Walt Disney Television
Only two new series premiered this week over the last 70 years, and both of them were in 1991. One is a beloved sitcom that ran for four seasons, and has recently joined the Disney Plus line-up, and the other is a very short-lived animated series based on a DC Comics character that did better as a line of toys than it did as a TV show. Let’s take a look at this week’s TV series premieres.
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 20 – Dinosaurs
- Cast: Stuart Pankin, Jessica Walter, Jason Willinger, Leif Tilden, Allan Trautman, Bruce Lanoil, David Greenaway, John Kennedy, Sally Struthers, Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, Michelan Sisti, Pons Maar, Tom Fisher, Jack Tate, Steve Whitmire, Mak Wilson, Tony Sabin Prince, Julianne Buescher, Star Townsend, Sam McMurray, Rickey Boyd, Florence Stanley, Sherman Hemsley
- Guest Cast: Brian Henson, Suzie Plakson, Dave Goelz, Michael McKean, Christopher Meloni, Jessica Lundy, Tim Curry, Jason Alexander, Michael Dorn, John Glover, Robert Picardo, Paxton Whitehead, Glenn Shadix, Gary Owens, Joe Flaherty, John Vernon, Edward Asner, William Schallert, Buddy Hackett, Jeffrey Tambor, Harold Gould, Steve Landesberg, Edie McCLurg, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Tony Shalhoub, Richard Simmons, Sally Kellerman, George Gaynes, G.W. Bailey, Fred Travelena, Peter Bonerz, Mimi Kennedy, David Leisure, Dan Castellaneta, Charles Kimbrough, Wendie Jo Sperber, Conchata Ferrell, Jon Polito, David Warner, Harry Shearer
- Synopsis: Dinosaurs is initially set in 60,000,003 BC in Pangaea. The show centers on the Sinclair family: Earl Sneed Sinclair (the father), Fran Sinclair (neé Phillips – the mother), their three children (son, Robbie; daughter, Charlene; and infant, Baby Sinclair) and Fran’s mother, Ethyl. Earl’s job is to push over trees for the Wesayso Corporation with his friend and coworker Roy Hess, where they work under the supervision of their boss, Bradley P. Richfield.
- Network: ABC
- Broadcast History: Four seasons, 79 episodes (7 unaired), last broadcast on October 19, 1994
- Trivia: Jim Henson conceived the idea in 1988 but until the success of The Simpsons, people though it was a crazy idea. Sadly, Henson died the year before the show’s premiere. Ironically, a third season episode of The Simpsons parodied the show and implied it was a rip-off even though Dinosaurs was conceived before The Simpsons even aired. Most of the dinosaurs’ names are the names of petroleum corporations. Earl Sinclair often sighs when he walks across the room. This allowed the puppeteer to see because he could only see through the mouth. Baby Sinclair did not have a name until Season 2 where he was taken to the Cave of the Elders and given the name ‘Ooh-Ooh Ah-Ah I’m-Dying-You-Idiot Sinclair’. That name was later discarded and Baby Sinclair became the official name. Behind the scenes, the name Philip was considered. Jim Belushi was offered the role of Earl but turned it down to focus on a movie career. Robbie Rist was considered for the role of Robbie Sincliar, but as he was the voice of Michelangelo for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the producers went in a different direction to avoid ties to the Turtles. Grandma Ehtyl was originally conceived as a winged pterosaur, always to be shown hanging in the closet. The design was too difficult to operate so the design was changed. The dinosaur heads in wide shot were operated by radio controlled motors, but were operated by puppeteers in close-ups. Disney was working on the series for CBS before it landed on ABC, which Disney eventually acquired. The show was a hit upon its premiere and the network did not interfere much with production. However, the network also shifted the series to multiple time slots, and it was the most expensive half hour on television at the time due to the animatronics, which contributed to its cancellation. When demands to make budget cuts were not met, Disney pulled the plug on the series. A fourth season episode that took a dig at the Disney corporation was not aired during the show’s original run and was first broadcast in syndication along with six other unaired episodes. The series finale depicted the beginning of the Ice Age, signalling the end of the series and, subtly, the coming end of the dinosaurs. ABC was not thrilled with the finale’s premise, but the show’s producer said the source for the story was history and ABC relented. A feature film was being planned during the fourth season, but the show’s falling ratings led to the idea being scrapped.
April 20 – Swamp Thing
- Cast: Len Carlson, Don Francks, Philip Akin, Errol Slue, Harvey Atkin, Gordon Masten, Joe Matheson, Richard Yearwood, Jonathan Potts, Tabitha St. Germain
- Guest Cast: Stuart Stone, Eva Almos
- Synopsis: Scientist Alec Holland invents a growth substance that could end world hunger, but a plantation owner obsessed with immortality tries to steal it and causes an accident that turns Alec into a human-plant mutant, protector of the bayou.
- Network: FOX Kids
- Broadcast History: One season, 5 episodes, last broadcast on May 11, 1991
- Trivia: The pilot episode aired on October 31, 1990. The series was originally pitched to CBS. The animated series aired concurrently with the USA Network live-action series. The theme song was set to the tune of ‘Wild Thing’ by The Troggs. Kenner invested about $6 million into a toy line to tie into the series, and test results showed the toys were more popular than G.I. Joe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
2001
- No new shows premiered this week in 2001.
2011
- No new shows premiered this week in 2011.
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