The Mark Gordon Company
Every decade this week except 1966 produced new programming, whether it be series, specials or TV movies. 1956 had Guy Lombardo present music that touched viewers and awarded some of them diamonds and cash; 1976 had two TV movie pilots, one based on a popular film franchise and the other an attempted reboot of a 1960s sci-fi series, but neither went anywhere; 1986 had a sitcom that should have been a success but the network couldn’t leave well-enough alone; 1996 had several new series, with one that was cancelled then revived by a loud fan base, while another started in a prestigious Friday slot and was quickly relegated to Saturday mornings; 2006 had a comedy series that earned a second season, which was then cancelled before it even aired; and 2016 had a comedy, a crime drama spin-off and two Easter specials. Scroll down to see all of the programs that debuted this week across the decades, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1956
- March 20 – Guy Lombardo’s Diamond Jubilee (CBS, One season, last broadcast on June 19, 1956)
Guy Lombardo’s Diamond Jubilee was a live musical series which emphasized talk over music. Audience participation was also a part of the show, with viewers submitting comments about how a particular song affected them. Four winners were chosen each week to attend the broadcast of the following episode in which their song would be played. Each winner received a $1,000 diamond ring, hence the show’s title, and if the entry was accompanied by a Geritol box top, an additional $1,000 was awarded.
1966
- No new shows premiered this week in 1966.
1976
- March 17 – Dead on Target (ABC, TV movie)
- March 19 – Time Travelers (ABC, TV movie)
Dead on Target was also known as Our Man Flint: Dead on Target. The TV movie was based on the Derek Flint feature films starring James Coburn, with Ray Danton taking over the role in what was intended to be a pilot for a Flint TV series. The pilot was not picked up and it became the last Flint movie. One critic called the movie ‘genuinely dreadful’.
Time Travelers was based on a story by Rod Serling, and was produced by Irwin Allen as a pilot for a reboot of his 1966 series, The Time Tunnel. Due to litigation and claims of plagiarism, the pilot did not sell and the movie was broadcast as a stand-alone project.
1986
- March 20 – All Is Forgiven (NBC, One season, 9 episodes)
All Is Forgiven had an impressive pedigree with James Burrows and Glen & Les Charles as executive producers. Burrows also directed the pilot. The cast included Bess Armstrong, Terence Knox, Carol Kane, Shawnee Smith, Valerie Landsburg, and David Alan Grier. The show likely failed because NBC placed it in three different time slots during its short run, taking a more-than-a-month break between Episodes 6 and 7.
1996
Pet Fly Productions
- March 15 – Aliens in the Family (ABC, One season, 8 episodes)
- March 16 – The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo (Nickelodeon, Four seasons, 41 episodes)
- March 17 – Local Heroes (FOX, One season, 7 episodes)
- March 17 – The Show (FOX, One season, 8 episodes)
- March 20 – The Sentinel (UPN, Four seasons, 65 episodes)
- March 21 – Boston Common (NBC, Two seasons, 32 episodes)
Aliens in the Family was to be part of ABC’s TGIF line-up, but it was pulled after two episodes. The series returned to ABC’s schedule after a four month hiatus as part of its Saturday morning line-up.
The first three seasons of The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo were shot at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The final season was shot in Montreal after a crew strike disrupted production on Season 3 due to the decision to shoot on film instead of videotape, and not meeting the demands of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Because of the relocation of production, the show’s setting was changed from Cocoa Beach, Florida to Boston, Massachusetts.
UPN actually cancelled The Sentinel after its third season, but an intense fan campaign convinced them to move forward with an eight-episode fourth season to wrap up the story properly.
Boston Common ranked 8th for the television season with just ten episodes in its Thursday time slot, but NBC moved the series to Sunday for its second season and ratings plummeted, ranking 52nd for the season. The main cast included Anthony Clark, Hedy Burress and Traylor Howard, with Roger Rees joining the second season. Recurring cast members included Sam Anderson, Margot Kidder and Zach Galifianakis. Robin Duke, Larry Miller and Shelley Long were among the guest stars.
2006
Olive Bridge Entertainment
- March 15 – The Loop (FOX, Two seasons, 17 episodes)
- March 16 – American Inventor (ABC, Two seasons, 19 episodes)
- March 17 – Modern Men (The WB, One season, 7 episodes)
FOX reformatted The Loop for its second season to focus more on workplace comedy over the situations with lead character Sam and his friends, with Amanda Loncar and Sarah Mason getting cut from the cast. While a script was written for each episode, the actors were given the chance to improvise in their scenes. FOX renewed the show for a 13-episode second season, but cut the order to 10 due to a crowded Spring schedule. The show was then cancelled before Season 2 even aired, with the episodes being burned off in the Summer of 2007.
American Inventor was a reality competition series from Simon Cowell and the producers of American Idol to find America’s best inventor. Season 1 was hosted by Matt Gallant, and Season 2 was hosted by Nick Smith.
Josh Braaten, Max Greenfield, and Eric Lively starred in Modern Men. Marla Sokoloff and George Wendt were also part of the cast. Wendie Malick played the life coach in the pilot episode, but when her series Jake in Progress was renewed, the life coach role was recast with Jane Seymour.
2016
Dick Clark Productions
- March 15 – Crowded (NBC, One season, 13 episodes)
- March 16 – Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (CBS, Two seasons, 26 episodes)
- March 20 – Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade (FOX, TV special)
- March 20 – The Passion: New Orleans (FOX, TV special)
Patrick Warburton, Carrie Preston, Miranda Cosgrove and Stacy Keach starred on Crowded. The show was produced by Sean Hayes’ Hazy Mills Productions with Universal Television. Guest stars included David Spade, Betty White, Jane Leeves, Carol Kane and Debra Monk. James Burrows directed one episode of the series which was his 1,000th television episode in his directorial career.
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders is the third series of the Criminal Minds franchise. The program and its characters were presented as a backdoor pilot on Episode 19 of the tenth season of Criminal Minds. Former CSI: NY stars Gary Sinise and Anna Gunn were to star, but Gunn departed after CBS picked up the series.
Most of the actors from the Ice Age movies reprised their roles for the Easter special except Aziz Ansari, who was replaced with Seth Green. The story takes place between Ice Age: Continental Drift and Ice Age: Collision Course.
The Passion: New Orleans was a live Easter event, a modern retelling of The Passion of Jesus Christ set to popular music. Tyler Perry hosted and narrated the special, with Nischelle Turner as a correspondent for the procession of a cross from Champions Square to the main stage at Woldenberg Park. Jencarlos, Trisha Yearwood, Prince Royce, Chris Daughtry, and Seal starred. Carla Hall made a cameo appearance running a food truck that Jesus used to cater The Last Supper. The production was based on a Dutch format that had aired annually since 2011, which itself was based on a 2006 BBC special. Some critics compared the special to a Super Bowl half-time show.