Comedy Central
Spring has sprung and the second week of April found quite a few series debuting that bloomed into hits still remembered fondly today. Of course there were also so major misses so let’s take a look at the list of series that premiered this week and see if any of your favorites are here!
1959
- No new series premiered this week in 1959.
1969
- No new series premiered this week in 1969.
1979
- April 12 — Spooky sitcom Highcliffe Manor debuts on NBC. The series starred Shelly Fabares as widow Helen Blacke, owner of the title location that was also home to the Blacke Foundation, a scientific research institute with a houseful of sinister characters including a mad scientist, a bionic man, a womanizing preacher, a Korean assistant, a sexy secretary, a creepy housekeeper and two evil doctors. Each episode was narrated by Peter Lawford. Co-starring with Fabares were Stephen McHattie, Eugenie Ross-Leming, Audrey Landers, Jenny O’Hara, Luis Avalos, Harold Sakata (better known as Oddjob in Goldfinger), and Ernie Hudson. Eight episodes were produced, but NBC pulled the plug on May 3 after six aired, leaving two episodes unseen.
1989
- April 10 — NBC didn’t have much luck this week ten years after Highcliffe Manor, debuting the sitcom Nearly Departed which was an updated take on Topper. Eric Idle and Caroline McWilliams starred as Grant and Claire Pritchard, a couple killed in a rockslide. They return to their home as ghosts to find the place occupied by plumbing contractor Mike Dooley (Stuart Pankin), his wife Liz (Wendy Schaal), son Derek (Jay Lambert) and father Jack (Henderson Forsythe), the only family member who could see the Pritchards. In exchange for being able to remain in the house, the Pritchards had to mediate through Grandpa Jack and try to help the Dooleys with their problems. As with Highcliffe Manor, eight episodes were produced but only six aired, with the series ending on May 1.
1999
- April 7 — Surreal comedy Strangers With Candy debuts on Comedy Central. Amy Sedaris starred as Jerri Blank, a ‘junkie whore’/runaway returning to high school as a freshman at the age of 46. Stephen Colbert played Chuck Noblet, the school’s history teacher and sponsor of the school newspaper ‘The Donkey Trouser’. He also has a wife and a son. Paul Dinello appeared as Geoffrey (pronounced JOFF-ree) Jellineck, the school’s art teacher who is engaged in a secret relationship with Chuck Noblet. Each episode contained a theme or moral lesson, but often presented through a warped lens, such as Jerri learning it’s okay to become bulimic to get attention. The series was inspired by motivational speaker Florrie Fisher, whom Sedaris bore a resemblance to, and the series was built around the idea of Fisher, a former NY prostitute, returning to school. Creators Dinello, Colbert and Mitch Rouse also borrowed from the After School Specials and My So-Called Life, and used lines of dialog verbatim from Fisher’s film The Trip Back and used situations from her life recounted in the autobiography ‘The Lonely Trip Back’. Among the cast, Janeane Garofalo appeared as the school’s guidance counselor, and Alan Tudyk played Father, a local cult leader. The series ran for three seasons, producing 30 episodes, ending on October 2, 2000. A feature film prequel was produced in 2004 but distribution was held up due to legal clearance issues. The film was finally released in New York City on June 28, 2006 followed by a nationwide release on July 7, and a DVD release in November.
- April 11 — Satirical newsmagazine The Awful Truth premieres on Bravo. The series, written, directed and hosted by Michael Moore, was comprised of a series of documentary segments similar to 60 Minutes. The first season featured a studio audience and moved to Times Square for the second season. The segments were often accompanied by a coda with Moore explaining what had happened since the segment was first filmed. The series focused on exposing bad practices in government, business and society, sometimes using outlandish sketches and stunts to demonstrate the absurdity of the situation. Occasionally, the show’s humiliating tactics drew enough attention for corporations to change their policies. The series was funded by UK’s Channel 4 which produced 24 episodes. The series concluded on July 5, 2000.
2009
- April 7 — Documentary series Deadliest Warrior debuts on Spike. Each episode of the series focused on two types of historical and contemporary warriors or two historical individuals, with the history, culture and fighting philosophies of each explained, with dramatizations used to illustrate the explanations. Two teams of experts test weapons used by each of the warriors to determine which was the deadliest. The first two seasons were hosted by biomedical scientist Geoff Desmoulin, medical consultant Dr. Armand Dorian, and simulations programmer Max Geiger. Geiger was replaced by software developer Robert Daly in season three, but it was discovered he was being misleading about his military service in intelligence rather than combat. Former Navy SEAL Richard Machowicz was brought on to demonstrate the warrior’s perspective. The series was narrated by Drew Skye, who was actually actor David Wenham. The series produced 32 episodes and one special over three seasons, concluding on September 14, 2011.
- April 8 — Dramedy series The Unusuals debuts on ABC. Amber Tamblyn starred as Det. Casey Shraeger who transfers from Vice to NYPD’s Second Precinct with a mission to ‘clean up’ the station. But as Shraeger begins her new assignment, she learns that the precinct is full of secrets including a few of her own. The series was created by Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) and also starred Jeremy Renner, Adam Goldberg, Harold Perrineau and Terry Kinney. Goldberg’s character’s secret was a brain tumor that caused hallucinations but he refused treatment for fear that it could cripple or kill him. When ABC cancelled the series after ten episodes, the character’s fate was unresolved. The series ended on June 17.
- April 9 — Sword and sorcery comedy Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire debuts on Comedy Central. Sean Maguire stars as reluctant hero Kröd Mändoon, a ‘thin-skinned and underconfident freedom fighter’ in his struggle against the evil ruler, Chancellor Dongalor. The series was filmed in Budapest which filled in for the show’s ancient fantasy realm. Dongalor’s castle exterior is Orava Castle in Slovakia. Kröd’s flaming sword is not a CGI effect, but an actual sword prop with a gas canister and hose that ran up Maguire’s arm to light the blade. Maguire initially turned down the role, wanting to do something more serious after appearing in the poorly received 300 spoof Meet the Spartans. After reading the pilot script he accepted the role and worked out two hours a day for three months to build up his physique. Other cast members included India de Beaufort, Kevin Hart, Matt Lucas, and John Rhys-Davies. Chris Parnell narrated the US broadcast episodes while Michael Gambon narrated the UK version. Six episodes were produced for the first season. On August 21, 2009, it was reported that the series was cancelled due to funding issues with Capital Rights Media, but the report was retracted three days later, saying a new season could be produced with a new funding partner. BBC, BBC2 and Matt Lucas all insisted a second season was in development but has yet to come to pass.
- April 9 — Crime drama Southland debuts on NBC. The series featured a ‘raw and authentic look’ at Los Angeles and the lives of the LAPD officers who police it. Current Gotham star Ben McKenzie played rookie officer Ben Sherman. Former The Walking Dead star Michael Cudlitz played his training officer John Cooper who, unknown to most of his colleagues, is gay. The main cast also included Regina King, Shawn Hatosy, C. Thomas Howell and Tom Everett Scott. Recurring cast members included Denise Crosby (seasons 1-2), Amaury Nolasco (season 2), Bokeem Woodbine (seasons 3-4), Lucy Liu (season 4), Lou Diamond Phillips (season 4), Carl Lumbly (season 4), and Chad Michael Murray (season 5). NBC initially renewed the series for a 13-episode second season (season 1 consisted of 7 episodes) but shortly before the debut, NBC moved the premiere to October 23 citing the need for more promotion. On October 8, NBC cancelled the series. On November 2, TNT announced it had purchased the rights to the initial 7 episodes and the 6 completed season 2 episodes, airing the show beginning January 10, 2010. TNT picked up a third 10-episode season but with a substantial budget cut and cast reduction. The series was renewed for fourth and fifth 10-episode seasons, with the 43rd episode airing April 17, 2013. TNT cancelled the series on May 10, 2013 after five seasons.
- April 9 — Comedy series Parks and Recreation debuts on NBC. The political satire starred Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department in Pawnee, Indiana. The large ensemble cast included Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir, Retta and Billy Eichner. The first season received mixed reviews with some negative feedback focused on Poehler’s character who came across as too ditzy and unintelligent. The producers and writers addressed the feedback and retooled the series a bit for its second season which received positive critical acclaim, eventually becoming a TV classic. The series earned fourteen Emmy nominations (two for Outstanding Comedy Series), a Golden Globe for Poehler and nomination for Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical. In Time’s 2012 year-end list, the show was named the number one TV series of the year. After receiving for consecutive nominations, the series finally won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy in 2013. The series ran for seven seasons, producing 125 episodes, airing its finale on February 24, 2015.
- April 9 — Limited mystery series Harper’s Island debuts on CBS. The series was set on Harper’s Island where resident John Wakefield had goe on a killing spree before supposedly being killed by sheriff Charlie Mills, whose wife was one of the victims. Mills had sent their daughter to live with family in Los Angeles and after seven years she is returning to the island for her best friend’s wedding. But the killings start again and everyone is a suspect. The main cast included Elaine Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Katie Cassidy, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, C.J. Thomason and Jim Beaver. Recurring cast members included Richard Burgi and Harry Hamlin, the only two actors to know about their character’s deaths ahead of time. The other actors found out about their characters’ demise on the day each script was delivered. The series was billed as a 13-episode limited series which premiered on a Thursday night. After three low-rated outings, CBS moved the show to Saturday to burn off the final ten episodes with the final two airing on July 11.
- April 13 — Science series Doing DaVinci debuts on Discovery Channel. The series featured the hosts attempting to recreate many of Leonardo DaVinci’s inventions which were created by a team of six experts: Valek Sykes (mechanical designer), Bill Duggan (carpenter), Flash Hopkins (artist and builder), Jurgen Heimann (designer and puppeteer), Alan Bovinett (mechanical engineer), and Terry Sandling (mechanical and animatronics engineer). The team would consult with DaVinci researcher Jonathan Pevsner to understand the inventions and decide on materials needed to construct them. After completion, the invention is tested to determine whether or not the build was a success. 10 episodes of the series were produced which aired as two seasons. The series ended on September 29, 2010.
Do you remember any of these shows? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
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