TV by the Decade :: January 3•9

Showtime

Happy New Year! As we move into decades that end in the number 1, we see many new series making their premieres during the first week of the new years. And while a few were less than successful, many of them went on to have very substantial runs even to this day. One sitcom has become a classic, spawning the phrase ‘a very special episode’, another show skewered daytime talk shows, one reality competition series has left fans still wanting more 12 years after its cancellation, one animated series has found new life on several different networks while another has enjoyed a continuing run on one network, and cable TV gave us long-running shows about policewomen, an egotistical TV star, and a very dysfunctional family. Let’s take a look at this week’s TV premieres through the decades and see which ones you remember … or still watch!

1951

• No new shows premiered this week in 1951.

1961

January 6 – Westinghouse Playhouse

• Cast: Nanette Fabray, Wendell Corey, Bobby Diamond, Jacklyn O’Donnell, Mimi Gibson, Doris Kemper
• Guest Cast: Ryan O’Neal, John Gallaudet, Jesse White, Jack Albertson, Joel Grey, Barbara Nichols, Arte Johnson, Jeanette Nolan, Parley Baer, Sandra Gould
• Synopsis: Fabray stars as a successful Broadway actress who marries Dan McGovern (Corey), who later learns has not told his two children of the marriage. Nan is confronted with rude children and the trials and tribulations of dealing with them and the housekeeper.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 28 episodes, last broadcast on July 7, 1961.
• Trivia: The series was also known as The Nanette Fabray Show, Westinghouse Playhouse Starring Nanette Fabray and Wendell Corey, and in syndication as Yes, Yes, Nanette.

1971

• No new shows premiered this week in 1971.

1981

• No new shows premiered this week in 1981.

1991

January 3 – Blossom

• Cast: Mayim Bialik, Andrew Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence, Joey Lawrence, Michael Stoyanov, Ted Wass, Jenna von Oy, David Lascher, Barnard Hughes, Finola Hughes, Courtney Chase, Melissa Manchester, Gail Edwards, Samaria Graham, Eileen Brennan, Phyllis Diller, Ivory Ocean, Kevin Jamal Woods
• Guest Cast: Ian Abercombie, ALF, David Arquette, Abraham Benrubi, Sonny Bono, Terry Bradshaw, Jonathan Brandis, Jere Burns, C+C Music Factory, Tisha Campbell, Jack Carter, David Cassidy, Dick Clark, Bill Dana, Zelma Davis, Phil Donahue, Fabian, David Faustino, Joely Fisher, Johnny Galecki, Estelle Getty (as Golden Girls character Sophia Petrillo), Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Arsenio Hall, Mary Hart, Neil Patrick Harris, Hugh Hefner, B.B. King, Don King, Reggie Jackson, Eric Allan Kramer, Timothy Leary, Jane Leeves, David Leisure, Little Richard, Tobey Maguire, Dina Manoff, James Marsden, Dick Martin, Sam McMurray, Lochlyn Munro, Mr. T, Brittany Murphy, Rhea Perlman, Wolfgang Puck, Martha Quinn, Phylicia Rashad, John Ratzenberger, Leah Remini, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Root, Debra Jo Rupp, Salt-N-Pepa, Talia Shire, Will Smith (as The Fresh Prince), David Spade, Tori Spelling, Robert Stack, Parker Stevenson, Brenda Strong, Christine Taylor, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Alex Trebek, Jimmie Walker, Slappy White, Scott Wolf
• Synopsis: After Blossom’s mother leaves to focus on her own life and career, the Russo family attempts to adjust, with Blossom frequently receiving advice in fantasy sequences from real life celebrities.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 114 episodes, last broadcast on May 22, 1995
• Trivia: The show’s pilot preview aired on July 5, 1990. In the pilot, Joey Lawrence’s character was named Donnie, which was changed to Joey for the series. Show creator Don Reo was inspired by his friend Dion DiMucci, lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts, and The Catcher in the Rye with the lead character originally intended to be a boy modeled after Holden Caulfield. The show was pitched to NBC with the title Richie. It was NBC that insisted the lead character be Richie’s older sister Blossom, and she should be given his characteristics. NBC also wanted Blossom to have super conservative parents. Bialik was also set to star in a pilot for FOX at the same time titled Molloy, with either of the two set to become a series depending on which was more popular. Seven episodes of Molloy had been taped before Bialik signed for Blossom, and was cancelled due to low ratings. NBC was happy with the performance of the Blossom pilot and ordered the show to series as a mid-season replacement. Richard Masur and Barrie Youngfellow played Blossom’s parents in the pilot. The rest of the regular cast remained in place after the series pickup. After the series order, Reo convinced NBC execs to let Blossom have the chic, musician father he had originally envisioned for the project. Ted Wass agreed to star as the father on the condition that he could direct some episodes. Bialik claimed to have influenced Wass’ hiring as she enjoyed auditioning with him for the pilot, and she got Stoyanov hired after seeing him on an episode of Empty Nest, citing their strong physical resemblance making them believable as siblings. Bill Bixby was a frequent director on the series into its fourth season even as he battled prostate cancer. After learning his illness was terminal, Bixby collapsed on set and died six days later. As the series was paired on NBC with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the shows crossed over twice. The show made an impact on pop culture, popularizing the phrase ‘a very special episode’ due to its often hard-hitting storylines, and has been referenced in several other shows including The Simpsons, Married… with Children, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, Friends, ‘Til Death, Parks and Recreation, The Big Bang Theory (in an episode mentioning Bialik’s role as Blossom before she joined the series), Glee, 30 Rock, Bob’s Burgers, and Young Sheldon.

January 7 – Talk Soup

• Hosts: Greg Kinnear (1991-1995), John Henson (1995-1999), Hal Sparks (1999-2000), Aisha Tyler (2001-2002)
• Guest Hosts: Roseanne Barr, Brad Garrett, Juliette Lewis, Patrick Warburton, Sarah Silverman, Suzanne Somers, Jon Hamm, Julia Sweeney, Kevin Nealon, David Brenner, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jerry Springer, Jimmy Kimmel, Tom Arnold, Catherine O’Hara, David Spade, Donna D’Errico, Richard Lewis, George Hamilton, Wayne Brady, Rolonda Watts, French Stewart, Sally Jesse Raphael, Kato Kaelin
• Synopsis: A look at clips from the previous day’s talk show with humorous commentary from the host. The show frequently poked fun at actors Randolph Mantooth and Mario Van Peebles, and featured a puppet named Senor Sock who was madly in love with Suzanne Somers.
• Network: E!
• Broadcast History: Eleven seasons, last broadcast on May 17, 2002
• Trivia: Several talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, refused to allow clips to be shown on the series. Celebrities who appeared in sketches on the show include Eric Idle, David Duchovny, Danny Aiello, Montel Williams, Adam West, Jonathan Harris, Neil Norman and his Cosmic Orchestra, Florence Henderson, Danny Bonaduce, Joan Collins, Billy Barty, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Ed Asner, Sherman Hemsley, Soupy Sales, Gary Coleman, Jenna Jameson, Robin Givens, Dawn Wells, The Moffatts and the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The show won a Daytime Emmy in 1995 for Outstanding Special Class Program. The series was reformatted in 2004 as The Soup, hosted by Joel McHale, which expanded its reach to include clips from talk shows, soaps, commercials and more. John Henson made a guest appearance in January 2009 to promote his new show Wipeout, and Aisha Tyler popped by to ‘see the old studio’.

2001

January 5 – Black Scorpion

• Cast: Michelle Lintel, Scott Valentine, Shane Powers, Steven Kravitz, BT, Enya Flack, Robert Pine, Raye Birk, Guy Boyd
• Guest Cast: Adam West, Sherrie Rose, Stoney Jackson, Martin Kove, Brent Huff, Lisa Boyle, Frank Gorshin, David Lander, Lana Clarkson
• Synopsis: Angel City detective Darcy Walker (Lintel) takes to the streets as vigilante Black Scorpion after her father’s murder and the charges against the suspect were suspiciously dropped.
• Network: SciFi Channel
• Broadcast History: One season, 22 episodes, last broadcast on June 30, 2001
• Trivia: The series was based on two Roger Corman Showtime movies, Black Scorpion (1995) and Black Scorpion II: Aftershock (1997), which starred Joan Severance in the title role. Episodes from the series were released as straight-to-video movies Black Scorpion Returns and Sting of the Black Scorpion.

January 7 – The Division

• Cast: Bonnie Bedelia, Lela Rochon Fuqua, David Gianopoulos, Nancy McKeon, Tracey Needham, Lisa Vidal, Jon Hamm, Taraji P. Henson, Amy Jo Johnson, Alex Rocco, Jay Harrington, D.B. Woodside, James Avery, Robin Thomas, Lauren Tom, Dean Cain, David Sutcliffe, Jon Tenney
• Guest Cast: Peter Coyote, Sara Rue, Roma Downey, Kim Fields, Rebecca Gayheart, Nia Peeples, Zachary Levi
• Synopsis: The show focused on the lives of five policewomen in the felony division headed by Captain Kate McCafferty (Bonnie Bedelia). Storylines revolved around the women’s personal and professional lives, and their attempts to balance both. The series tackled such topics as alcoholism, drug addiction, homophobia, and sexual abuse.
• Network: Lifetime
• Broadcast History: Four seasons, 88 episodes, last broadcast on June 28, 2004
• Trivia: The series premiere earned the largest audience of any basic cable original series that year. When the show was cancelled, it was Lifetime’s second longest running scripted series.

January 7 – Totally Hoops

• Cast: Ashley Brown, Michele DeVault, Lauren Bahun, Alisha Grusz, Shelby Georges, Kristen Shenk, Lindsey Goldsberry, Aisha Jefferson, Tiffany Williams, Steve Douglas, Maria Getty, Ashley Burtsfield, Matt Gatzulis
• Synopsis: Reality series tracking the experiences of eleven girls on the Dayton, Ohio Lady Hoopstars, a nationally acclaimed 14-and-under AAU basketball team, throughout the 2000s.
• Network: Disney Channel
• Broadcast History: One season, 16 episodes, last broadcast on November 3, 2001

January 9 – The Mole

• Hosts: Anderson Cooper (2001–02), Ahmad Rashād (2003–04), Jon Kelley (2008)
• Synopsis: The series is a reality competition in which the contestants work as a group to add money to a pot that only one of them will eventually win. Among the contestants is one person who has been designated “the Mole” by the producers and is tasked with sabotaging the group’s money-making efforts. At the end of each episode, the contestant who knows the least about the mole, as decided by the results of a quiz, is eliminated from the game.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 45 episodes, last broadcast on August 11, 2008
• Trivia: The show featured celebrity contestants for its third and fourth seasons. In the first season, contestants traveled to France, Monaco and Spain. Season 2 was centered mainly in Switzerland and Italy. Season 3 was only six episodes and was set exclusively on the Big Island of Hawaii. Season 4 at seven episodes was set on the Yucatan Peninsula, and Season 5 was set in Argentina and Chile. ABC formally cancelled the series on April 8, 2009, followed by fans bombarding the network with requests for a revival.

2011

January 4 – Live to Dance

• Host: Andrew Günsberg
• Judges: Paula Abdul, Kimberly Wyatt, Travis Payne
• Synopsis: Reality dance competition series based on the British Got To Dance.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 7 episodes, last broadcast on February 9, 2011
• Trivia: Unlike rival series So You Think You Can Dance, dancers of all ages were allowed to compete. An Australian version was produced in 2011 but never aired due to a scheduling conflict with another dance competition series. The premiere was the Number 1 program of the night with 10.2 million, but ratings plunged quickly with the final three episodes drawing around 4.5 million viewers.

January 7 – Young Justice

• Voice Cast: Jesse McCartney, Khary Payton, Jason Spisak, Nolan North, Danica McKellar, Stephanie Lemelin
• Guest Cast: Dee Bradley Baker, Crispin Freeman, Lacey Chabert, Kevin Michael Richardson, Mae Whitman, Jason Marsden, Lauren Tom, Tara Strong
• Synopsis: The series follows the lives of teenage superheroes and sidekicks who are members of a fictional covert operation group referred to simply as ‘the team’. Young Justice is essentially a young counterpart to the famous adult team, the Justice League.
• Network: Cartoon Network (seasons 1–2), DC Universe (season 3), HBO Max (season 4)
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 72 episodes to date
• Trivia: The series is set apart from the established DC Comics multiverse, taking place on the largely untapped Earth-16. It was discovered later that Earth-16 had been used but it was too late to move the series, which was then explained to be a fictional series within the original Earth-16. The show was conceived as a cross between DC’s Teen Titans and the Young Justice comics but not as an adaptation of one or the other.

January 7 – Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star

• Hosts: Nancy O’Dell, Carson Kressley, Oprah Winfrey
• Synopsis: Ten hopeful TV hosts hope to earn their own show on the OWN network, competing each week in a themed competition judges by O’Dell, Kressley and a guest judge with expertise in the week’s theme.
• Network: OWN
• Broadcast History: One season, 8 episodes, last broadcast on February 25, 2011
• Trivia: The show ended with two winners who each also received $100,000 and a 2011 Chevy Equinox.

January 9 – Bob’s Burgers

• Cast: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Larry Murphy
• Guest Cast: Jay Johnston, Sarah Silverman, Jenny Slate, Aziz Ansari, Tim Meadows, Megan Mullally, Kevin Kline, Zach Galifianakis, Sam Seder
• Synopsis: The series centers on the Belcher family -– parents Bob and Linda and their children Tina, Gene and Louise –- who run a hamburger restaurant.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: Eleven season, 204 episodes to date
• Trivia: The series has been renewed through its 13th season and a feature film is currently scheduled for release on April 9, 2021. Early on, the show’s location was purposely indeterminate but by the third season, fans began to deduce the show was set in New Jersey. More explicit references were dropped into episodes confirming that assumption, and a crossover with FXX animated series Archer furthered the narrative by noting Archer had been ‘flipping burgers at the Shore’ while suffering from a case of amnesia and believing he was Bob Belcher (both characters are voiced by H. Jon Benjamin). In the original concept for the show, the Belcher family were cannibals. FOX executives convinced the show’s creators to drop that aspect of the show but it was referenced in the pilot when Louise Belcher spread a rumor that the burgers were made of humans. Kristen Schaal is the only female voice actor of the six main cast members, voicing Louise, even though there are two other female characters in the Belcher family. In addition to Archer, the series has been referenced on The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

January 9 – The Cape

• Cast: David Lyons, Keith David, Summer Glau, James Frain, Jennifer Ferrin, Ryan Wynott, Dorian Missick, Martin Klebba
• Guest Cast: Vinnie Jones, Richard Schiff, Elliott Gould, Raza Jaffrey,Thomas Kretschmann, Mena Suvari, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Grant Bowler, Illeana Douglas, Tom Noonan, Kevin Kilner, Romeo Miller, Eric Pierpoint, Paul Carafotes
• Synopsis: Vince Faraday is a cop who has been framed for murder, leading him to fall off the grid and become the super hero known only as ‘The Cape’.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 10 episodes, last broadcast on March 11, 2011
• Trivia: The original series order was for 13 episodes, but due to low ratings NBC cut the order to 10, pulled the series after nine episodes, making the finale available on the network’s website. The series was referenced in several episodes of Community.

January 9 – Episodes

• Cast: Matt LeBlanc, Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig, John Pankow, Kathleen Ross Perkins, Mircea Monroe, Joseph May, Daisy Haggard
• Guest Cast: Rogert Bart, Chris Diamantopoulos, James Purefoy, Alex Rocco, David Schwimmer, Gilbert Gottfried, Tom Lenk, Merrin Dungey, Jay Leno, Leslie Moonves, Jon Glover
• Synopsis: After married couple Sean and Beverly Lincoln win yet another BAFTA Award for their successful British sitcom, Lyman’s Boys, they are persuaded to move to Hollywood and remake their series for an American audience. Unfortunately, the network starts to make changes and pressures the couple into casting Matt LeBlanc in the lead role, leading to changes to the script that threaten to damage the show.
• Network: BBC Two/Showtime
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 41 episodes, last broadcast on October 8, 2017
• Trivia: Episodes of the show aired in the UK the day after the US premiere. This was LeBlanc’s first regular series role since Friends spin-off Joey. LeBlanc won a Golden Globe for his performance and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award four times. Mangan and Greig previously starred in the Brit-com Green Wing. Claire Forlani was originally cast as Beverly but left the series during pre-production. Thomas Haden Church was cast as Merc Lapidus but had to exit due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by John Pankow. Though set in Los Angeles, the majority of the show was filmed in the UK, including LeBlanc’s Malibu mansion, with insert shots of LA added in post-production.

January 9 – Shameless

• Cast: William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Justin Chatwin, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Noel Fisher, Joan Cusack, Laura Slade Wiggins, Zach McGowan, Emma Greenwell, Jake McDorman, Emily Bergl, Isidora Goreshter, Richard Flood, Christian Isaiah, Kate Miner, Michael Patrick McGill
• Guest Cast: Dermot Mulroney, Alan Rosenberg, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Richard Flood, Chloe Webb, Alicia Coppola, Harry Hamlin, Katey Sagal, June Squibb, Sharon Lawrence, Dichen Lachman, Amy Smart, Sherilyn Fenn, Constance Zimmer, Alex Borstein, Jane Levy,Dennis Boutsikaris, Arden Myrin, Rachel Dratch, Regina King, Julia Duffy, Ed Lauter, Will Sasso, Jack Carter, Louise Fletcher, Reed Emmons, Steven M. Gagnon, Dan Lauria, Mary Kay Place, James Wolk, Brent Huff, Toks Olagundoye, Bradley Whitford, Russell Hornsby, Robert Knepper, Jeff Kober, Paul Dooley, Taylor Kinney, Wallace Langham, George Wyner, Wendy Philips, Rick Fox, Mo Gaffney, Scott Grimes, Courteney Cox, John Billingsley, Patrick Bristow, Lea DeLaria, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, O-Lan Jones, Rob Benedict, Charlie Schlatter, Richard Herd, Bob Saget, Max Adler, Brit Morgan, Wilzon Cruz, Bart Braverman, Mary Pat Gleason, Rosalind Chao, Merrin Dungey, Jenna Elfman, Garrett Morris, Alex Désert, PEnny Peyser, Alex Hyde-White
• Synopsis: The series depicts the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a neglectful single father of six. He spends his days drunk or in search of misadventures, and his children learn to take care of themselves.
• Network: Showtime
• Broadcast History: Eleven seasons, 135 episodes, the series will end its run in 2021
• Trivia: Based on the British series of the same name. The series is the longest running scripted series on Showtime. The series was originally under development at HBO. The role of Sheila Jackson was portrayed by Allison Janney in the pilot but the role was recast with Joan Cusack for the series. Cusack was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category each year she was on the show and won in 2015. A preview of the pilot was broadcast on December 12, 2010 after the Season 5 finale of Dexter. The series was filmed on location in Chicago and at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA. The series has been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards to date, and won a total of four. William H. Macy scored the show’s two Golden Globe nominations in the Best Actor in a Comedy Series category.

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