Lord Miller Productions
Several new series and TV movies made their debuts this week across the decades, but only a handful are remembered today. 1955 gave us two new shows, one in Syndication and one on a dying network. Skipping ahead to 1985, a former Monkee returned to television with an innovative series that was very short-lived. That year, as well as 1995, produced an HBO movie with 1995’s getting major awards attention. 2005 gave us an automotive reality series, and 2015 had several shows, including a series that went on to break new ground for its network, an anthology crime series, and a comedy about the end of the world. Scroll down to see all of the shows that premiered this week and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1955
- February 24 – His Honor, Homer Bell (Syndication, One season, 39 episodes)
- February 27 – Key to the Ages (DuMont, One season, last broadcast on May 22, 1955)
His Honor, Homer Bell was produced for Syndication by NBC Films, so there was no pilot episode. The first city to air the series was Los Angeles, and as more West Coast cities began airing the show, Union Pacific Railroad became a sponsor. There was no continuity between episodes, so stations could air them in any order.
Key to the Ages originated from Baltimore on WAAM-TV, which has since become WJZ-TV. The series ended as DuMont began shutting down operations in April 1955, making this one of the last original programs on the network. As with the majority of the DuMont shows, no episodes are known to exist.
1965
- No new series premiered this week in 1965.
1975
- No new series premiered this week in 1975.
1985
- February 24 – Finnegan Begin Again (HBO, TV movie)
- March 1 – Michael Nesmith in Television Parts (NBC, One season, 5 episodes)
Finnegan Begin Again was filmed in the Fan District of Richmond, VA, with Mary Tyler Moore, Robert Preston, Sam Waterston, Sylvia Sidney, David Huddleston, Bob Gunton, Giancarlo Esposito and Avery Brooks among the main cast. The film was released on VHS after airing, but has never received a DVD or Blu-ray release.
Michael Nesmith in Television Parts was a continuation of Nesmith’s Grammy Award-winning video production Elephant Parts, and the earlier series PopClips. The series was preceded by a stand-alone special that was broadcast on March 7, 1985. Guests on the series included Martin Mull, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay Leno, and Jerry Seinfeld. Garry Shandling’s appearance on the show led to the creation of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. One of the show’s featured pieces, ‘Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey’, was picked up by Saturday Night Live. The last episode to air was a 90-minute episode that ran in SNL‘s timeslot.
1995
HBO Pictures
- February 25 – Citizen X (HBO, TV movie)
Citizen X is based upon the true story of Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted in 1992 of the murder of 52 women and children committed between 1978 and 1990, and on Robert Cullen’s non-fiction book The Killer Department. Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, and Max Von Sydow star. The film was nominated for six CableACE Awards, winning one for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for Jeffrey DeMunn. It was also nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie, winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for Sutherland (DeMunn was also nominated in the category). It received two Golden Globe nominations, with Sutherland again winning for Supporting Actor.
2005
- February 23 – Unique Whips (Speed, Three seasons, 40 episodes)
Unique Whips follows the work of Unique Autosports, based in Long Island, New York, as they customize celebrity automobiles. Celebrities whose cars were featured on the show include P. Diddy, DJ Pauly D, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Pam Anderson, Patti LaBelle, 50 Cent, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Fat Joe, and Tom Wolfe. The show produced a spin-off series titled Unique Autosports: Miami, which ran for one season on the Spike network.
2015
Whizbang Films
- February 24 – Outlaw Country (WGN America, One season, 7 episodes)
- February 25 – Dinner at Tiffani’s (Cooking Channel, Three seasons, 39 episodes)
- February 28 – Good Witch (Hallmark Channel, Seven seasons, 75 episodes)
- March 1 – The Last Man on Earth (FOX, Four seasons, 67 episodes)
- March 1 – Secrets and Lies (ABC, Two seasons, 20 episodes)
- March 1 – The Wonder List with Bill Weir (CNN, Four seasons, 25 episodes)
- March 1 – Battle Creek (CBS, One season, 13 episodes)
Outlaw Country was a reality show that follows the ongoing strife between two sets of brothers on the opposite sides of the law in the town of Buckner, Missouri.
Dinner at Tiffani’s follows host Tiffani Thiessen preparing dinner with a different group of celebrity friends each episode, and the title is a play on Truman Capote’s 1958 novel Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The series was preceded by a one-hour special of the same name that was broadcast on March 23, 2014.
Good Witch was a continuation of a series of TV movies of the same name. The show made Hallmark network history during the series finale, which featured the first television show same-sex kiss between main characters on the network.
The Last Man on Earth was originally conceived as a feature film, but when creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller brought the idea to Will Forte, he took to it and went in his own direction. The series was partially inspired by the speculative docuseries Life After People. The show was originally pitched to cable and streaming services because Forte worried a broadcast network would be strict on content. The FOX network eventually picked up the show and allowed the creative freedom needed to craft the series. Filming the show was difficult because there had to be silence but picking up the sounds of motor vehicles in the background was unavoidable. The series earned a total of five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with two for Forte as Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
Mystery anthology series Secrets and Lies is based on the Australian television series of the same name. Juliette Lewis played Detective Andrea Cornell, the only character to appear in both seasons.
All four episode of the fourth season of The Wonder List with Bill Weir were aired back-to-back on April 21, 2022, after a five year break following the Season 3 finale.
CBS cancelled Battle Creek after nine episodes had aired, but broadcast the remaining four episodes due to an agreement that guaranteed the airing of all 13 episodes. Josh Duhamel, Dean Winters, Kal Penn and Janet McTeer were among the main cast. While set in Battle Creek, Michigan, only the scenes in the opening credits were shot in the city. None of the establishing shots or locations were in Battle Creek, but the main cast did visit prior to production to get a feel for the location, people and police department.