the list.

1951

June 28 – Amos ‘n’ Andy

• Cast: Alvin Childress, Spencer Williams, Tim Moore, Johnny Lee, Ernestine Wade, Amanda Randolph, Nick Stewart
• Guest Cast: Jester Hairston, Ruby Dandridge, Gene Roth, Edward Banks, John Eldredge, Anthony Warde, James Flavin, Byron Foulger, Fritz Feld, Ray Walker, Ned Wertimer, Harry Shannon, Kim Hamilton, Verna Felton
• Synopsis: Stories mostly centered on The Kingfish’s schemes to get rich, often by duping his brothers in the Mystic Knights of the Sea Lodge. Andy was particularly dupable. Amos mostly narrated.
• Network: CBS / Syndication
• Broadcast History: Four seasons, 78 episodes, last broadcast on CBS – November 24, 1953, but continued in syndication with first-run episodes through 1955.
• Trivia: Series began on radio on March 29, 1928 with two white actors, show creators Charles Correll & Freeman Gosden, playing the three central Black characters: Amos, Andy and The Kingfish. It took four years to find a cast for the series. Correll and Gosden originally planned to voice the characters and have the actors lip-sync. They did record lines of dialogue to serve as a guideline for the television show dialogue, with the Black actors instructed to keep their voices and speech patterns similar to those of Correll and Gosden. It was among the first TV sitcoms to use a multi-camera format, four months before I Love Lucy ‘pioneered’ the technique. The NAACP protested the show almost as soon as it began, and that pressure led to the cancellation. It is suggested CBS erred by debuting the series at the same time as the NAACP national convention, which increased objections to the show. The show was repeated in syndication until 1966 when CBS finally gave in to pressure from the NAACP and the growing Civil Rights Movement. Bootleg VHS and DVD sets have made the show available, which have included up to 71 of the 78 known episodes, however CBS has issued cease and desist orders to manufacturers. A documentary, Amos ‘n’ Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy, aired in 1983 featuring surviving cast members and stars like Redd Foxx and Marla Gibbs, who emphasized the importance of a show featuring Black actors in lead roles, and disagreeing with the NAACP’s objections. A group of cast members began a ‘TV Stars of Amos & Andy’ cross-country tour in 1956, but it was halted by CBS for copyright infringement. In 2004, the Trio network brought the series back to television for one night to reintroduce the series to a 21st century audience. In 2012, Rejoice TV began airing the series nationwide for the first time since 1966, but the network folded six years later.

1961

• No new series debuted in 1961.

1971

• No new series debuted in 1971.

1981

• No new series debuted in 1981.

1991

• No new series debuted in 1991.

2001

• No new series debuted in 2001.

2011

June 28 – I Kid with Brad Garrett

• Host: Brad Garrett
• Synopsis: Brad Garrett interviews youngsters in a combination of in-studio and field segments as well as user-generated content.
• Network: TLC
• Broadcast History: One season, 12 episodes, last broadcast on August 2, 2011

June 29 – Love in the Wild

• Hosts: Darren McMullen (season 1), Jenny McCarthy (season 2)
• Synopsis: An enticing series in which coupling takes place randomly and the journey to search for love begins despite challenges and annoying partners. The best couple gets a chance to tour the world together.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 16 episodes, last broadcast on July 25, 2012
• Trivia: Two couples from Season 1 and three couples from Season 2 ended up getting married, although one Season 2 couple did divorce. One contestant, Jesse Wilson, appeared on the Syfy Channel reality competition Opposite Worlds.

June 29 – Necessary Roughness

• Cast: Callie Thorne, Scott Cohen, Mehcad Brooks, Marc Blucas, Hannah Marks, Patrick Johnson, Gregory Alan Williams, Brandon S.K. Porter
• Guest Cast: John Stamos, David Anders, Autumn Reeser, Evan Handler, Danielle Panabaker, Andrea Anders, Rob Estes, Concetta Tomei, Jason Gedrick, Peter MacNicol, Orlando Jones, Craig Bierko, Terrell Owens, William Ragsdale, Adam Rose, Raphael Sbarge, Ioan Gruffudd, Gail O’Grady, Paul Blackthorne, Amy Sedaris, Mark Cuban, Joe Theisman, Teddy Sears, Pooch Hall, Matt Angel, Samm Levine, Ryan McPartlin, Garcelle Beauvais, Candis Cayne, Drew Powell, Amy Pietz, Adam Rodriguez, Donna Biscoe, Evander Holyfield, Michael Imperioli, Jeffrey Nordling, Jessica Pike, Christine Quinn, Matthew Rimmer
• Synopsis: A Long Island psychotherapist’s personal life unravels when she finds her husband cheating. Diving fully into her work, Dr. Dani Santino soon finds herself as the most sought-after therapist for high-profile clients. Athletes, entertainers, politicians, and others living in the spotlight clamor for her unique brand of tough love therapy during their moments of crisis. Although her career is reenergized, it wreaks havoc on her life as a newly minted single mom of two teenagers.
• Network: USA Network
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 38 episodes, last broadcast on August 21, 2013
• Trivia: Based on the true story of a female psychologist Dr. Donna Dannenfelser who worked for the New York Jets. The series’ original title was Dr. Donna. While the series is set in New York City, it was filmed in Atlanta.

June 29 – State of Georgia

• Cast: Raven-Symoné, Majandra Delfino, Loretta Devine
• Guest Cast: Hasan Minhaj, Phil LaMarr, Charlie Weber, Garcelle Beauvais, Jason Derulo, Amy Hill, Jenifer Lewis
• Synopsis: Georgia Chamberlain (Raven-Symoné) is an aspiring actress from the south who wants to become a household name, so she moves to New York City with her science geek best friend, Jo (Delfino). Georgia’s Aunt Honey (Loretta Devine) is a wealthy woman with an active sex life who appears to give the girls advice.
• Network: ABC Family
• Broadcast History: One season, 12 episodes, last broadcast on August 17, 2011
• Trivia: The original title was The Great State of Georgia.

July 1 – Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures

• Cast: Taylor Gray, Dillon Lane, Ashley Argota, Tiffany Espensen, Glenn McCuen, George Back
• Guest Cast: D.C. Cody, Ben Giroux, Regi Davis, Patrick Gallagher, Matt Shively. Cody Simpson, Max Aria, Sara Bareilles, Sara Beers, Patrick Bristow, Cody Chappel, Kiersey Clemons, Chelsea Cook, Halston Sage, Francine York
• Synopsis: The series follows two friends from the fictional California town of Pacific Bluffs. Often, the boys act quite sporadically leading them to multiple conflicts.
• Network: Nickelodeon
• Broadcast History: One season, 26 episodes, last broadcast on May 1, 2013
• Trivia: The series moved from Nickelodeon, where it ended June 9, 2012 with eight unaired episodes, to TeenNick on December 22, 2012 to finish its run.