TV by the Decade :: August 7•13

TNT

Several new shows premiered this week over the course of several decades but 2012 by far had the most new premieres. But remember a time when we had to wait for a movie to come on TV before we could see it again after seeing it at the movies? ABC remedied that problem in 1962. 1982 saw a spoof of primetime soaps that was generally misunderstood but led to the creation of another series that became a classic. 1992 had a YA drama that was a blip on the radar, and 2002 had a show that didn’t make it past its premiere. 2012 blessed (or cursed) TV viewers with a reality show about a child pageant queen, a topical comedy series, a clever travelogue, a Pawn Stars spin-off, and a new show that was a continuation of another show. Find out more about these and this week’s other new shows and tell us if you remember any of them!

1952

• No new series premiered this week in 1952.

1962

August 8 – The ABC Sunday Night Movie

• Synopsis: Network broadcast premieres of theatrical films.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: Thirty-six seasons, last broadcast on August 2, 1998
• Trivia: The series originated briefly in 1962 as Hollywood Special, a replacement for the cancelled Bus Stop series, and became a regular fixture under its more well-known title beginning in 1964. Since 2004, it has aired sporadically as ABC Sunday Movie of the Week, and during the 2011-2012 season the only films broadcast were Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movies, which moved exclusively to the Hallmark Channel in 2014. Since then only annual holiday airings of The Sound of Music and The Ten Commandments have aired under the banner title. ABC had purchased 15 United Artists titles for the initial run. Films were often edited for time and content. The first broadcast of the 177-minute Moby Dick aired in a two-hour slot with commercials. On occasion the time slot was expanded to two-and-a-half hours to accommodate a film’s longer run time as it did for the 1966 premiere of Carousel. The 1982 premiere of Superman was broadcast in two parts with additional footage. Extra footage was also added to the broadcast of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1983, Superman II in 1984 and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1985. Longer event films were broadcast in a three-hour time slot with the banner title changed to ABC Sunday Movie Special, with family films starting an hour earlier so younger viewers didn’t have to stay up late. Viewers lost interest in theatrical movies edited and interrupted by commercials with the advent of cable networks like HBO airing films uncut and commercial-free.

1972

• No new series premiered this week in 1972.

1982

August 9 – Filthy Rich

CBS

• Cast: Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Charles Frank, Jerry Hardin, Michael Lombard, Nedra Volz, Ann Wedgeworth
• Notable Guests: Forrest Tucker, Tracey Walter, Slim Pickens, Maryedith Burrell, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Allyce Beasley, Henry Jones, Barrie Youngfellow
• Synopsis: In a satire of primetime soaps like Dallas and Dynasty, an eccentric family is forced to live under one roof to receive a share of the vast fortune that was left behind by their patriarch.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 15 episodes, last broadcast on June 15, 1983
• Trivia: Slim Pickens played the deceased family patriarch in the pilot, while the part was played by Forrest Tucker afterwards. CBS optioned the series for the 1981-1982 schedule but did not include it in the 1981 Fall announcement. Delta Burke was offered the role of Katherine Wentworth on Dallas and a recurring role on Private Benjamin which she was forced to turn down because she was under contract to Filthy Rich. Dixie Carter was approached to replace Tammy Grimes in Broadway’s 42nd Street but also had to decline because CBS would not allow her out of the contract. Cast members had to take small roles on other TV shows while they awaited word on the fate of Filthy Rich. Dixie Carter auditioned for the role of Bootsie Westchester, but she was so impressive she was given the role of the series’ villain Carlotta Beck. While the first pilot was an hour, a second 30-minute pilot was ordered in March 1982 which the network asked to be ‘less bizarre’. It still did not place on the Fall schedule. In August 1982, the first pilot was split into two and aired with the second pilot over three consecutive weeks, surprising the network by topping the ratings. CBS scrambled to get the series on the air in the Fall and bumped new series Mama Malone from the schedule (that finally aired in 1984). While viewers tuned in, critics were vicious with creator Linda Bloodworth Thomason calling it the ‘most misunderstood show’ she’d ever been with. Delta Burke felt pressured to maintain a slim figure and discovered crystal meth, which gave her paranoia and lapses into unconsciousness. Slim Pickens had to undergo emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor the day after the show premiered and was unable to return to the role of Big Guy Beck. The series was rushed into production for an October 5 premiere with unfinished scripts. It aired opposite NBC’s new Family Ties and ratings quickly plummeted. The series was taken off the air at the end of the month. It returned in January 1983 for a month and was pulled again. The final two episodes aired in June 1983 after the show had officially been cancelled. One up-side was that the show paved the way for Designing Women, also created by Thomason and starring Burke and Carter.

1992

August 11 – Freshman Dorm

• Cast: Matthew Fox, Paige French, Robyn Lively, Kevin Mambo, Arlene Taylor, Casper Van Dien, Lisa Fuller, Justin Lazard
• Notable Guests: Robin Thomas, Rena Sofer, Jenna Elfman, Grace Zabriskie, Joel Gretsch, Bibi Besch
• Synopsis: The series followed the lives of three dormmates, Molly, K.C. and Lulu, who live in a co-ed dormitory at the fictional Western Pacific University in southern California.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 5 episodes, last broadcast on September 9, 1992
• Trivia: Based on the young adult fiction series of the same name written by Linda Alper Cooney. Exterior scenes for the show were shot at Whittier College.

2002

August 8 – Campfire Café

• Cast: Johnny Nix, Pamela Alford, Larry Wiseheart
• Synopsis: Cooking show.
• Network: RFD-TV
• Broadcast History: On hiatus
• Trivia: The original version of the show hosted by Johnny Nix ended sometime in the Winter of 2006. The new version with Pamela Alford and Larry Wiseheart debuted shortly afterwards. A celebrity edition aired in 2005-2006, and again in 2011, with guests such as Mark Chesnutt, Jett Williams, Mark Wills, Andy Griggs, John Conlee, Joe Diffie, the Kentucky Headhunters, Buddy Jewell, Ray Price, and the Roys.

August 13 – Beware of Dog

• Cast: Carolyn Dunn, Richard Waugh, Gage Knox, Alex Appel, Park Bench
• Synopsis: The program focuses on a bearded collie named Jack, whose Look Who’s Talking-style narration provided his perspective of his newly adopted family.
• Network: Animal Planet
• Broadcast History: Two episodes, last broadcast on August 13, 2002
• Trivia: The series was cancelled before a third episode was scheduled to air. It’s not known how many episodes were actually produced.

2012

August 8 – Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

TLC

• Cast: Jo Shannon, Alana Thompson, June Shannon, Jessica Shannon, Lauryn Shannon, Anna Cardwell, Mike Thompson
• Synopsis: The show revolves around Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson and her family’s adventures in the town of McIntyre, Georgia.
• Network: TLC
• Broadcast History: Four seasons, 48 episodes, last broadcast on April 21, 2017
• Trivia: The family gained fame after appearing on TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras. The show’s name comes from a taunt that Alana hurled at another pageant contestant during her debut in Toddlers & Tiaras, but a sweeping misinterpretation from the general public resulted in Alana being referred to as ‘Honey Boo Boo Child’ instead. The show was in production on a fifth season when it was abruptly cancelled after ‘Mama June’ was seen with convicted sex offender Mark Anthony McDaniel. Four episodes that had been produced were eventually aired in 2017 as a two-hour special subtitled ‘The Lost Episodes’, but sources say an entire season was left unaired. ‘Watch ‘N’ Sniff’ cards were distributed for the second season premiere, allowing viewers to release scents corresponding to certain scenes.

August 9 – Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell

• Cast: W. Kamau Bell
• Notable Guests: Dwayne Kennedy, Guy Branum, Chris Rock, Hannibal Buress, Frank Conniff, Jim Norton, Alex Wagner, George Takei, Big Freedia, Janeane Garofalo, Wanda Sykes, Issa Rae, John Oliver, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chris Hayes, Sarah Silverman, Jeffrey Wright, Aisha Tyler, Don Cheadle, Bill Burr, Billy Porter, Nikki Glaser, Jesse Ventura, Tracy Morgan, David Alan Grier, Trevor Noah, Judy Gold, Wyatt Cenac, Soledad O’Brien, John Fugelsang, Matt Taibbi, Rachel Maddow, Lewis Black, Rocco DiSpirito, Laverne Cox, Michelle Buteau, Jim Gaffigan, Gilbert Gottfried, Mike Tyson, Penn Jillette, Colin Quinn, Melissa Harris-Perry
• Synopsis: The series focuses on politics, pop culture, race, religion, media and sex.
• Network: FX/FXX
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 64 episodes, last broadcast on November 14, 2013
• Trivia: To maintain topicality, most of the show was taped the day it aired. The show moved to FXX for its second season.

August 9 – Up to Speed

• Cast: Timothy ‘Speed’ Levitch
• Synopsis: Follows tour guide, historian and flâneur Timothy ‘Speed’ Levitch as he visits the monumentally ignored monuments of America’s cities, from the shoe gardens of San Francisco to the luckiest subway grate in New York City.
• Network: Hulu
• Broadcast History: One season, 6 episodes, last broadcast on September 13, 2012.
• Trivia: Directed by Richard Linklater.

August 12 – Insane Coaster Wars

• Narrator: Andrew Morgado
• Synopsis: Each episode is based on a certain roller coaster category and features four coasters per category.
• Network: Travel Channel
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 21 episodes, last broadcast on July 20, 2014
• Trivia: Before the series began, Travel Channel announced the four roller coasters in each category and allowed voters to decide which one is the best. At the end of each episode, the ride with the most votes would be the winner. Season 2 carried the subtitle ‘World Domination’ and included coasters in Abu Dhabi and Canada.

August 12 – High School Moms

• Cast: Brandy Chance, Ricardo LeBlank-Esparza, Joanna Vincenti, Tessa Rybkowski, Maegan Singleton
• Synopsis: The series follows the daily lives of those who work and attend Florence Crittenton High School, a school that exclusively caters to teenage mothers and currently pregnant girls.
• Network: TLC
• Broadcast History: One season, 6 episodes, last broadcast on September 20, 2012

August 13 – Counting Cars

Leftfield Pictures

• Cast: Danny Koker, Scott Jones, Kevin Mack, Michael ‘Horny Mike’ Henry, Shannon Aikau, Ryan Evans, Big Ryan, Harry ‘Grandpa’ Rome Sr., Joseph ‘Doc’ Duggan, George
• Synopsis: Chronicles the daily activities at Count’s Kustoms, an automobile restoration and customization company owned and operated by Danny Koker a.k.a. The Count. The series follows Koker and his staff as they restore and modify classic automobiles and motorcycles.
• Network: History
• Broadcast History: Ten seasons, 180 episodes to date
• Trivia: Third spin-off of Pawn Stars.

August 13 – Gallery Girls

• Cast: Liz Margulies, Kerri Lisa, Chantal Chadwick, Claudia Reardon, Angela Pham, Amy Poliakoff, Maggie Schaffer
• Synopsis: The series follows several weeks in the lives of seven ambitious young women in New York City who struggle with the intense environment of the art world while attempting to find their ‘dream jobs’.
• Network: Bravo
• Broadcast History: One season, 8 episodes, last broadcast on October 1, 2012

August 13 – Hotel Hell

• Cast: Gordon Ramsay
• Synopsis: Ramsay visits various struggling lodging establishments throughout the United States in an attempt to reverse their misfortunes.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 22 episodes, last broadcast on July 26, 2016
• Trivia: The series was originally to premiere on Friday, April 6, 2012 but was moved to Monday, June 4 after The Finder was moved to Friday. The premiere was rescheduled again for Monday, August 13 because Ramsay’s other shows, Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef, had also aired on Mondays during the Summer. The first season had six episodes while the last two had eight.

August 13 – Major Crimes

• Cast: Mary McDonnell, G. W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz, Kearran Giovanni, Phillip P. Keene, Graham Patrick Martin, Jonathan Del Arco, Robert Gossett, Jon Tenney, Leonard Roberts, Daniel Di Tomasso, Jessica Meraz
• Recurring Cast: Kathe Mazur, Ransford Doherty, Ian Bohen, Nadine Velazquez, Madison McLaughlin, Bill Brochtrup, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tom Berenger, Dawnn Lewis, Ever Carradine, Rene Rosado, Garrett Coffey
• Notable Guests: Jason Gedrick, Billy Burke, Julie Ann Emery, Jayne Brook, Curtis Armstrong, Jeri Ryan, Laurie Holden, D.B. Sweeney, Camryn Manheim, Steve Valentine, Lochlyn Munro, Josh Randall, James Morrison, Tuc Watkins, Patricia Wettig, Michael Weatherly, Tim Conway, Jere Burns, Lori Loughlin, Dan Castellaneta, Paul Dooley, Luke Perry, Joe Regalbuto, David Naughton, Michael Nouri, Ron Glass, Harry Groener, Annie Potts, Alan Ruck, Jamie Bamber, Missi Pyle, Doris Roberts, Chris Wood, Costas Mandylor, Jessica Lundy, Daniel Roebuck, Christopher Gorham, Jessica Tuck, Frederick Koehler, Craig Sheffer, Marion Ross, Linda Purl, Sherilyn Fenn, Carlo Rota, Sam Harris, Gail O’Grady, Elizabeth Peña, Joel Brooks, Justina Machado, Kenneth Mitchell, Alicia Coppola, Leslie Grossman, Patrick Cassidy, Conor Leslie, Jon Polito, Rob Estes, Rebecca Wisocky, Daniella Alonso, Mario Lopez, Erik Stocklin, Sam Pancake, William R. Moses, Cooper Huckabee, Esai Morales, David Mazouz, Jim Beaver, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Jack Plotnick, Paula Poundstone, Colin Ferguson, Rick Fox
• Synopsis: Police drama, a continuation spin-off from The Closer, set in the same police division now headed by Sharon Raydor, who faces difficult challenges as she assumes Johnson’s former post as head of the Major Crimes Division.
• Network: TNT
• Broadcast History: Six seasons, 105 episodes, last broadcast on January 9, 2018
• Trivia: Many cast members of The Closer continued their roles on the new series. An additional six episodes were built into the final season of The Closer that would set up the continuation. The Closer star Kyra Sedgwick had a deal to appear in a three-episode arc of Major Crimes at some point but her schedule never worked out. The first episode aired following the finale of The Closer.

August 13 – Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja

• Cast: Ben Schwartz, Andrew Lewis Caldwell, Facundo Reyes, John DiMaggio, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jeff Schjerlund, Scott Menville, Dave Wittenberg, Jim Rash, Cassandra Scerbo, Grey Griffin, Dee Bradley Baker
• Notable Guests: Tim Curry, Ben Cross, Sarah Hyland, Kari Wahlgren, Megan Mullally, Joel McHale, Richard Kind, Neil Flynn, John Oliver, John Witherspoon, David Koechner, Bill Hader, Simon Pegg, Jennifer Tilly, Adam Pally, Rob Riggle, Danny Pudi, Judy Reyes, Andy Dick, Annie Potts, Steve Zahn, Bobcat Goldthwait, David Alan Grier, Andy Richter, Billy Idol, Biz Markie, Robert Englund, Nat Faxon, Gilbert Gottfried, Elaine Stritch, Patrick Warburton, James Hong, Bruce Campbell, Paul Reubens, Pauly Shore, Chris Parnell, Jon Lovitz, Ice-T, Kenan Thompson, John O’Hurley
• Synopsis: An ordinary ninth grader is chosen to become The Ninja. He is tasked with protecting the town from evil as well as balancing his school life with friends and homework.
• Network: Disney XD
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 50 episodes, last broadcast on July 27, 2015
• Trivia: Invader Zim creator Jhonen Vasquez supplied many of the character designs.

August 13 – Stars Earn Stripes

• Hosts: Samantha Harris, Wesley Clark
• Participants: Dean Cain, Dolvett Quince, Eve Torres, Laila Ali, Nick Lachey, Picabo Street, Terry Crews
• Synopsis: The series follows a group of celebrities, accompanied by current and former members of the United States Armed Forces and law enforcement, competing in various challenges for charity based on training exercises used by the U.S. military.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Four episodes, last broadcast on September 3, 2012
• Trivia: Eve Torres was the show’s winner. Each celebrity was paired with a special operations or law enforcement professional who trained them in weapons and combat tactics. Jack Osbourne claimed he had been cast on the show and removed two days before filming after he disclosed his multiple sclerosis diagnosis. This led his mother Sharon to quit NBC’s America’s Got Talent due to the discrimination against her son. Producers say Osbourne was never part of the cast, they had just been in talks. Eight Nobel Peace Laureates signed an open letter asking NBC to cancel the show, saying it only served to glorify war.