TV by the Decade :: July 11•17

Syfy

It was a good week for sci-fi and horror series across two decades this week, but only one of those three genre series made it past one season … and not very far past. Three additional series that debuted this week were all from 2011 and all were reality shows. Only one of this week’s new shows aired on one of the major networks, although two of the others were originally sold to two of the ‘Big Four’. Let’s take a look to see if any of your favorite shows premiered this week!

1951

• No new series debuted in 1951.

1961

• No new series debuted in 1961.

1971

• No new series debuted in 1971.

1981

• No new series debuted in 1981.

1991

• No new series debuted in 1991.

2001

July 12 – Night Visions

• Cast: Henry Rollins
• Guest Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Luke Perry, Bill Pullman, Aidan Quinn, Sherilyn Fenn, Carl Lumbly, Kelly Rutherford, Hart Bochner, Cary Elwes, Paul Guilfoyle, Jonathan Jackson, Brian Dennehy, Bridget Fonda, Samantha Mathis, Calum Worthy, William Atherton, Gil Bellows, Ron Canada, Mark Hildreth, Chad Lowe, Valerie Mahaffey, Jay Mohr, Jerry O’Connell, Jack Palance, David Paymer, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lou Diamond Phillips, M. Emmet Walsh, Mare Winningham, Gillian Barber, Thora Birch, Miguel Ferrer, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Pam Grier, Philip Baker Hall, Michael Hogan, Jamie Kennedy, Shirley Knight, Malcolm McDowell, Timothy Olyphant, Joanna Pacula, Amanda Plummer
• Synopsis: Horror anthology series, with each episode comprising two half-hour stories dealing with themes of the supernatural or simply the dark side of human nature.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: One season, 13 episodes (26 segments), last broadcast on September 24, 2002
• Trivia: Henry Rollins was hired as the host after FOX execs initially considered him for a recurring role on The X-Files. The series was not intended to have a host, but the network would not greenlight the show without one. The show’s creators wanted a voice over to introduce the segments and had a commitment from Gary Oldman. The series’ directors included Tobe Hooper, Joe Dante, Brian Dennehy, JoBeth Williams, and Bill Pullman. The series was originally scheduled to debut in October 2000. Three episodes that were never broadcast by FOX were finally aired on Sci-Fi Channel in September 2002. The episode ‘Cargo/Switch’ ran as part of the Night Visions series, but the other two episodes’ segments were edited into the Sci-Fi Channel film Shadow Realm, without the Rollins introductions.

July 14 – The Chronicle

• Cast: Chad Willett, Rena Sofer, Reno Wilson, Jon Polito, Sharon Sachs, Curtis Armstrong
• Guest Cast: Elaine Hendrix, Octavia Spencer, Ellen Cleghorne, Eric Balfour, Casey Biggs, Cliff De Young, Nora Dunn, James Hong, Richard Karn, Eugene Roche, Mark Sheppard, Geoff Stults, George Takei, Adrienne Barbeau, Anna Maria Horsford, Tucker Smallwood
• Synopsis: The show centers on a group of journalists at a tabloid newspaper, The Chronicle, and the contradictions that transpire when they realize that the various monsters, aliens, and mutants turn out to be real.
• Network: Sci-Fi Channel
• Broadcast History: One season, 22 episodes, last broadcast on March 22, 2002
• Trivia: Based on the News from the Edge series of novels by Mark Sumner. The series was originally sold to NBC. The 11th episode of the first season contains a reference to another Sci-Fi series, The Invisible Man, which shared a building, crew members and extras with The Chronicle. The final episode of The Invisible Man was to include a reference to The Chronicle but the network never replied to the suggestion to do it.

2011

July 11 – Alphas

• Cast: David Strathairn, Ryan Cartwright, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Laura Mennell, Malik Yoba, Mahershala Ali, John Pyper-Ferguson
• Guest Cast: Summer Glau, Lauren Holly, Sean Astin, Callum Keith Rennie, Isabella Hofmann, Rebecca Mader, C. Thomas Howell, Garret Dillahunt, Tatiana Maslany, Will McCormack, Brent Spiner, Lindsay Wagner, Kandyse McClure, Noah Reid
• Synopsis: The series follows five people, known as ‘Alphas’, led by noted neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn), as they investigate criminal cases involving other suspected Alphas.
• Network: Syfy
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 24 episodes, last broadcast on October 22, 2012
• Trivia: The original title was Section 8, Alphas. ABC originally picked up the show in 2007 with a six-episode guarantee, but the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike derailed the project. The show was re-shopped for two years until Syfy picked it up. The show had reportedly been cancelled after the first season. The second and final season ended on an unresolved cliffhanger. With Lindsay Wagner appearing as Dr. Vanessa Calder, this places the show in the same universe as Syfy’s Warehouse 13 and Eureka.

July 13 – Roseanne’s Nuts

• Cast: Roseanne Barr, John Argent, Jake Pentland
• Guest Cast: Becky Pentland, Greg Cipes, Sandra Bernhard, Bonnie Bramlett, Phyllis Diller Phyllis Diller, Michael Fishman
• Synopsis: A reality show in which Roseanne Barr lives on a Hawaiian macadamia nut farm.
• Network: Lifetime
• Broadcast History: One season, 16 episodes, last broadcast on September 16, 2011

July 15 – PrankStars

• Cast: Mitchel Musso, Brandon Gibson, Julia Lea Wolov, Kira Soltanovich, Sean Klitzner, Ben Begley, Brennan Murray
• Guest Cast: Selena Gomez, All-Star Weekend, Raven-Symoné, Cody Simpson, Bella Thorne, Zendaya
• Synopsis: A hidden-camera series where unsuspecting tweens and teens are set up by family members and come face to face with their favorite celebrities in unpredictable and humorous situations.
• Network: Disney Channel / Disney XD
• Broadcast History: One season, six episodes, last broadcast on December 16, 2011
• Trivia: The series aired monthly. Star Mitchel Musso, who also starred on Disney Channel’s Pair of Kings, was arrested the day after the fourth episode aired on a charge of driving while intoxicated. Musso was fired from Pair of Kings, and PrankStars was cancelled, with the final two episodes moved to Disney XD.

July 17 – Big Rich Texas

• Cast: Bon Blossman, Whitney Whatley, Jason Myer, Melissa Poe, Pamela Martin Duarte, Hannah Martin Duarte, Leslie Birkland, Kalyn Braun, Zakk Myer, Cynthia Davis, Alex Davis
• Guest Cast: Vivica A. Fox
• Synopsis: Big hair, big attitudes and big drama all come together in this docu-series that follows mother-daughter duos in Dallas’ high society.
• Network: Style Network
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 34 episodes, last broadcast on January 16, 2013
• Trivia: Spin-off of Dallas Divas and Daughters. A fourth season was ready to go into production until NBC Universal made the decision to replace the Style Network with Esquire Channel to produce more programming for men.