TV by the Decade :: July 17•23

MGM Television Entertainment

There were a lot of TV series that made their debuts this week, but many of them struggled to find an audience willing to spend any time with them during the summer month. The most successful of the lot were talk shows, and one reality series that is still in production. A few of this week’s show made it to three season, some made it to two, most only saw one season, and one debut was a pilot that only became a series five years later … with a different title and star. Do you remember any of the shows that debuted this week? Read on to learn more about them and tell us if your favorite is on the list!

1952

July 17 – Operation Information

• Synopsis: This public-service series was designed to inform military veterans of their rights and benefits.
• Network: DuMont
• Broadcast History: One season, 10 episodes, last broadcast on September 18, 1952
• Trivia: As with most DuMont series, no episodes are known to exist.

1962

• No new series premiered this week in 1962.

1972

• No new series premiered this week in 1972.

1982

July 21 – Cass Malloy

• Cast: Caroline McWilliams, Dianne Kay, Murphy Dunne, Amanda Wyss, Corey Feldman, Heather Hobbs, Glynn Turman, Dick Butkus, Lou Richards, George Wyner
• Notable Guests: Graham Jarvis
• Synopsis: Cass Malloy, a pretty wife and mother who, after the untimely death of her husband, Big Jim Malloy, replaces him as Sheriff of Burr County, Indiana.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One episode
• Trivia: Aired as a one-off special but did not perform to the network’s expectations and was not picked up to series. The idea did eventually become She’s the Sheriff in 1987. Annie Potts was originally cast in the titular role but was dropped in favor of Caroline McWilliams, who was looking for a new show after leaving Benson. George Wyner and Lou Richards reprised their roles in She’s the Sheriff but with different last names.

1992

July 20 – Human Target

• Cast: Rick Springfield, Kirk Baltz, Sami Chester, Signy Coleman
• Notable Guests: Richard Belzer, Gregg Daniel, Clarence Clemons, Frances Fisher, Rachel Bilson, Bibi Besch, David Carradine, Jim Caviezel, George Chakiris, David Clennon, R. Lee Ermey, Harry Guardino, Kevin McCarthy, John Wesley Shipp
• Synopsis: The series follows the adventures of Christopher Chance, a Vietnam War vet turned bodyguard and private investigator who uses advanced technology and sophisticated makeup to assume the identity of his client, becoming a human target.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: One season, 7 episodes, last broadcast on August 29, 1992
• Trivia: Based on the DC comic book character of the same title created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. Frances Fisher and Clarence Clemons appeared in the unaired pilot but were replaced for the series.

2002

July 17 – 30 Seconds To Fame

• Host: Craig Jackson
• Notable Guests:
• Synopsis: A talent show where acts could only last up to 30 seconds each, regardless of any resolution to the act.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 16 episodes, last broadcast on June 26, 2003
• Trivia: The live audience acted as the judges deciding who would be eliminated or who would go on to the final round.

July 17 – Breaking News

• Cast: Tim Matheson, Scott Bairstow, Myndy Crist, Vincent Gale, Rowena King, Jeffrey D. Sams, Lisa Ann Walter, Clancy Brown
• Notable Guests: Paul Adelstein, Patricia Wettig, Bronson Pinchot, Christine Ebersole, John Ritter, Alvin Sanders, Ken Olin
• Synopsis: American drama television series about the fictional Milwaukee-based 24-hour cable news television network I-24, with the motto ‘Around the Clock, Around the World’.
• Network: Bravo
• Broadcast History: One season, 13 episodes, last broadcast on October 9, 2002
• Trivia: The show was originally produced for TNT at a cost of $20 million over nine months. Bravo had announced plans to produce more episodes, but they never came to be.

July 19 – Whatever Happened to… Robot Jones?

• Cast: Grey Griffin, Gary LeRoi Gray, Myles Jeffrey, Kyle Sullivan, Jeff Bennett, Bobby Block
• Notable Guests: Dee Bradley Baker, Rip Taylor, David Koechner, Josh Peck, Mae Whitman, Gedde Watanabe, Maurice LaMarche, Tom Kenny, Randy Savage
• Synopsis: In a town set in the retro 1980’s, a young robot must collect data on humans and do whatever he can to fit in with them.
• Network: Cartoon Network
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 13 episodes, last broadcast on November 14, 2003
• Trivia: The first pilot for the show aired June 16, 2000. The first season voice of Robot Jones was created with a Microsoft Word 98 text-to-speech function. Child actor Bobby Block voiced the character in Season 2, and the Season 1 episodes were re-dubbed with Block’s voice. The original concept for the show was to have Robot grow up in a show that was styled after The Wonder Years and it would end in the style of The Terminator with Robot and his robot army attacking the human race.

July 20 – The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius

Nickelodeon

• Cast: Debi Derryberry, Jeffrey Garcia, Rob Paulsen, Carolyn Lawrence, Frank Welker, Mark DeCarlo, Megan Cavanagh, Andrea Martin, Crystal Scales, Candi Milo, Phil LaMarr, Billy West
• Notable Guests: Tim Curry, Tom Kenny, Kevin Michael Richardson, Maurice LaMarche, Wendie Malick, Kath Soucie, Jim Belushi, Dee Bradley Baker, Grey Griffin, Tara Strong, Christian Slater, Michael Clarke Duncan, John Kassir, Phyllis Diller, Edie McClurg, Dan Castellaneta, Mel Brooks, Ving Rhames, Ming-Na Wen, Tress MacNeille, Jay Leno
• Synopsis: The show follows a scientifically-minded boy named Jimmy Neutron from Retroville, Texas who frequently goes on adventures with his two best friends Sheen and Carl, usually involving his inventions going awry.
• Network: Nickelodeon
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 61 episodes, last broadcast on November 25, 2006
• Trivia: Won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced for Children in 2004. The animated series Planet Sheen was a spin-off. A different spin-off had been planned based around superhero Ultra Lord but was cancelled for unknown reasons. There were three crossover episodes with The Fairly OddParents. Jimmy’s hairstyle was inspired by Ace Ventura’s signature hair. Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen are the only characters to appear in every episode of the series. Nickelodeon’s first computer animated series.

July 20 – She Spies

• Cast: Natasha Henstridge, Kristen Miller, Natashia Williams, Carlos Jacott, Jamie Iglehart, Cameron Daddo
• Notable Guests: Bruce Boxleitner, Julie Benz, Barry Bostwick, Ray Wise, Priscilla Barnes, Stephen Nichols, Hunter Tylo, Brooke Burns, Charles Shaughnessy, Jason George, Claudia Christian, Louis Mandylor, Dot-Marie Jones, Joshua Malina, Jeffrey Combs, Josh Henderson, Edward Albert, Tony Denison, Susan Blakely, Jeff Conaway, Mindy Sterling, John Rubinstein, Sam Witwer, Dee Wallace, Henry Gibson, Jeff Dunham, Stephen Furst, George Wyner, David Chokachi, Samantha Eggar, Joan Severance, Masi Oka
• Synopsis: Three female convicted felons who were incarcerated for electronic crimes, confidence tricks and battery are paroled from prison in exchange for work as secret operatives for the US government under ‘ComCent’, a branch of the ISD. In addition, they have to answer to a special agent in charge of the success of their operations and of making sure that the terms of their conditional release are consistently followed.
• Network: NBC/Syndication
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 40 episodes, last broadcast on May 17, 2004
• Trivia: The first four episodes aired on NBC before moving into Syndication. The show bore noticeable similarities to Charlie’s Angels. Season 1 featured more humor and ‘fourth wall breaking’ that was removed in Season 2, which may have led to a drop in ratings and cancellation. Natasha Henstridge was not interested in the same type of ‘three spies series’ but producers promised her it would be a spoof with no drama like Charlie’s Angels.

July 21 – For the People

• Cast: Debbi Morgan, Lea Thompson, Frank Grillo, A Martinez, Cecilia Suárez, Julian Bailey, Derek Morgan, Jeffrey Pierce
• Notable Guests: Armin Shimerman, Tamlyn Tomita, Amanda Plummer, CCH Pounder, Yvette Nicole Brown, Kim Darby, Priscilla Barnes, Charles Fleischer, Gregory Itzin, Gabrielle Carteris, George Wyner, Michael Reilly Burke, Lisa Pelikan, Wendy Phillips, Felicia Day, Bellamy Young
• Synopsis: A liberal Los Angeles assistant district attorney gets a new conservative boss.
• Network: Lifetime
• Broadcast History: One season, 18 episodes, last broadcast on February 16, 2003

July 22 – Meet My Folks

• Host: Nick Savastano
• Synopsis: Three bachelors spend three days with the possible ‘woman or man of their dreams’ and her or his family in their home, with conversations and interaction intended to reveal the bachelors’ character and intentions. The winner gets a week in Hawaii with ‘Miss Right’, if her or his family approves.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 20 episodes, last broadcast on August 25, 2003
• Trivia: Inspired by the movie Meet the Parents. Before Universal and NBC were under the same corporate banner, the studio threatened to sue the network because of the similarities — including a lie detector test — but the lawsuit did not come to fruition. The first season aired in July and August of 2002. Season 2 had a tortured broadcast history, airing seven episodes between January and March 2003, three episodes in May, one episode in July, and the final two episodes in August.

2012

July 17 – American Gypsies

• Synopsis: Reality program in which a Roma family fights to keep their culture.
• Network: National Geographic Channel
• Broadcast History: One season, 9 episodes, last broadcast on September 12. 2012

July 17 – Larry King Now

• Host: Larry King
• Synopsis: Talk show featuring interviews with newsmakers, celebrities, world leaders, and Internet stars.
• Network: Ora TV
• Broadcast History: Eight seasons, 1000 episodes, last broadcast on February 7. 2020
• Trivia: Ora TV was founded by King, his wife Shawn Southwick King, and Carlos Slim. The show was also available on Hulu.

July 18 – Mama Drama

• Synopsis: Reality television series that focuses on five mother-daughter pairs who are put together in a penthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Network: VH1
• Broadcast History: One season, 10 episodes, last broadcast on September 2, 2012

July 19 – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Sony Pictures Television

• Cast: Jerry Seinfeld
• Notable Guests: Larry David, Alec Baldwin, Joel Hodgson, Bob Einstein, Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks, David Letterman, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Patton Oswalt, Tina Feym Jason Alexander & Wayne Knight, Howard Stern, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jon Stewart, Amy Schumer, Miranda Sings, Fred Armisen, Ali Wentworth, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steve Harvey, Jim Carrey, Stephen Colbert, Barack Obama, Steve Martin, Garry Shandling, Will Ferrell, Margaret Cho, Lorne Michaels, John Oliver, Kristen Wiig, Norm Macdonald, Lewis Black, Christoph Waltz, Zach Galifianakis, Ellen DeGeneres, Tracy Morgan, Dana Carvey, Kate McKinnon, Jerry Lewis, Eddie Murphy, Seth Rogen, Matthew Broderick, Martin Short, Melissa Villaseñor, Bridget Everett
• Synopsis: Jerry Seinfeld is joined by friends for a cup of coffee and a drive in a classic car, sharing stories all along the way.
• Network: Crackle/Netflix
• Broadcast History: Eleven seasons, 84 episodes, last broadcast on July 19, 2019
• Trivia: The series moved to Netflix for its last two seasons, with the first nine also being available on the platform. The first nine seasons were streamed nearly 100 million times on Crackle. Howard Schultz, the Chairman of Starbucks, turned down the opportunity to sponsor the show. The first episode filmed and last episode released feature Barry Marder and the same 1966 Porsche 356. Each episode cost about $100,000, and guests were paid in cash for a shoot that took about 3.5 hours. The show was designed to be comfortably watched on a smartphone. The show was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards.

July 19 – Great Lake Warriors

• Synopsis: The show follows the lives of a number of tugboat sailors in the Great Lakes region
• Network: History
• Broadcast History: One season, 8 episodes, last broadcast on September6, 2012
• Trivia: The show features Calumet Fleeting, Heritage Marine, and Thunder Bay Tug Services. The companies are located in Duluth, Minnesota, South Chicago, Illinois, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, respectively.

July 19 – Sullivan & Son

Wild West Picture Show Productions

• Cast: Steve Byrne, Brian Doyle-Murray, Christine Ebersole, Jodi Long, Valerie Azlynn, Vivian Bang, Owen Benjamin, Roy Wood Jr., Dan Lauria, Ahmed Ahmed
• Notable Guests: Billy Gardell, John Michael Higgins, Ken Jeong, Charles Shaughnessy, Will Sasso, George Wallace, Pat Sajak, Margaret Cho, Loretta Devine, Ted McGinley, Kerri Kenney, Leslie Jones
• Synopsis: The series centers on Steve Sullivan, a corporate attorney from New York City who visits his Irish American father Jack and Korean mother Ok Cha just as they are preparing to sell their bar in a Pittsburgh working-class neighborhood and retire. To their surprise, he decides to stay and run the bar.
• Network: TBS
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 33 episodes, last broadcast on September 9, 2014
• Trivia: Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley were producers on the show.

July 20 – Gangsters: America’s Most Evil

• Narrator: Cornell Womack, Tim Hopper
• Synopsis: Documentary television series which profiles notorious criminals whose crimes involve murder, drug trafficking, racketeering and human trafficking.
• Network: Bio/Reelz
• Broadcast History: Six seasons, 45 episodes, current as of April 26, 2022
• Trivia: The show moved to Reelz with the fourth season.

July 21 – You Gotta See This

• Host: Noah Crawford, Chris O’Neal
• Synopsis: Combines the best of the web, behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews, pranks, bloopers and as a 30-minute series that rolls all the must-see clips of the week into one hilarious package.
• Network: Nickelodeon/Nicktoons
• Broadcast History: One season, 20 episodes (8 unaired), last broadcast on April 1, 2014
• Trivia: The first eight episodes aired on Nickelodeon in 2012. Episodes 9-12 aired on Nicktoons on April 1, 2014, and the remaining episodes went unaired. The unaired episodes in the US did air in Canada, the Philippines, the UK, Ireland, Southeast Asia and Australia.