TV by the Decade :: September 21•27

It’s another big ‘Fall Premiere’ week, but with most of the more well-known series appearing in the laster decades. Of note this week are two shows ten years apart created by the same former teen idol. This week also features two series that are continuations of popular feature films, with one of them even featuring the film’s star reprising his role. This week also marks the very first time a then not popular fantasy movie musical made its television debut, turning it into a monster hit that became an annual family ritual, earning new generations of fans to this day. So scroll down to see the shows that premiered this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1955

• September 23 – The Adventures of Champion (CBS, One season, 26 episodes)
• September 24 – Ford Star Jubilee (CBS, One season, 12 episodes)
• September 24 – Steve Donovan, Western Marshal (Syndication, One season, 39 episodes)
• September 25 – Frontier (NBC, One season, 31 episodes)
• September 26 – I Spy (Syndication, One season, 39 episodes)
• September 26 – Jungle Jim (Syndication, One season, 26 episodes)
• September 27 – Casablanca (ABC, One season, 10 episodes)
• September 27 – Celebrity Playhouse (Syndication, One season, 39 episodes)

The Adventures of Champion is also known in Syndication as Champion the Wonder Horse. The horse, Champion, was owned by Gene Autry. The dog on the series has been identified as J.R., the canine who had the title role in the TV series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.

Ford Star Jubilee was a monthly anthology series, broadcast in both black-and-white and color, and was typically live. The final episode was a broadcast of The Wizard of Oz, the first time the film had been shown on television, hosted by Bert Lahr (The Cowardly Lion) and 10-year-old Liza Minnelli, with Oz expert Justin Schiller. It was the only time one of the film’s stars and a child of one of the film’s stars hosted a broadcast of the movie. It was a ratings smash, drawing 54% of the available television viewing households at the time, and was the turning point for the film which, until that time, had been regarded as a box office flop in 1939.

Frontier was a Western anthology series, the second for television after Death Valley Days, and had no regular cast members, but each episode was narrated by Walter Coy. I Spy was also an anthology series centered around spy stories, starring Raymond Massey as the Spymaster, opening and closing each episode as Alfred Hitchcock would do with his series which would premiere less than two weeks later.

Jungle Jim was based on the newspaper comic strip of the same name, and starred Johnny Weissmuller who had also played the character in a series of sixteen theatrical films.

Casablanca was the third segment of the ‘wheel series’ Warner Bros. Presents, and was based on the 1940 play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, and the 1942 film Casablanca. Charles McGraw took over the Humphrey Bogart role from the movie. Of the three segments of the series, including Kings Row and Cheyenne, Casablanca was the second longest-running at ten episodes.

Celebrity Playhouse was a syndicated anthology series that aired repeats of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars.

1965

• September 25 – The Beatles (ABC, Three seasons, 39 episodes)
• September 27 – Let’s Play Post Office (NBC, One season, last broadcast on July 1, 1966)
• September 27 – Morning Star (NBC, One season, last broadcast on July 1, 1966)
• September 27 – Never Too Young (ABC, One season, 192 episodes)
• September 27 – The Nurses (ABC, Two seasons, 395 episodes)
• September 27 – Paradise Bay (NBC, One season, last broadcast on July 1, 1966)

The Beatles was an animated series starring the popular band, who initially did not care for the series. The series was a historical milestone in that it depicted animated versions of actual living people. John Lennon admitted in the 1970s that he ‘got a blast’ out of watching the reruns. George Harrison also said he later enjoyed the ‘so bad it’s good’ quality of the show. The series featured the band in their mop tops and suits as seen in the feature film A Hard Day’s Night, but they had abandoned that look while the series was in production. Each episode is named after a Beatles song, taken from albums up to Revolver. The Beatles were not involved with the series. Paul Frees provided the voices for John Lennon, George Harrison and Brian Epstein, while Lance Percival voices Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Julie Bennett and Carol Corbett provided female voices. Season 1’s theme song was ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ with the guitar riff from ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. Season 2 was ‘Help!’ and Season 3 was ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’. The series was a Saturday morning hit, raking in a 52 share, unheard of in daytime ratings. The series led to the development and production of the animated Beatles feature film, Yellow Submarine, which the band was not keen to participate in because of the low quality of the series. However, after they saw the completed film they agreed to shoot a live action epilogue.

Let’s Play Post Office was the second game show from Merv Griffin Productions following Jeopardy! The show was hosted by Don Morrow. Morning Star and Paradise Bay were soap operas created by Ted Corday, who would go on to create Days of Our Lives. They were among the first soaps to air in color. Marion Ross headed the cast of Paradise Bay.

Never Too Young was the first soap opera geared toward teenagers. Merry Anders, Tony Dow, Dack Rambo and Tommy Rettig were among the regular cast, and the show featured many musical guests including Marvin Gaye, Johnny Rivers, and Paul Revere & the Raiders. The series was replaced after its cancellation with Dark Shadows. The Nurses was a continuation of the CBS primetime drama.

1975

• No new series premiered this week in 1975.

1985

• September 21 – Hollywood Beat (ABC, One season, 14 episodes, 6 unaired)
• September 21 – Lime Street (ABC, One season, 8 episodes)
• September 24 – Growing Pains (ABC, Seven seasons, 166 episodes)
• September 25 – The Insiders (ABC, One season, 13 episodes)

Hollywood Beat was a crime drama starring Jack Scalia, Jay Acovone, John Matuszak and Edward Winter.

The cast for Lime Street included Robert Wagner and Lew Ayres, and was created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. Young co-star Samantha Smith, who gained fame before her casting for writing to then-Soviet premier Yuri Andropov asking if he desired a nuclear war with the United States, died in a small plane crash after filming the pilot and three episodes, prior to the premiere of the series. Her role was never recast, although there were plans to introduce a new daughter for Wagner’s character, but that idea was dropped. The series was dedicated to Smith’s memory, and critics genuinely praised her talents. The series struggled against NBC’s new comedies 227 and The Golden Girls, and producers asked for the show to be cancelled, realizing continuing production after Smith’s death was not the best idea. Three episodes remained unaired until they were broadcast on the Lifetime network in 1987. The fourth episode featured a guest appearance by Annie Potts and Jean Smart as sisters and diamond thieves. Bloodworth-Thomason was so impressed with their chemistry, she combined them with Delta Burke and Dixie Carter, who starred on Bloodworth-Thomason’s also unsuccessful sitcom Filthy Rich, for the much more successful Designing Women.

Joanna Kerns auditioned for Growing Pains after the cancellation of The Four Seasons, and Alan Thicke auditioned with her following the failure of his late night talk show, Thicke of the Night. The pair had immediate chemistry and were cast as Maggie and Jason Seaver. Tracey Gold auditioned for the role of Carol, but was passed over in favor of Elizabeth Ward. Test audiences did not like Ward and Gold replaced her, with Ward’s scenes refilmed with Gold for broadcast. A 15-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio joined the series in 1991 in a bid to appeal to female viewers, but he was written out near the end of Season 7 to allow him to work on the film This Boy’s Life. His addition did not ultimately help the show’s ratings. The show spun off Just the Ten of Us and Hanging with Mr. Cooper, and spawned two reunion TV movies in 2000 and 2004. The show earned four Emmy nominations during its run in technical categories, winning two for lighting, and two Golden Globe nominations in 1988 for acting (Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron), and a third in 1989 for Cameron again in the Supporting Actor category.

1995

• September 21 – Caroline in the City (NBC, Four seasons, 97 episodes, 1 unaired)
• September 21 – The Single Guy (NBC, Two seasons, 43 episodes)
• September 22 – American Gothic (CBS, One season, 22 episodes)
• September 22 – Dweebs (CBS, One season, 10 episodes, 3 unaired)
• September 22 – Bonnie (CBS, One season, 13 episodes, 2 unaired)
• September 23 – 8-Track Flashback (VH1, Four seasons, last broadcast in 1998)
• September 23 – JAG (NBC/CBS, Ten seasons, 227 episodes)
• September 24 – Space: Above and Beyond (FOX, One season, 23 episodes)

Caroline in the City featured guest appearances by several actors from other NBC series as their characters including Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing (though not named as such), Jonathan Silver from The Single Guy, and Jane Leeves and David Hyde Pierce in a Frasier crossover. Other notable guest stars included Marvin Hamlisch, Jean Stapleton, Sharon Lawrence, John Landis, Florence Henderson, Elizabeth Ashley, Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie, Phil Hartman, Thomas Gibson, French Stewart, Debra Jo Rupp, George Segal, Shadoe Stevens, Judd Hirsch, Jay Leno, Dan Butler and Shia LeBeouf, with Julie Andrews in an audio cameo. The show’s star, Lea Thompson, also guested on Friends the same night as Perry did on her show, but her character name was also not mentioned. As with The Single Guy crossover, the character names were not mentioned. The series, though, did exist in the same universe as Frasier, which also connected it to Cheers and Wings.

The Single Guy aired in NBC’s ‘Must See TV’ line-up, but was regarded by critics as a clone of Seinfeld and Friends, also including a coffee shop, The Bagel Cafe, that was seen as too similar to Friends‘ Central Perk.

Horror series American Gothic was created by Shaun Cassidy, and although it was not a success it is regarded as a cult classic today. The cast included Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paide Turco, Sarah Paulson and Jake Weber. Evan Rachel Wood guested in three episodes. The series earned one Emmy Award nomination for Sound Mixing.

Bonnie debuted as The Bonnie Hunt Show. The title was changed after the first six episodes when the series went on hiatus in November 1995, returning in March 1996. Ratings improved in the new Sunday time slot but the show was cancelled with two episodes unaired. The show featured cast members from Hunt’s previous series, The Building, including Don Lake, Tom Virtue and Holly Wortell. The show had a theatrical quality to it, with flubs and forgotten lines often included in the episode. Hunt followed the show with another sitcom, Life with Bonnie, created by Hunt and Lake, which carried over Mark Derwin and Wortell.

JAG finished 79th in the ratings for its first season and was cancelled by NBC. CBS picked up the series in December 1996 and aired 15 new episodes as a mid-sesaon replacement. The show continued to climb in the ratings during its run, and spun-off NCIS, which lead to an entire NCIS universe of shows. CBS gave creator Donald P. Ballisario more freedom in story and casting. NBC wanted more action than legal drama and insisted on replacing the pilot’s female lead, Andrea Parker, with Tracey Needham. Moving to CBS and its older audience allowed for more character-driven stories. The series ended when star David James Elliott left the show at the end of Season 10. The show ended with a coin toss in which Elliott and Catherine Bell’s characters flip a coin to see which would give up their military career to be with the other. The result of the coin toss was not revealed until the tenth season finale of NCIS: Los Angeles in which both Elliott and Bell appeared. Bell’s Mac won the toss, but the relationship eventually ended with Elliott’s Harm rejoining the Navy. The show earned 11 Emmy nominations winning three, one for Editing and two for Costumes.

Space: Above and Beyond was planned to have a five season run but lasted just a single season. It earned two Emmy nominations. The series ended on a cliffhanger with most of the major cast apparently killed or missing in action. The episode was written at a point when producers knew the show was likely to be cancelled. The series was inspired by the 1974 sci-fi novel The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. The show’s color was extremely desaturated to the point many scenes seemed to be in black-and-white. The show was able to use 3D rendering for its special effects, with physical effects still playing an important role. The sound effects on the show have been reused on Futurama.

2005

• September 21 – E-Ring (NBC, One season, 22 episodes, 8 unaired)
• September 21 – The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (NBC, One season, 13 episodes)
• September 21 – Invasion (ABC, One season, 22 episodes)
• September 22 – Everybody Hates Chris (UPN/The CW, Four seasons, 88 episodes)
• September 22 – Love, Inc. (UPN, One season, 22 episodes)
• September 22 – Criminal Minds (CBS/Paramount+, 18 seasons, 354 episodes to date)
• September 23 – Ghost Whisperer (CBS, Five seasons, 107 episodes)
• September 23 – Inconceivable (NBC, One season, 9 episodes, 7 unaired)
• September 23 – Killer Instinct (FOX, One season, 13 episodes, 4 unaired)
• September 23 – Three Wishes (NBC, One season, 10 episodes)
• September 24 – Get Ed (Jetix, One season, 26 episodes)
• September 24 – America’s Heartland (Syndication, Eighteen seasons, 345 episodes to date)
• September 27 – Commander in Chief (ABC, One season, 17 episodes)
• September 27 – Sex, Love & Secrets (UPN, One season, 10 episodes, 6 unaired)

E-Ring was a military drama starring Benjamin Bratt, Dennis Hopper, Aunjanue Ellis, Kerr Smith and Kelly Rutherford.

Invasion was also created by Shaun Cassidy. The ensemble cast included William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Tyler Labine and Evan Peters. The story took place in the aftermath of a hurricane with water-based creatures taking over the bodies of the town’s inhabitants. Due to Hurricane Katrina, early on-air promotions for the show were quickly pulled, with advertising switching to the alien aspect of the show. The premiere also included a warning about the fictional hurricane to which viewers could be sensitive. The series received critical praise and was intended to have a five-season run. The show has appeared on many ‘Cancelled Too Soon’ lists since it ended. Labine has maintained the show’s cancellation was purely political, and no one could understand why as it had strong ratings, acclaim and a dedicated fan base. Cassidy attributes the cancellation to the show’s ratings not being as good as those for Lost, which Invasion followed, pointing out that no other series following the cancellation did any better than Invasion. Writer Carlos Coto felt following Lost was too much for audiences not wanting to be invested in two shows with a heavy mythology back-to-back. Others blamed the hurricane plot device as coming too soon after the real-life disaster.

Everybody Hates Chris, the title a play on Everybody Loves Raymond, was originally developed for FOX. Series creator Chris Rock decided to end the show after four seasons as the storylines suited his own past, upon which the show was based.

Love, Inc., starring Busy Philipps and Holly Robinson Peete, was originally developed for Shannen Doherty under the title Wingwoman. After being picked up by UPN, the network requested Doherty be removed from the project due to a poor reaction from preview audiences. The show was cancelled following the merger of UPN and The WB.

Criminal Minds ended on CBS after 15 seasons, but was revived for streaming service Paramount+ in 2022, retitled Criminal Minds: Evolution, and has been renewed for a 19th season. The unaired four episodes of Killer Instinct were eventually broadcast on the Universal HD channel.

Commander in Chief starred Geena Davis as the first female President of the United States. The show was a hit until January 2006 when American Idol premiered, followed by House which was its direct competition. It was also the Number 1 new show of the season until Criminal Minds premiered.

Sex, Love & Secrets was described as a Gen-Y soap opera, and was designed as a vehicle for the TV debut of Denise Richards. Working titles were Wildlife and Sex, Lies & Secrets. The six unaired episodes were broadcast on Universal HD in 2008.

2015

• September 21 – Blindspot (NBC, Five seasons, 100 episodes)
• September 21 – Minority Report (FOX, One season, 10 episodes)
• September 21 – New Looney Tunes (Cartoon Network/Boomerang, Three seasons, 156 episodes)
• September 21 – Life in Pieces (CBS, Four seasons, 79 episodes)
• September 22 – Limitless (CBS, One season, 22 episodes)
• September 22 – The Muppets (ABC, One season, 16 episodes)
• September 22 – Scream Queens (FOX, Two seasons, 23 episodes)
• September 23 – Rosewood (FOX, Two seasons, 44 episodes)
• September 24 – The Player (NBC, One season, 9 episodes)
• September 26 – Guardians of the Galaxy (Disney XD, Three seasons, 79 episodes)
• September 27 – Blood & Oil (ABC, One season, 10 episodes)
• September 27 – Quantico (ABC, Three seasons, 57 episodes)

Minority Report is a sequel series to the 2002 feature film of the same name. It was the first Steven Spielberg film to be adapted for television. The series originally received a 13-episode order but it was cut to ten two weeks after the premiere. Daniel London reprised his role as Wally the Caretaker from the film.

New Looney Tunes was originally titled Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production in the United States, and Bugs! in some markets for its first season.

Life in Pieces was cancelled by CBS due to declining ratings and the desire for an ownership stake from 20th Century Television, which was not granted. The network also needed space for the Fall 2019 schedule. Limitless is a continuation of the 2011 film of the same name that starred Bradley Cooper. Cooper, who helped develop the series, would recur in the series as his character from the film.

Scream Queens was a horror anthology series that featured much of the same cast and characters between the two seasons, but was set in two different locations. Season 1 takes place at a university, and Season 2 takes place in a hospital. Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas appeared in Season 1. Jerry O’Connel appeared in Season 2. The premise of the series was that whoever survived Season 1 would move on to Season 2, maintaining some continuity between seasons. Joe Manganiello had originally been cast on the show but had to bow out due to his obligation to Magic Mike XXL. Oliver Hudson was his replacement. Jamie Lee Curtis filmed a shower scene in Season 1 as an homage to her mother’s famous scene in Psycho, insisting it be shot-for-shot. She studied the scene intensely to nail every little detail perfectly.

Quantico originally had two timelines, past and present which confused viewers, but switched to a single timeline in the middle of the second season. Priyanka Chopra was the first South Asian actor to head an American TV series. ABC only renewed the show for a third season due to the international popularity of Chopra, but it was only given a 13-episode order.