Original Film
The Summer season is coming to an end and the networks are gearing up for the new Fall shows, in some cases giving the Fall shows an early premiere to drum up interest and keep the shows out of the way of the new and returning season premieres. 1955 saw the early premiere of a modern-day Western, 1995 had two early UPN dramas, one of which fell short of expectations and ended suddenly with unresolved stories, 2005 had a prison series that defied the odds of its limited premise and ran multiple seasons, and 2015 had series ranging from an animated kids show about twin genies, a comedy whose star played himself (loosely), and a drug-fueled streaming drama. Scroll down to see all the shows that premiered this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1955
- August 27 – Tales of the Texas Rangers (CBS/ABC, Three seasons, 52 episodes)
Tales of the Texas Rangers originated as a radio program on NBC Radio from 1950-1952 with movie star Joel McCrea as Texas Ranger Jace Pearson, played on TV by Willard Parker. Stacy Keach Sr. produced and directed several episodes. While the radio series was set in contemporary times with stories based on actual Texas Rangers cases, the TV series had stories set both in the 1950s and in the 19th century in a traditional Western setting, with Parker and co-star Harry Lauter.
1965
- No new series premiered this week in 1965.
1975
- No new series premiered this week in 1975.
1985
- No new series premiered this week in 1985.
1995
Lawrence Hertzog Productions
- August 26 – The Tuskegee Airmen (HBO, TV movie)
- August 28 – Nowhere Man (UPN, One season, 25 episodes)
- August 29 – Live Shot (UPN, One season, 13 episodes)
The Tuskegee Airmen received a Golden Globe nomination for Laurence Fishburne (Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television), and ten Emmy nominations including Outstanding Made for Television Movie, winning Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or Special, Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production, and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special.
Nowhere Man was an early drama series for UPN. Though the main character travels across the country, the series was shot in Portland, Oregon.
Live Shot featured an ensemble cast with no real lead, including Jeff Yagher, Cheryl Pollack, David Birney, Bruce McGill, Wanda De Jesus, Hill Harper, Sam Anderson and Rebecca Staab. Recurring cast members included Ron Canada, Terry Kiser, Nia Long, Tom Byrd, Chase Masterson and Naya Rivera. While centered around a fictional Los Angeles TV station, the series had an on-going story arc centering on the murder of a socialite. Also in the last act of the last aired episode, sports reporter Lou Waller (Byrd) came out of the closet. As the series ended abruptly, neither storyline was resolved.
2005
- August 27 – A.T.O.M. (Jetix, Two seasons, 52 episodes)
- August 28 – Palmetto Pointe (PAX TV, One season, 7 episodes, 2 unaired)
- August 29 – Prison Break (FOX, Five seasons, 90 episodes)
A.T.O.M. is also known as Action Man: A.T.O.M. in some countries. It is an English-language, French superhero animated series. The series was announced with the working title The Insiders. While the series premiered on Jetix in the UK on August 27, it did not air in the US until January 30, 2006 on the Jetix block on Toon Disney.
Palmetto Pointe debuted during PAX-TV’s transition to i: Independent Television. It was the first TV series filmed in Charleston, South Carolina, where the show was set. The series had a sponsorship deal with Cheerwine, with products shown on screen in every episode. Viewership was so low it barely registered. The series ended with the production company in bankruptcy, with cast and crew not receiving their final paychecks. The show was derided as a low-rent clone of Dawson’s Creek, which filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. The show’s cast was mostly unknowns, with lead Tim Woodward making his industry debut. Dawson’s star John Wesley Shipp guest starred in one episode.
Prison Break had originally been rejected by the FOX network in 2003, the network concerned about the long-term prospects of such a series. Because of the popularity of Lost and 24, FOX decided to back the series in 2004. The original first season run was to be just 13 episodes, but due to its popularity FOX ordered nine additional episodes for the season. The series ended after four seasons on 2009. A fifth ‘limited season’ of nine episodes premiered in 2017. A sixth season was considered in 2018 but by August 2019 FOX had announced it had no plans to revive the series, and star Wentworth Miller stated in 2020 he had no plans to return to the series. However, Hulu announced development for a new Prison Break series in 2025 that would be set in the same universe but would not feature legacy characters. Miller was cast as Michael Scofield a week before production started. Dominic Purcell was cast as Lincoln Burrows three days before production began, the last actor to be cast. Sarah Wayne Callies was the first actress to audition for the role of Sara Tancredi and was the first actor to become a principal cast member. The original concept of the series was felt best suited for a feature film, and then a 14-part miniseries which drew the interest of Steven Spielberg. Spielberg ultimately departed the project to work on War of the Worlds, and the miniseries concept never moved forward. Season 1 filmed on location around Chicago and in Joliet Prison. Lincoln’s cell was alleged to be the former cell of John Wayne Gacy and was said to be haunted, prompting at least one crew member to refuse entering the cell. Season 2 was filmed in a 30-mile radius of Dallas, Texas, with the final three episode filmed in Pensacola, Florida representing Panama. Season 3 was also shot in Dallas, with Season 4 relocating to Los Angeles. The full torso tattoo worn by Miller took about five hours to apply. For scenes where Miller wears a shirt, only the arm pieces had to be applied. The series earned two Golden Globe nominations in 2005 for Best Television Series – Drama, and Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama for Miller. It also received one Emmy nomination in 2006 for Ramin Djawadi’s Original Main Title Theme Music.
2015
Morningside Entertainment
- August 24 – Shimmer and Shine (Nickelodeon/Nick Jr., Four seasons, 86 episodes)
- August 25 – Public Morals (TNT, One season, 10 episodes)
- August 26 – The Carmichael Show (NBC, Three seasons, 32 episodes)
- August 28 – Narcos (Netflix, Three seasons, 30 episodes)
Shimmer and Shine originally aired on Nickelodeon, moving to the Nick Jr. channel in 2018. The animated series was about twin genie sisters, voiced by Eva Bella and Isabella Cramp. I Dream of Jeannie star Barbara Eden voiced the character of Empress Caliana. Lacey Chabert voiced Zeta the Sorceress.
Edward Burns created, wrote, executive produced, directed and starred in Public Morals.
The Carmichael Show starred Jarrod Carmichael as a fictionalized version of himself. The cast included Amber Stevens West, Lil Rel Howery, Tiffany Haddish, Loretta Devine and David Alan Grier. The series was developed under the title Go Jerrod, Go.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Narcos focus on Colombian narcoterrorist and drug lord Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellín Cartel, while Season 3 picks up after the fall of Escobar and follows the Cali Cartel. Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season, but the show’s creators said Season 4 would be a series reboot titled Narcos: Mexico and would be set in the 1980s. The cost for the first season’s ten episodes was estimated at $25 million. The series earned two Golden Globe nominations in 2016 for Best Television Series – Drama and Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Wagner Moura). It also received three Creative Arts Emmy nominations in 2016 for Main Title Design, Main Title Theme Music and Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series.