TV by the Decade :: April 11•17

HBO

Only eight new series premiered this week across the decades, and most of them in 2011. One was notoriously cancelled after two episodes, another lasted three seasons but ended prematurely due to bad scheduling by the network, and one went for eight seasons, earned all the Emmys (well, not all but a lot), and ended on its own terms … which didn’t really make the fans happy. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to see if your favorites made their debuts this week.

1951

• No new shows premiered this week in 1951.

1961

• No new shows premiered this week in 1961.

1971

• No new shows premiered this week in 1971.

1981

• No new shows premiered this week in 1981.

1991

April 14 – Top of the Heap

• Cast: Joseph Bologna, Matt LeBlanc, Joey Lauren Adams, Rita Moreno, Leslie Jordan
• Guest Cast: Christina Applegate, Ed O’Neill, Pamela Anderson, Candice Azzara, David Faustino, Mary Pat Gleason, Marianne Muellerleile, Jeri Ryan, Robert Torti
• Synopsis: A spin-off with characters from the Married… with Children series. Intellectually challenged Vinnie and his chronically unemployed father share an apartment. Charlie’s ‘master plan’ is for son Vinnie to marry into a wealthy family.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: One season, 7 episodes, last broadcast on May 19, 1991
• Trivia: The pilot aired as the 20th episode of the fifth season of Married… with Children, which featured Ed O’Neill. Christina Applegate and David Faustino made appearances on the series but none of the Married… cast members appeared together. The series was reformatted in 1992 as Vinnie & Bobby with LeBlanc, Adams and Torti the only returning cast members. It too lasted 7 episodes. The pilot was the first screen role for Adams.

2001

April 11 – Special Unit 2

• Cast: Michael Landes, Alexondra Lee, Richard Gant, Danny Woodburn, Jonathan Togo
• Guest Cast: Sean Whalen, Pauley Perrette, Willie Garson, Dominic Keating, Cobie Smulders, Tom Welling, Amy Acker, Stefan Arngrim, Tyler Christopher, Jack Coleman, John de Lancie, Elaine Hendrix, Taylor Negron, Mark Sheppard, Erika Slezak, Sebastian Spence
• Synopsis: Detectives Kate Benson and Nick O’Malley from a secret Chicago P.D. unit solve violent crimes committed by mythological creatures, aka ‘Links’, while trying to hide the Links’ existence from the general public.
• Network: UPN
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 19 episodes (plus the unaired pilot), last broadcast on February 13, 2002
• Trivia: The series frequently poked fun at Buffy, the Vampire Slayer by noting all of its creatures were real but vampires were total fiction. Christina Moore was cast as Kate Johnson but was replaced by Alexondra Lee. Richard Gant’s character was named Captain William T. Page in the pilot, but renamed Captain Richard Page for the series.

2011

April 11 – Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza

• Cast: Bob DerKach, Drew Carey, Rich Fields, Jonathan Mangum, Ryan Stiles, Jeff Bryan Davis, Charles Esten, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops
• Guest Cast: Kathy Kinney, Brad Sherwood, Wayne Brady, Charlie Sheen
• Synopsis: Similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show, the program features the performers acting in improvisational comedy sketches in front of a live audience using suggestions and participation from the in-studio viewers.
• Network: GSN
• Broadcast History: One season, 40 episodes, last broadcast on June 3, 2011

April 12 – Sports Show with Norm Macdonald

• Cast: Norm Macdonald
• Guest Cast: Kyle Mooney, Linda Wang, Ben Hoffman, Mateus Ward, Derek Waters
• Synopsis: A sports comedy series that lampooned the world of sports using Web videos and field segments.
• Network: Comedy Central
• Broadcast History: One season, 9 episodes, last broadcast on June 7, 2011
• Trivia: While Macdonald wanted to air the show live, it was taped with a live audience. Despite a steady viewership of around 1 million viewers per episode, the series was cancelled after one season.

April 13 – Happy Endings

• Cast: Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans Jr., Casey Wilson
• Guest Cast: Nick Zano, Megan Mullally, Rob Corddry, James Wolk, Travis Van Winkle, Christopher McDonald, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Paul Scheer, Brian Austin Green, Michael McKean, Larry Wilmore, Julie Hagerty, Tom Kenny, Max Greenfield, Rob Riggle, Nick Thune, Derek Waters, Ryan Hansen, Bobby Moynihan, Faith Prince, Abby Elliott, David Alan Grier, Andy Richter, RuPaul, Nat Faxon, Meagan Fay, Riki Lindhome, Ben Falcone, Ken Marino, Matt Walsh, Drew Droege, Rob Huebel, Brent Musburger, Alan Rachins, June Diane Raphael, Damon Wayans, Ed Begley Jr., Michael Cassidy, Colin Hanks, Rachael Harris, James Lesure, Phil LaMarr, Robert Torti
• Synopsis: Happy Endings follows the dysfunctional adventures of six best friends living in Chicago.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 57 episodes, last broadcast on May 3, 2013
• Trivia: ABC was blamed for the show’s low third season ratings because of its erratic scheduling that led to its cancellation, which was called the ‘worst TV decision’ of the 2012-2013 season by Vulture. The first season episodes aired mostly out of order. Damon Wayans Jr. was the first actor cast. Episode 9 from the first season included a kiss between characters Max and Ian that was removed prior to broadcast. The producers stated it was purely a creative decision, not network pressure to remove gay content. USA Network had shown interest in continuing the series after ABC’s cancellation, but the deal fell through because USA claimed it would have been too expensive to market and promote the show after the low ratings it suffered during the third season. Amazon, Netflix, TBS and NBC were also potential outlets but with just two weeks left on the cast options, no deal was reached to continue the series. On February 6, 2015 a countdown clock launched on the show’s Twitter account promised ‘a new day’ to be announced on April 1. Several cast members stated the clock was a joke by a writer or writer’s assistant, and it did prove to be a 55-day April Fool’s joke. Sony Pictures TV though has attempted to revive the show multiple times, but the projects have fallen apart because at least one cast member wasn’t available. The 2014 NBC sitcom Marry Me is implied to be set in the same universe with Stephen Guarino recurring as Derrick on both shows.

April 14 – The Paul Reiser Show

• Cast: Paul Reiser, Ben Shenkman, Omid Djalili, Duane Martin, Andrew Daly, Amy Landecker
• Guest Cast: Larry David, Henry Rollins, Mel Brooks, John Aniston, Tisha Campbell, Amy Pietz
• Synopsis: The semi-autobiographical sitcom stars Paul Reiser as a former television star who has not worked on a television series in several years. While he has enjoyed spending quality time with his family during this break, he feels he needs something more. Deciding to shake up his life a bit, Reiser enlists his friends to help him find the next “big thing” to occupy his time.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 7 episodes (5 unaired), last broadcast on April 24, 2011
• Trivia: The series is considered a spin-off of Mad About You, and was originally pitched to HBO. An early title for the show was Next. The series replaced the failed Perfect Couples, and the premiere received ratings lower than the show it replaced, NBC’s lowest ratings ever for an in-season comedy premiere. The ratings for the second episode dropped further and the show was cancelled. Amy Landecker said she learned of the cancellation from an internet search before getting an email hours later confirming the news. The show was compared unfavorably to Curb Your Enthusiasm. Daniel Stern, Helen Hunt and Fred Savage directed episodes of the series.

April 17 – Audrina

• Cast: Audrina Patridge, Casey Patridge, Lynn Patridge, Kyle Loza, Mark Patridge, Marky Patridge, Samantha Patridge
• Guest Cast: Joanna Coles, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Cat Deeley, Eve, Denise Richards, Mark Steines
• Synopsis: Reality series focusing on the lives of Audrina Patridge, who came to prominence as a cast member on The Hills, and her family.
• Network: VH1
• Broadcast History: One season, 10 episodes, last broadcast on June 19, 2011
• Trivia: The pilot was produced for MTV as The Audrina Show. VH1 picked up the series and retitled it as simply Audrina. The series was spoofed on Stevie TV in the sketch ‘Audrina (The Lost Footage)’.

April 17 – Game of Thrones

• Cast: Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Daniel Portman, Jacob Anderson, Ben Crompton, Kristofer Hivju, Julian Glover, Carice van Houten, Charles Dance, Hannah Murray, Natalie Dormer, Jack Gleeson, Michelle Fairley, Ian McElhinney, Stephen Dillane, Joe Dempsie, Kristian Nairn, Anton Lesser, Mark Stanley, Richard Madden, Finn Jones, Sibel Kekilli, Iwan Rheon, Michael McElhatton, Owen Teale, Michiel Huisman, Diana Rigg, Dean-Charles Chapman, Rose Leslie, Tom Wlaschiha, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Brenock O’Connor, Ian Beattie, Natalia Tena, Gemma Whelan, Ellie Kendrick, Ian Whyte, Eugene Simon, Dominic Carter, Donald Sumpter, Esmé Bianco, Art Parkinson, Brian Fortune, Indira Varma, Ron Donachie, Richard Dormer, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Rupert Vansittart, Josef Altin, Amrita Acharia, Jonathan Pryce, James Cosmo, Richard Rycroft, Ian Gelder, Luke Barnes, Ben Hawkey, Oona Chaplin, Peter Vaughan, Faye Marsay, Roxanne McKee, Staz Nair, Sean Bean, Paul Kaye, Tara Fitzgerald, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kerry Ingram, Michael Condron, Jason Momoa
• Guest Cast: Noah Taylor, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Mark Addy, Pedro Pascal, Ciarán Hinds, Alexander Siddig, Jim Broadbent, Mark Gatiss, Burn Gorman, Richard E. Grant, Max Von Sydow, Ed Skrein, Roy Dotrice, Dean Jagger, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ian McShane, Ramon Tikaram, Freddie Stroma, Ed Sheeran
• Synopsis: Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
• Network: HBO
• Broadcast History: Eight seasons, 73 episodes, last broadcast on May 19, 2019
• Trivia: An adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. The series received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most for a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. While many main characters were killed off in early seasons to develop tension among viewers, critics noted many characters developed ‘plot armor’ to survive in unlikely circumstances as the series began to deviate from the novels to become a more traditional TV series. A principal inspiration for the novels was the English War of the Roses (1455-1485), as well as other historical antecedents such as Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Empire and the legend of Atlantis. David Benioff was interested in the book series before he had read any of it after a conversation with Martin’s literary agent, who sent Benioff the first four books. After reading a a few hundred pages, he suggested the project to D.B. Weiss, who then finished the first novel in about 36 hours. The pair pitched the show to HBO after a five hour meeting with Martin. They won Martin over by correctly answering the question ‘Who is Jon Snow’s mother?’ Others had approached Martin to turn the book into a film but he felt it would be impossible. Benioff added a film of that scope and budget would require a PG-13 rating meaning no blood, no sex, no profanity, and Martin was pleased with the suggestion they pitch it to HBO as a series. The original intention was for each novel to yield a season’s worth of episodes. The first pilot was received poorly and about 90% of it was re-shot with cast and director changes. The first season’s budget was in the $50-$60 million range. By the final season, each episode was budgeted at about $15 million. Peter Dinklage and Sean Bean were the only cast members who did not have to audition as the writers wanted them from the start. Tamzin Merchant was cast as Daenerys Targaryen in the pilot, but was recast for the series with Emilia Clarke. David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Rob McElhenney, and Martin Starr appeared in uncredited roles. Martin was scheduled to write one episode per season, but stopped after Season 4 to focus on completing the sixth novel, The Winds of Winter. The series eventually outpaced the published novels in the sixth season, so the remaining seasons were based on a plot outline of future novels provided by Martin. Peter Dinklage was nominated for all eight seasons in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category, winning four times, setting a record for most wins in the category for the same role. Lena Heady and Jerome Flynn were in a relationship that ended so badly that they had clauses in their contracts stating the two would never share a scene together and must remain apart on-set. Any mentioned interactions of their characters always occurred off-screen. Dinklage and Heady had been friends for years prior to the series and he recommended her for the role of Cersei. A replica of Gandalf’s sword from The Lord of the Rings is forged into the Iron Throne. Kit Harrington broke his ankle in 2012 requiring production to shoot around his injury with stand-ins in Jon Snow wigs. Brian Cox regretted turning down a role for money (Ian McShane was cast instead), saying he was silly because he became addicted to the show. Gillian Anderson admitted she turned down a role on the series because she had two young children at the time. It’s rumored the role was Cersei Lannister. Tricia Helfer had auditioned for the role of Cersei. Sam Claflin auditioned for the roles of Jon Snow and Viserys Targaryen. Mahershala Ali unsuccessfully auditioned for the series. Jamie Bamber auditioned for the role of Jaime Lannister. Jonathan Pryce turned down a role at the beginning of the series, flipping through the script and thinking it was not a show for him, but he then happily accepted the role of the High Sparrow. Charlie Hunnam was offered a role but turned it down. He was later offered a cameo but was unable to accept due to his schedule. Elizabeth Olsen revealed in a interview she auditioned for Daenerys Targaryen and lost out to Emilia Clarke. Elena Satine also screentested for the role. Millie Bobby Brown auditioned for an unknown role.