FX Productions
Four decades produced new series this week starting in 1984 with a groundbreaking comedy series, the first original sitcom for a premium cable network. 1994 had a short-lived series featuring an actress who would go on to one of the biggest comedies ever just two weeks after its finale, 2004 looked back at the previous decade, and 2014 had several new series across cable and broadcast networks from international co-productions to a horror series based on a trilogy of novels. Scroll down to see the shows that premiered this week and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1954
- No new series premiered this week in 1954.
1964
- No new series premiered this week in 1964.
1974
- No new series premiered this week in 1974.
1984
- July 13 – Brothers (Showtime, Five seasons, 115 episodes)
Gary Nardino Productions
Brothers focused on the three Waters siblings but with a twist — the youngest has come out as gay, making the series the first to feature a gay lead character. The creators behind the series had a track record with shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi and Cheers. The project was shopped to both ABC and NBC, with NBC considering the series for its Fall 1983 schedule, even though network chief Brandon Tartikoff was concerned as to how the homosexuality would be presented. NBC ultimately decided to go with Mr. Smith, a short-lived sitcom starring a talking orangutan. ABC rejected the series due to the gay themes. The producers and the show’s three leads — Robert Walden, Paul Regina and Brandon Maggart — refused to give up on the show, and while a new outlet was sought Regina was allowed to star in CBS’ short-lived Zorro and Son, while Maggart took a role on NBC’s Jennifer Slept Here. Showtime, which had a mission at the time to pick up original programming outside the boundaries of network television, actually approached the producers and struck a deal for 26 episodes. Regina’s and Maggart’s series had both been cancelled so the three stars were all available. The series became the first original sitcom on cable TV. Showtime was also looking forward to the future and also prepped the series for eventual Syndication broadcast, something HBO said it would never do stating it would destroy subscription revenue if viewers could get their shows for free. The first season was judged to be so successful, Showtime took the unprecedented step of ordering another 50 episodes, but walked back the idea of airing episodes simultaneously in Syndication, rather putting a five year hold on any off-network broadcast. Showtime eventually did follow through with the plan in 1988 when it struck a deal with FOX to air It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, which helped bolster the fledgling network and drove subscribers to Showtime. The show strove to avoid both positive and negative stereotypes of gay and straight sexuality, and if they did appear were not used as comic punchlines so as not to detract from the meaningful storytelling. Topical stories included Cliff’s intimate encounters with men and the things he still wanted to learn; an attempt to out crooked police who refused to help Cliff after a gay bashing incident; helping one man realize he is gay to form a closer bond with another recently outed man; Cliff landing a boyfriend; and the depiction of a person with HIV, a subject that was still unfamiliar to most Americans at the time and served as an educational tool for the public. The first 14-episode season ended with the Brothers Christmas Special with guest star Andy Garcia. New seasons generally aired May-December, with Seasons 2-4 consisting of 25 episodes, and Season 6 having 26. The sixth season premiered in June and aired one or two new episodes a month, spread out over the course of a year due to the 1988 WGA strike. The official series finale was the 25th episode on May 5, 1989, but on June 1 a ‘lost episode’ was broadcast that had been produced during Season 3. As the Emmy Awards did not recognize original cable programming until 1988, the series was never nominated however it did receive three CableACE Award nominations in 1985, winning one for Philip Charles MacKenzie for Actor in a Comedy Series. It received five more nominations in 1987, and one in 1988.
1994
- July 9 – Thunderbirds USA (FOX Kids, One season, 13 episodes)
- July 9 – Muddling Through (CBS, One season, 10 episodes, 1 unaired)
Thunderbirds USA was a re-edited and condensed version of the original 1965-1966 Thunderbirds TV series.
Muddling Through was the last TV series that featured Jennifer Aniston before her star-making role on Friends, which debuted two weeks after the final broadcast episode of Muddling Through. NBC chief Warren Littlefield had Aniston as first choice for Friends but she was in second slot because of Muddling Through. Littlefield ‘killed’ the competing show by scheduling strong programming against it to hurt its ratings so Aniston would be freed up.
2004
- July 12 – I Love the ’90s (VH1, One season, 10 episodes)
I Love the ’90s was the fourth installment of the VH1 I Love the… series.
2014
Amblin Television
- July 7 – The 7D (Disney XD, Two seasons, 44 episodes)
- July 8 – Finding Carter (MTV, Two seasons, 36 episodes)
- July 8 – Married at First Sight (FYI, Seventeen seasons, 209 episodes to date)
- July 8 – Restaurant Startup (CNBC, Three seasons, 27 episodes)
- July 9 – Extant (CBS, Two seasons, 24 episodes)
- July 10 – Welcome to Sweden (NBC, Two seasons, 20 episodes, 6 unaired)
- July 10 – Working the Engels (NBC, One season, 12 episodes)
- July 10 – Leah Remini: It’s All Relative (TLC, Two seasons, 26 episodes)
- July 13 – The Strain (FX, Four seasons, 46 episodes)
- July 13 – The Hunt with John Walsh (CNN, Five seasons, 42 episodes)
The 7D reimagines the title characters from Disney’s 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and their adventures about 30 years before the introduction of Snow White. The pilot episode was produced in Flash, but the series was animated traditionally.
The first season of Finding Carter consisted of 12 episodes, and MTV renewed the series for a second 12-episode season, then upped the order to 24. The series was cancelled on January 29, 2016 due to a drop in viewership.
Married at First Sight is based on a Danish series titled Gift ved første blik. The original format has been sold to broadcasters worldwide. The series moved to the Lifetime network beginning with its fifth season. Through Season 16, 37 of the 64 couples chose to stay married on ‘Decision Day’. Two-thirds have since divorced, filed for divorce or announced their divorce, leaving just 11 couples married as of August 2023. The series has spawned eight spin-offs to date.
Steven Spielberg was one of the executive producers of Extant, which starred Halle Berry.
Welcome to Sweden was an American-Swedish co-production, and was the first English-language production by TV4. NBC cancelled the series four episodes into Season 2 due to what creator Greg Poehler says were ‘craptastically’ low ratings. The remaining episodes were made available to stream on NBC’s website. Amy Poehler and Aubrey Plaza appeared as fictionalized versions of themselves.
Working the Engels was a Canadian-American sitcom that also aired on Global in Canada. It was the first collaboration between US and Canadian broadcasters. While all 12 episodes aired in Canada, NBC cancelled the series after five episodes had aired, and removed the show from its schedule.
The Strain was created by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, based on their novel trilogy of the same name. When the series was first pitched at the FOX network, executives wanted del Toro to turn his vampire drama into a comedy. After the first book was published, networks started making offers to buy the option but del Toro and Hogan refused as they did not want the series influencing how they wrote the final two novels. It was only after publication of the third novel that they considered TV options. The plan was for the first season to cover the first novel, the second to cover the second, and the third novel to span Seasons 3 and 4. Cory Stoll was cast in the lead role based on his performance in Midnight in Paris. John Hurt played Abraham Setrakian in the pilot but dropped out, replaced with David Bradley who reshot Hurt’s scenes. The character of Vasiliy Fet was created with Ron Perlman in mind but was played by Kevin Durand. A 10-part webisode series titled The Strain: Under Siege streamed alongside the third season.
Since The Hunt with John Walsh‘s broadcast, 23 fugitives were captured, one was killed and three were found dead.
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