Marvel Television
Only a handful of new shows made their debuts this week in two decades. Notably, in 1985 ABC tried to cash in on the popularity of the Number 1 primetime drama known for its glitz, glamour and catfights, and 2015 saw NBC cash in on a procedural franchise that wasn’Law & Order, while Netflix brought another Marvel comics character to life. Scroll down to see the shows that premiered this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1955
- No new shows premiered this week in 1955.
1965
- No new shows premiered this week in 1965.
1975
- No new shows premiered this week in 1975.
1985
Aaron Spelling Productions
- November 20 – The Colbys (ABC, Two seasons, 49 episodes)
- November 21 – Shadow Chasers (ABC, One season, 14 episodes, 4 unaired)
Dynasty spin-off The Colbys was originally titled Dynasty II: The Colbys of California. The show was intended to surpass Dynasty in opulence and was handed a massive budget for the time, while securing movie stars Charlton Heston, Barbara Stanwyck and Katharine Ross for the cast. John James and Emma Samms transferred from Dynasty to the new series as Jeff Colby and Fallon Carrington. Dynasty stars John Forsythe, Gordon Thomson, Jack Coleman and Diahann Carroll also made guest appearances, though Joan Collins categorically refused. After the series was cancelled, James and Samms immediately returned to Dynasty in the Season 8 premiere. Rock Hudson and Ali MacGraw were originally announced as potential stars of The Colbys, with Coleman, James and Heather Locklear also starring. Forsythe, Linda Evans, Joan Collins and Elizabeth Taylor were expected to guest star in the first two episodes, and the show was to air Fridays opposite Dallas on CBS. When the show was officially greenlit, it was given a Thursday timeslot. For Heston’s wife Sable, Angie Dickinson, Elizabeth Ashley, Faye Dunaway and Diana Rigg all turned down the role, and Stephanie Beacham was cast. Stanwyck and Maxwell Caulfield joined the cast soon after. Stanwyck had a clause in her contract releasing her from doing press interviews. Elizabeth Taylor also released a statement that she would not be appearing on either The Colbys or Dynasty at any time, present or future. The first episode aired after Dynasty on November 20, with the second episode to air the next night. It was pre-empted by a speech from President Ronald Reagan, and not even a call from his old friend Heston could get him to reschedule so the second episode aired November 27 before Dynasty, and moved to its regular Thursday slot the following night. Heston extended his involvement with the series from 17 to 24 episodes, and Stanwyck extended from 13 to 24 episodes. For Season 2, Stanwyck said she only wanted to appear in 6 or 7 episodes, but ultimately did not return, complaining about her character development. She suggested her character be killed off. Heston sent Caulfield a letter admonishing him for unprofessional behavior on set, but called the rest of The Colbys team the best he’d worked with in 30 years. Season 1 struggled in the ratings against Cheers and Night Court on NBC, and Season 2 saw the show pitted against the NBC comedies again, as well as CBS’ Knots Landing for a brief period. Stanwyck called the show a turkey, the worst thing she’d ever worked on, while Heston was always supportive, believing the show was just getting into its groove of being what everyone wanted it to be before it was cancelled.
ABC only aired 10 episodes of Shadow Chasers, while the remaining four episodes were broadcast on the Armed Forces Network. The series was the lowest-rated of 106 programs during the 1985-1986 season, mainly due to its scheduling opposite The Cosby Show and Family Ties on NBC, and Magnum P.I., and later Simon & Simon, on CBS.
1995
- No new shows premiered this week in 1995.
2005
- No new shows premiered this week in 2005.
2015
Wolf Entertainment
- November 17 – Chicago Med (NBC, Eleven seasons, 205 episodes to date)
- November 18 – Undeniable with Joe Buck (Audience Network, Six seasons, 60 episodes)
- November 19 – The Art of More (Crackle, Two seasons, 20 episodes)
- November 20 – Jessica Jones (Netflix, Three seasons, 39 episodes)
Chicago Med is the third series in Dick Wolf’s ‘Chicago’ franchise, now dubbed ‘One Chicago’. The series has had several crossover with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. NBC only ordered 13 episodes for the first season, but that was upped to 18 episodes less than a month after the series premiered. The third season was bumped to mid-season to make way for Wolf’s sixth Law & Order series, Law & Order: True Crime. On February 27, 2020, NBC gave the show a three-season order that carried it through Season 8. Laurie Holden (The Walking Dead) was originally cast as Dr. Hannah Tramble, but left the show for personal reasons. Original cast members Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling were written out at the end of Season 4 for creative reasons. Yaya DaCosta and Torrey DeVito exited at the end of Season 6 to pursue other opportunities. Steven Weber joined Season 6 as a recurring character, and was upped to a series regular with Season 7. Brian Tee left the show in 2022 after eight seasons.
Undeniable with Joe Buck ended when DirecTV’s Audience Network shut down in 2020. The Art of More starred British actor Christian Cooke, with Kate Bosworth, Cary Elwes and Dennis Quaid in supporting roles.
Jessica Jones is a Marvel series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and shares continuity with the movies. It was the second Marvel series for Netflix after Daredevil. The Jessica Jones character was also part of the Marvel miniseries The Defenders. A version of the series had been developed for ABC in 2010 but the network passed. That concept was reworked for Netflix as A.K.A. Jessica Jones until the title was simplified, while all of the episode titles began with ‘A.K.A.’. During its run, the series won a Peabody Award, a Hugo Award and a Primetime Creative Emmy Award. After the Netflix cancellation in 2019 and removal from the service in 2022, rights to the show reverted back to Disney which began streaming the series on Disney+ on March 16, 2022. Star Krysten Ritter reprised her role on Season 2 of the rebooted Daredevil series on Disney+, Daredevil: Born Again. The original ABC version of the show was to include the characters Carol Danvers and Luke Cage, but only Cage appeared on the Netflix show as Danvers got her own MCU movie, Captain Marvel. ABC wanted the Danvers character to be the main focus of the series. When the show moved to Netflix, Alexandra Daddario, Teresa Palmer, Jessica De Gouw, and Marin Ireland tested for the role of Jones along with Ritter. Lance Gross, Mike Colter, and Cleo Anthony were in line for the role of Cage, with Colter eventually winning out. Rachael Taylor was cast as Patricia ‘Trish’ Walker, a character that was a replacement for Danvers.