TV by the Decade :: September 19•25

Warner Bros. Television

It’s Premiere Week Part II, and this week includes a lot of series that found great success, many that were short-lived but had devoted fans, and more than a few that probably should have never seen the light of day. This week gave us a long-running soap opera, the first network program to air recently released Hollywood movies, spin-offs of popular series, shows that switched networks, popular sitcoms and dramatic series, and interestingly enough, despite the longevity of many of this week’s new shows … none of them are still on the air today. So let’s take a look to see if any of your favorite series premiered this week!

1951

September 24 – Love of Life

• Main Cast: Larry Auerbach, Heather Hill, Robert Myhrum, Robert Scinto, Art Wolff, Loring Mandel, Paul Avila Mayer, Claire Labine, Tudi Wiggins, Christopher Reeve, Lionel Chetwynd, Don Ettlinger, John D. Hess, Harry W. Junkin, John Pickard, Frank Provo, Phyllis White, Roy Winsor, Tirrell Barbery/Carol Raven, Louis Ringwald, Deborah Courtney
• Additional Cast: Peggy McCay, Hildy Parks, Bonnie Bedelia, Jerry Lacy, Bonnie bartlett, Dana Delany, Judy Landers, Ray Wise. Nancy Marchand, John Gabriel, John Aniston, Richard Ely, Wendie Malick, Ron Harper, Carl Betz, Barbara Barrie, Jessica Walter, Bert Convy, Jed Allan, Alan Feinstein, Roy Scheider, Robert Alda, Frances Sternhagen, Raul Julia, Ja’net Dubois, Irene Cara, Beatrice Straight, Tony Lo Bianco, Marsha Mason, Paul Michael Glaser, Julia Duffy, Leah Ayres, Ian Ziering, Mason Adams, Martin E. Brooks, Rue McClanahan, Lois Smith, Thom Christopher, Rita Gam, Arlen Dean Snyder, Humbert Allen Astredo, Sudie Bond, Karen Grassle
• Synopsis: Daytime soap focused on the loves and lives of residents of the fictional town of Barrowsville, then Rosehill.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Twenty-nine seasons, 7,316 episodes, last broadcast on February 1, 1980
• Trivia: From 1951-1975, the series originated from New York’s Liederkranz Hall, the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street and CBS’ Studio 52 behind the Ed Sullivan Theater. The series moved to Studio 44 at the CBS Broadcast Center in 1975 to make way for a nightclub that became Studio 54. The series began as a 15 minute program, expanding to 30 minutes on April 14, 1958. The series ended on a cliffhanger than was never resolved because producers hoped another network would pick up the show.

1961

September 19 – Cain’s Hundred

• Cast: Peter Mark Richman
• Guest Cast: Gavin MacLeod, Martin Gabel, Robert Culp, Harold J. Stone, Telly Savalas, Ivan Dixon, Judson Pratt, Philip Ober, Ed Begley, Bruce Dern, Ted Knight, Jim Backus, Herschel Bernardi, Michael Constantine, Pat Hingle, Clifton James, Jack Lord, Martin Balsam, Larry Blyden, Neville Brand, James Coburn, Harry Guardino, David Janssen, Richard Kiley, Jack Klugman, Ricardo Montalban, Simon Oakland, Walter Slezak, Fritz Weaver, Edward Andrews, Joanna Barnes, Sam Jaffe, John McGiver, Henry Silva, Keir Dullea, Susan Oliver, Madlyn Rhue, Robert Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Lloyd Bochner, Ed Nelson, Denver Pyle, Don Rickles, DeForest Kelley, Jerry Paris, Beverly Garland, Regis Toomey, David White, J. Pat O’Malley, Ed Asner, Alex Cord, Marion Ross, Jesse White, Norman Alden, John Beradino, Majel Barrett, Leonard Nimoy, Dabbs Greer, Herbert Rudley, Donna Douglas, Cloris Leachman, Noam Pitlik, Ford Rainey, Robert Blake, Henry Corden, Barbara Eden, Bert Freed, Norman Fell, Harold Gould, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Walston, Dorothy Dandridge, Charles Bronson, Sidney Blackmer, Sammy Davis Jr.
• Synopsis: A former underworld lawyer goes to work for the Federal Government, determined to bring one hundred top criminals to justice.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 30 episodes, last broadcast on May 15, 1962
• Trivia: Stafford Repp appeared in an uncredited role.

September 20 – The Joey Bishop Show

• Cast: Joey Bishop, Joe Besser, Abby Dalton, Corbett Monica, Mary Treen, Madge Blake, Warren Berlinger, Marlo Thomas, Mel A. Bishop, Guy Marks
• Guest Cast: Joe Flynn, Allan Melvin, Bill Bixby, Danny Thomas, Henry Gibson, Barbara Stuart, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Jack Albertson, Dawn Wells, Merry Anders, Nancy Kulp, Vito Scotti, Andy Williams, Jack Paar, Henry Silva, Barbara Stanwyck, Nick Adams, Neville Brand, Jaye P. Morgan, Marjorie Lord, Lee Van Cleef, Sid Melton, Marty Ingels, JoiLansing, Sheldon Leonard, Edgar Bergen, Raymond Bailey, Peter Lupus, Doodles Weaver, Mary Grace Canfield, Dom DeLuise, Bobby Rydell, Parley Baer, Laverne Andrews, Jack Carter, Vic Damone, Don Drysdale, Phil Foster, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Shecky Greene, Jack Jones, Don Knotts, Oscar Levant, George Lindsey, Charlie McCarthy, Cliff Arquette, Howard McNear, Jackie Coogan, Ellen Corby, Sandra Gould, Maxene Andrews, Leo Durocher, Charles Lane, Claudine Longet, Ed McMahon, Mortimer Snerd, Burt Mustin, Bob Hope, Alvy Moore, Streling Holloway, Herbert Rudley, Patty Andrews, Ray Kellogg, Sue Ane Langdon, Frank Cady, Billy Barty, Jack Benny, Robert Goulet, Vin Scully, Kathleen Kinmont, Donna Douglas
• Synopsis: Season 1 featured Joey as an incompetent Hollywood public relations man. The format changed from Season 2 where Joey is the host of a New York City talk/variety television show.
• Network: CBS / NBC
• Broadcast History: Four seasons, 123 episodes, last broadcast on March 30, 1965
• Trivia: The series is a spin-off of The Danny Thomas Show. Casey Kasem is heard in an uncredited role as a TV announcer. Jerry Lewis makes an unbilled cameo as himself. Several characters were dropped midway through Season 1 in an attempt to improve viewership. Bill Bixby joined the cast as Joey’s nephew and new boss, and ratings improved enough for a renewal. An episode featuring John F. Kennedy impersonator Vaughn Meader was filmed the week before JFK was assassinated. The episode never aired and is believed to have been destroyed. Season 1 was filmed in black and white except for five episodes in color to promote NBC’s parent company’s (RCA) new color televisions. Seasons 2 and 3 were fully in color, but when the show moved to CBS for Season 4, it reverted to black and white.

September 23 – NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

• Synopsis: Network broadcast of relatively recently released theatrical films, many of them in color.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: The series ran until October 1978
• Trivia: NBC’s initial deal with 20th Century Fox gave the network the rights to 31 post-1950 films. The series premiered with How To Marry a Millionaire, presented ‘In Living Color’. Many of the Fox movies were filmed in Cinemascope, resulting in severely cropped and panned & scanned video to fit the TV screen aspect ratio.

September 25 – 87th Precinct

• Cast: Robert Lansing, Ron Harper, Gregory Walcott, Norman Fell
• Guest Cast: Gena Rowlands, John McLiam, Alvy Moore, Jack Albertson, Peter Falk, Beverly Garland, Darryl Hickman, Dennis Hopper, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Vaughn, Victory Jory, Ed Nelson, Janis Page, Gloria Talbott, Robert Culp, Ross Martin, William Schallert, Barbara Stuart, Ellen Corby, Rosemary DeCamp, Jeanette Nolan, Jerry Paris, Nancy Reagan, Harold J. Stone, Frank Sutton, Dawn Wells, Charles Aidman, R.G. Armstrong, John Fiedler, Kathleen Freeman, Lyle Talbot, Morgan Woodward, Arte Johnson, Jeanne Cooper, Sandra Gould, Victor Sen Yung, Nancy Kulp, Mitzi McCall, Vito Scotti, John Astin, James Hong, Richard Deacon, Stafford Repp, John Aniston
• Synopsis: Manhattan’s 87th precinct forms the backdrop for this grim and gritty police drama based on the long-running series of novels by Ed McBain. Storylines focus on neighborhood crime, and the lives of the officers of the 87th and their families.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 30 episodes, last broadcast on April 30, 1962
• Trivia: The character of Roger Havilland was changed from the book where he was violent, corrupt and disliked by his fellow officers to an honest and respected veteran officer.

1971

September 19 – Cade’s County

• Cast: Glenn Ford, Edgar Buchanan, Taylor Lacher, Victor Campos, Peter Ford, Betty Ann Carr
• Guest Cast: Barney Phillips, Tony Bill, John Schuck, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Bernie Casey, Leslie Parrish, Broderick Crawford, Bobby Darin, James Gregory, L.Q. Jones, George Maharis, Darren McGavin, Cameron Mitchell, William Shatner, Martin Sheen, Forrest Tucker, William Windom, Ed Asner, Judy Carne, Jack Carter, Chief Dan George, Simon Oakland, Bobby Sherman, O.J. Simpson, Christopher Stone, David Wayne, Dane Clark, Eric Braeden, Shelley Fabares, Rosemary Forsyth, Kathryn Hays, Jeanette Nolan, Edmond O’Brien, Anthony Zerbe, Ed Flanders, Barbara Rush, Charles Dierkop, Will Geer, Mariette Hartley, Eric Christmas, John Savage, Michael Pataki, Russ Tamblyn, David Doyle, Joe Turkel, Norman Alden, Leif Garrett, Geoffrey Lewis, Dub Taylor, James Sikking, Pat Harrington Jr., Lou Antonio, Kenneth Tobey, Gordon Jump, Jan Merlin, Don POrter, Harold J. Stone, Burr DeBenning, Loretta Swit, James T. Callahan, Pippa Scott, Bridget Hanley, E.J. Peaker, Jay Silverheels
• Synopsis: The adventures of Sam Cade, sheriff of rural Madrid County.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 24 episodes, last broadcast on April 9, 1972
• Trivia: Bill Hayes appears in an uncredited role. Henry Mancini composed the show’s theme music.

September 21 – The Funny Side

• Cast: John Amos, Warren Berlinger, Teresa Graves, Pat Finley, Dick Clair, Jenna McMahon, Michael Lembeck, Cindy Williams, Burt Mustin, Queenie Smith, Gene Kelly
• Guest Cast: Jack Benny, Alan King
• Synopsis: An American sketch comedy program that examined of the ‘funny side’ of a potential issue in real-life marriages, such as health, money, sex, and the like.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 14 episodes, last broadcast on January 11, 1972

September 21 – Sarge

• Cast: George Kennedy, Ramon Bieri, Sallie Shockley, Harold Sakata
• Guest Cast: Dana Elcar, Randolph Mantooth, Tom Bosley, Jack Cassidy, Carol Lawrence, Monte Markham, Ricardo Montalban, Vic Morrow, Leslie Nielsen, Martin Sheen, Morgan Woodward, Susan Oliver, Vincent Gardenia, Arlene Golonka, Julie Gregg, Don Johnson, Denny Miller, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Lindsay Wagner, Marion Ross, Janis Page, Tom Selleck, Skip Homeier, Sandra Gould, Stanley Livingston, Carol Wayne, Richard Stahl, David Huddleston, Jack Albertson, Carole Cook, Robert Donner, Mike Farrell, Pippa Scott, James Wainwright, Jess Walton
• Synopsis: George Kennedy stars as Samuel Patrick Cavanaugh, a San Diego police detective sergeant who decides to retire and enter the priesthood after his wife is murdered.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 16 episodes, last broadcast on January 11, 1972
• Trivia: A pilot tele-film, Sarge: The Badge or the Cross, aired February 22, 1971. A week before the show’s premiere, Cavanaugh appeared on Ironside in a two-hour special to promote the two series’ consecutive time slots. This special episode has been broadcast as the TV movie The Priest Killer. Cavanaugh’s name in the pilot movie was Swanson, but was changed in the Ironside crossover. The character of Chief Dewey in the pilot also received a name change to Lt. Barney Verick. The series has been seen in syndication as part of The Bold Ones.

1981

• No new shows premiered this week in 1981.

1991

September 19 – Drexell’s Class

• Cast: Dabney Coleman, Dakin Matthews, Damian Cagnolatti, A.J. Langer, Brittany Murphy, Edie McClurg, Cleavant Derricks, Phil Buckman, Jacqueline Donnelly, Matthew Slowik, Jason Biggs, Heidi Zeigler, Matthew Lawrence
• Guest Cast: Randy Graff, Nana Visitor, Arlene Golonka, Beth Broderick, Mitch Pileggi, Tim Rossovich, Mary Jo Catlett, Bob Eubanks, Jason Priestley, Charlotte Ross, Tupac Shakur, Shock-G
• Synopsis: Otis Drexell was a corporate raider and tax dodger who would receive a suspended sentence if he took a position as a teacher at an understaffed school to pay off his back taxes.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: One season, 18 episodes, last broadcast on March 5, 1992

September 20 – Brooklyn Bridge

• Cast: Marion Ross, Danny Gerard, Louis Zorich, Amy Aquino, Peter Friedman, Matthew Louis Siegel, David Wohl, Jake Jundef, Adam LaVorgna
• Guest Cast: Constance McCashin, Carol Kane, Armin Shimerman, James Naughton, Allan Arbus, Joyce Van Patten, Heidi Swedberg, Mackenzie Astin, Joel Grey, James Gleason, Jeffrey Nordling, Allyn Ann McLerie, Estelle Harris, Walter Olkewicz, Vin Scully, Lisa Pelikan, Robert Prosky, Kate Burton, Laura Innes, Colm Meaney
• Synopsis: The series focuses on a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the middle 1950s. The premise was partially based on the childhood of executive producer and creator Gary David Goldberg.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 35 episodes, last broadcast on August 6, 1993
• Trivia: Louis Zorich and Olympia Dukakis were married and offered the roles of Jules and Sophie Berger. Zorich accepted, Dukakis declined. The series won the Golden Globe for Best Television Comedy or Musical in 1992, and was nominated in 1993, and was nominated for eight Primetime Emmy Award including Outstanding Comedy Series in 1992, and four Primetime Emmys in 1993. Marion Ross was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series both years. The series was announced for DVD release in 2010, but to date has not been released, possibly due to music rights issues.

September 20 – Step by Step

• Cast: Patrick Duffy, Suzanne Somers, Staci Keanan, Brandon Call, Angela Watson, Christine Lakin, Christopher Castile, Josh Byrne, Sasha Mitchell, Jason Marsden, Emily Mae Young, Bronson Pinchot, Patrika Darbo, Peggy Rea
• Guest Cast: June Lockhart, David Graf, Bodhi Elfman, John Astin, Philip Charles MacKenzie, Nedra Volz, Mary-Pat Green, Jason Behr, Jaleel White, Elizabeth Berkley, Pat Crawford Brown, Kathy Kinney, Michael Landes, Al Molinaro, Jensen Daggett, Sean Kanan, Don Knotts, Patrick Bristow, Doris Roberts, John Stamos, Susan Blakely, Debbie Gibson, Seth Green, James Gleason, Fred Willard, Paul Kreppel, Chris Demetral, Edward Winter, Molly Cheek, Jerry Penacoli, Linda Cardellini, Scott Foley, Jim O’Heir, George Wyner, Michelle Williams, Mary Pat Gleason, Richard Kline, Debby Boone, Shannon Elizabeth, Tiffani Thiessen, Eric Balfour, Julie Benz, Fabio, Angela Kinsey, Ronnie Schell, Michael Cudlitz, Clive Revill, Nick Spano
• Synopsis: Two families become one.
• Network: ABC / CBS
• Broadcast History: Seven seasons, 160 episodes, last broadcast on June 26, 1998
• Trivia: Marissa Jaret Winokur appears uncredited. The series was produced by Lorimar which also produced Dallas. Patrick Duffy’s casting was the fulfillment of a contractual obligation to Duffy to cast him in another series after Dallas ended its run. ABC cancelled the series after six seasons due to declining ratings. Eager to build its own Friday night comedy block, CBS made a deal with Miller-Boyett Productions to pick up the show and Family Matters, but ratings continued to erode and the show ended after its seventh season. Jaleel White’s appearance as Urkel firmly placed the series in the same universe as Family Matters. Oddly, Urkel also appeared on Full House, a show which the Step by Step characters said they watched. Sasha Mitchell played Patrick Duffy’s nephew in both this show and Dallas. Mitchell thanked Duffy for getting him the job on Step by Step, but Duffy didn’t know he’d been cast. The show makes several references to Dallas and Three’s Company. Lilly Lambert is born at the end of Season 4, but by Season 6 is five years old.

September 21 – The Torkelsons

• Cast: Connie Ray, Olivia Burnette, Rachel Duncan, Lee Norris, Aaron Michael Metchik, William Schallert, Anna Slotky, Perry King, Jason Marsden, Brittany Murphy, Paige Gosney, Michael Landes, Ronnie Claire Edwards, Alyson Kiperman, Mother Love, Peter Van Norden, Alyson Hannigan
• Guest Cast: Gregg Henry, Kevin Clash, Patty Duke, Michael Horse, Stephen Root, Drew Carey, Omri Katz, Shawn Phelan, Suzie Plakson, Joey Lawrence, Erin Grey, Ben Affleck, Jared Leto, Donal Logue
• Synopsis: A working-class single mother provides for her quirky family of 5 kids in rural Oklahoma.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 33 episodes, last broadcast on June 6, 1993
• Trivia: Connie Ray’s first major on-screen acting role. The series was retooled for its second season and renamed Almost Home. With the retooling, two of the Torkelson children vanished and were never referred to, as if they never existed. The production also transitioned from film to videotape in Season 2.

September 24 – Homefront

• Cast: Kyle Chandler, Sammi Davis, Ken Jenkins, Mimi Kennedy, Harry O’Reilly, Wendy Phillips, Jessica Steen, Dick Anthony Williams, Hattie Winston, Tammy Lauren, Giuliana Santini, John Slattery, Sterling Macer Jr., David Newsom, Kelly Rutherford, John DiSanti, Montrose Hagins, Alexandra Wilson, Kevin Scott Allen
• Guest Cast: James Gammon, Sam Behrens, Robert Duncan McNeill, Lela Rochon, Gregory Itzin, Dean Norris, Wil Shriner, Jason Beghe, Pat Crawford Brown
• Synopsis: World War II is over and the boys from the town of River Run, Ohio, are coming home. It seems that life is slowly going back to normal, but war has changed everything and they will never be the same again.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 42 episodes, last broadcast on April 26, 1993
• Trivia: Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick left Knots Landing as head writers to create this series. The series received eight Emmy nominations in 1992, and one Golden Globe nominations, and five Emmy nominations in 1993, and one Golden Globe nomination.

2001

September 22 – BET’s Top 25

• Synopsis: A countdown show that features top 25 favorites such as top 25 men/women, dances, actors, rappers, etc., with commentary from industry insiders.
• Network: BET
• Broadcast History: The series was broadcast until 2008.

September 23 – The Mind of the Married Man

• Cast: Mike Binder, Sonya Walger, Ivana Milicevic, Taylor Nichols, Jake Weber, Garrett Fraye
• Guest Cast: M. Emmet Walsh, Kate Walsh, Kathryn Morris, Larry Miller, Michael Cudlitz, Willa Ford, Lucy Lee Flippen
• Synopsis: A look at married life through the minds of 3 coworkers.
• Network: HBO
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 20 episodes, last broadcast on November 17, 2002
• Trivia: Mike Binder’s character and his friends go to see the movie Minority Report in one episode. Binder actually has a role in the film.

September 24 – Crossing Jordan

• Cast: Jill Hennessy, Miguel Ferrer, Ravi Kapoor, Steve Valentine, Kathryn Hahn, Jerry O’Connell
• Guest Cast: Ken Howard, Ivan Sergei, Mahershala Ali, Leslie Bibb, Lorraine Toussaint, Charles Mesure, Lindsay Frost, Amy Aquino, Wallace Shawn, Jeffrey Donovan, Lois Nettleton, Lawrence Pressman, Michael T. Weiss, D.W. Moffett, Shailene Woodley, Josh Duhamel, Tovah Feldshuh, Tamlyn Tomita, Henry Winkler, Alicia Coppola, William R. Moses, Vanessa Marcil, Boris Kodjoe, Alan Feinstein, Lesley Ann Warren, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Charlie O’Connell, Chris Noth, Ken Kercheval, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sandra Bernhard, Kyle Secor, Peter Onorati, Mackenzie Phillips, Ellen Greene, James Caan, Reed Diamond, Christine Ebersole, James Gammon, Shirley Knight, Silas Weir Mitchell, Raphael Sbarge, Gina Gershon, Isabella Hofmann, Ernie Hudson, Michael Rooker, Ron Silver, Nan Martin, Dan Butler, Steven Culp, Mariel Hemingway, Robert Picardo, James Pickens Jr., William Russ, Reginald VelJohnson, Hart Bochner, Joel Higgins, Jack Noseworthy, Jim Beaver, Sprague Grayden, Elaine Hendrix, Robin Riker, Michael Reilly Burke, David Burtka, Tammy Lauren, Megan Follows, Donna Pescow, Daniel Roebuck, David Andrews, Curtis Armstrong, Paul Ben-Victor, K Callan, Ron Canada, George Coe, Zeljko Ivanek, Keith Szarabajka, James Avery, Robyn Lively, Roxana Zal, Stephanie Zimbalist, Patrick Cassidy, John D’Aquino, Alan Dale, Emily Deschanel, Dennis Boutsikaris, Gabrielle Carteris, Mireille Enos, William Ragsdale, Jonathan Scarfe, Christopher Cousins, Christine Estabrook, Jeff Kober, Mark Pellegrino, Larry Drake, Colin Ferguson, Francis Guinan, Edward Herrmann, Kathleen Nolan, Jonathan Del Arco, Glenn Morshower, Eric Pierpoint, Lin Shaye, Armin Shimerman, Jessica Harper, Dale Midkiff, Marianne Muellerleile, Bill Mumy, Lee Garlington, John de Lancie, Robert Duncan McNeill, José Zúñiga, Joel Brooks, Clint Howard, Jon Polito, Denise Crosby, Jeff Fahey, Richard Gilliland, Dean Norris, Joel Grey, Gregory Itzin, William Mapother, Ted Shackelford, Ja’net DuBois, Zachary Quinto, Lynne Moody, Helen Slater, Frederick Koehler, Andrea Martin, Nicolas Surovy, Tony Todd, Cliff De Young, Linda Purl, Max Grodénchik, Jeremy London, Leighton Meester, Eddie Jones, James Read, Dee Wallace, Larry Poindexter, Nick Wechsler, Leah Pipes, Eric Stonestreet, Howard Hesseman, Robert Joy, Adina Porter, Carl Reiner, Wade Wiliams, Kevin Alejandro, David Naughton, Adam Storke, Jerry Hardin, Kevin Kilner, Cindy Pickett, Joe Spano, Paul Wesley, Eddie Mekka, Ariel Winter, Ian Abercrombie, Spencer Garrett, Daphne Reid, Jason Gedrick, David Clennon, Brynn Thayer, Susan Walters, Jack Klugman, Paul Winfield, Michael Shannon, Anthony Heald, Seamus Dever, Dennis Christopher, Max Perlich, Tom Verica, Jermaine Jackson, Jeffrey Nordling, Bruce Boxleitner, Barry Livingston
• Synopsis: Jill Hennessy stars as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In addition to Jordan, the show followed an ensemble cast composed of Jordan’s co-workers and police detectives assigned to the various cases.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Six seasons, 117 episodes, last broadcast on May 16, 2007
• Trivia: Wendy & Lisa scored the music for the show. The series was set in the same universe as NBC’s Las Vegas as the shows featured several crossovers. The series went on hiatus for much of the 2003-2004 season to accommodate Jill Hennessy’s pregnancy. The sixth season was to end with a cliffhanger in which all but one of the characters were involved in a plane crash in the mountains, but when NBC decided not to renew, a new ending was written in which everyone was saved. Shannon Woodward appears in an uncredited role.

September 25 – The Guardian

• Cast: Simon Baker, Dabney Coleman, Alan Rosenberg, Wendy Moniz, Raphael Sbarge, Charles Malik Whitfield, Rusty Schwimmer, Amanda Michalka, Erica Leerhsen, Kathleen Chalfant, Denise Dowse
• Guest Cast: Farrah Fawcett, Rita Moreno, Lolita Davidovich, Zac Efron, Chris Pine, Will Ferrell, Corey Feldman, Erik Estrada, Joseph Campanella, Aaron Paul, Chloë Grace Moretz, Danielle Panabaker, Anna Gunn, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Courtney Gains, John Rubinstein, Evan Handler, Lawrence Pressman, Josh Peck, Christine Estabrook, Scout Taylor-Compton, Bruce Weitz, James Sikking, Arye Gross, Glenne Headly, Doug Savant, Robert Loggia, Larry Miller, Henry Gibson, Jeff Kober, Cliff De Young, John Getz, Harry Groener, Jesse Plemons, JoBeth Williams, John de Lancie, Tate Donovan, Zach Grenier, Tonya Pinkins, Joseph Campanella, Geoffrey Lewis, Polly Draper, Robert Joy, Eugene Roche, Beverly Garland, John Benjamin Hickey, John Pyper-Ferguson, Francis Guinan, Andrew Lawrence, Max Perlich, Nicholas Pryor, Daniel Roebuck, Armin Shimerman, Kurt Fuller, Tim Guinee, Jim Rash, Maureen McCormick, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Dorn, Doug Jones, Kathy Baker, Adina Porter, Vernee Watson, Alex Hyde-White, M. Emmet Walsh, Grace Zabriski, Julie Hagerty, Tobin Bell, Barry Livingston, Karen Robinson, John Diehl, Paul Gleason
• Synopsis: Nick Fallin is a hotshot lawyer working at his father’s ultra-successful Pittsburgh law firm. Unfortunately, the high life has gotten the best of Nick.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 67 episodes, last broadcast on May 4, 2004
• Trivia: Raphael Sbarge did not know his character was going to be gay until he got the script in the middle of the third season.

September 25 – Emeril

• Cast: Emeril Lagasse, Lisa Ann Walter, Sherri Shepherd, Carrie Preston, Robert Urich
• Guest Cast: Mary Page Keller, Felicia Day, Robin Riker, Molly Hagan, Burt Reynolds, Bo Derek, Dom DeLuise, Vincent Pastore
• Synopsis: Emeril Lagasse stars as himself playing a TV chef on a fictional cooking show.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 11 episodes (3 unaired, 1 unaired pilot), last broadcast on December 11, 2001
• Trivia: ABC passed on the series even though Emeril was a regular on Good Morning America. The kitchen set was fully functional and Emeril would cook for the cast and crew.

September 25 – Philly

• Cast: Kim Delaney, Tom Everett Scott, Rick Hoffman, Diana Maria Riva, Scotty Leavenworth, Kyle Secor, Robert Harper, James Denton, Dena Dietrich, Scott Alan Smith
• Guest Cast: Kristanna Loken, Ron Canada, James Pickens Jr., Veronica Hamel, Sharon Lawrence, Steven Culp, Phil LaMarr, Reggie Lee, Joanna Cassidy, Bill Cobbs, Ossie Davis, Jason Gedrick, Peter Haskell, Jonathan Scarfe, Cress Williams, Jenny O’Hara, Jonathan Tucker, Alan Dale, Pauley Perrette, Zachery Ty Bryan, John Kassir, Terence Knox, Don Lake, Constance Zimmer, Missi Pyle, Michael Cudlitz, James Avery, Gregory Itzin, Louis Lombardi, Harry Groener, Jerry Hardin, Donna Pescow, Dean Norris, Ellen Geer, Jim Beaver, Ricardo Chavira, Greg Mullavey, Judd Hirsch, Red Buttons
• Synopsis: A new lawyer tries to maintain her distance from her sometimes guilty clients, but building a good rep threatens to overcome her passion.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: One season, 22 episodes, last broadcast on May 28, 2002
• Trivia: Stephen Bochco began developing a legal series as he grew tired of NYPD Blue. Feeling Kim Delaney was under-used on that show, he offered her the lead in the new show.

September 25 – Undeclared

• Cast: Jay Baruchel, Carla Gallo, Charlie Hunnam, Monica Keena, Seth Rogen, Timm Sharp, Christina Payano, Loudon Wainwright III, Jarrett Grode
• Guest Cast: Jason Segel, Amy Poehler, Kevin Hart, Fred Willard, Busy Philipps, Samm Levine, David Krumholtz, Jenna Fischer, Kyle GAss, Alexandra Breckenridge, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Simon Helberg, Martin Starr, Tom Welling, Mary Kay Place, Felicia Day, Lizzie Caplan, Mike White, David Pasquesi
• Synopsis: Undeclared centers on a group of college freshmen at the fictional University of Northeastern California.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: One season, 17 episodes, last broadcast on March 12, 2002
• Trivia: Adam Sandler appeared in an uncredited cameo. The main characters were all based on the actors playing them, and a pilot script was not written until all the parts had been cast and even then, most of the dialogue was improvised. Judd Apatow produced the show as a follow-up to Freaks & Geeks, and fourteen cast members from that show made appearances on this show. Apatow wanted Jason Segel for the lead role of Steven but FOX rejected the idea, so he got the supporting role of Eric.

2011

September 19 – 2 Broke Girls

• Cast: Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs, Garrett Morris, Jonathan Kite, Matthew Moy, Jennifer Coolidge
• Guest Cast: Ryan Hansen, Nick Zano, Christopher Gorham, Eric André, Gilles Marini, Sandra Bernhard, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kerri Kenney, Steven Weber, Andy Dick, Martha Stewart, Nora Dunn, Lynne Marie Stewart, 2 Chainz, Kym Whitley, Travis Van Winkle, Mindy Sterling, Bridget Everett, Renée Taylor, Missi Pyle, Brian Doyle Murray, Drew Droege, Jeff Garlin, Hal Linden, Lindsay Lohan, Peter Onorati, Nico Santos, Leslie Grossman, Valerie Harper, Caroline Rhea, Bryan Callan, Mo Gaffney, Jackée Harry, John Michael Higgins, Dot-Marie Jones, Mercedes Ruehl, French Stewart, Mary Testa, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Arden Myrin, Travis Schuldt, George Hamilton, Edward Hibbert, Telma Hopkins, Lisa Lampanelli, Alec Mapa, RuPaul, Laura Kightlinger, Kevin Meaney, Beth Littleford, Fortune Feimster, Chad Michaels, Brad Goreski, Ego Nwodim, Mary Jo Catlett, Cedric the Entertainer, Abby Elliott, Mary Pat Gleason, James Hong, D.J. ‘Shangela’ Pierce, Nadia Bjorlin, Jennifer Elise Cox, Kyle Gass, Judy Gold, Jesse Metcalfe
• Synopsis: Two young women waitressing at a greasy spoon diner strike up an unlikely friendship in the hopes of launching a successful business – if only they can raise the cash.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Six seasons, 138 episodes, last broadcast on April 17, 2017
• Trivia: William Schallert has an uncredited role as an elevator operator at the age of 91, which turned out to be his final role before passing away at the age of 93. The series was nominated for 12 Emmy Awards during its run, winning one for Art Direction in 2012. Factors leading to the show’s cancellation included declining ratings, CBS wanting to have ownership in the series (which was produced by Warner Bros. TV), and the need to make space for three new sitcoms on the 2017 Fall schedule. Many items in the girls’ apartment were also used on the living room set of The New Adventures of Old Christine.

September 19 – Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness

• Voice Cast: Mick Wingert, Kari Wahlgren, Fred Tatasciore, Max Koch, James Sie, Amir Talai, Lucy Liu, James Hong, Peter Hastings
• Additional Voices: John DiMaggio, Kevin Michael Richardson, Wallace Shawn, Diedrich Bader, Simon Helberg, Maria Bamford, Stephen Root, Maurice LaMarche, Wendie Malick, Danny Cooksey, R. Lee Ermey, Lauren Tom, Amy Hill, John Kassir, Toby Huss, Wayne Knight, Tress MacNeille, Ken Jeong, Eric Bauza, Kevin McDonald, George Takei, Cree Summer, Graham McTavish, Malcolm McDowell, Christopher McDonald, Rob Paulsen, Grey Griffin, Pamela Adlon, David Koechner, Clancy Brown, Mindy Sterling, Alfred Molina, Laraine Newman, Dwight Schultz, April Winchell
• Synopsis: Po and the Furious Five defend the Valley of Peace from villains of different kinds. All the while, Po makes mistakes, learns lessons, learns more about the history of kung fu, and meets other famous kung fu Masters.
• Network: Nickelodeon
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 80 episodes, last broadcast on June 29, 2016
• Trivia: Lucy Liu and James Hong reprised their characters from the original film. The series served as a bridge between the first two movies in the franchise. The series was nominated for 18 Daytime Emmy Awards and one Primetime Emmy Award.

September 20 – New Girl

• Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, Lamorne Morris Lamorne Morris, Damon Wayans Jr.
• Guest Cast: Nasim Pedrad, Megan Fox, Curtis Armstrong, Rob Reiner, June Diane Raphael, Dermot Mulroney, Merritt Wever, Brian Posehn, Justin Long, Michaela Watkins, Rachel Harris, Lizzy Caplan, Ben Falcone, Nora Dunn, Peter Gallagher, Carla Gugino, Rob Riggle, Jeff Kober, Olivia Munn, Linda Cardellini, Josh Gad, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Lucy Punch, Sonequa Martin-Green, Jon Lovitz, Eva Amurri, Anna Maria Horsford, Bill Burr, Dennis Farina, Kaitlin Olson, Stephen Amell, Alexandra Daddario, Kiersey Clemons, Kal Penn, Kim Wayans, Lake Bell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Katrina Bowden, Parker Posey, Odette Annable, Nate Corddry, Taye Diggs, Riki Lindhome, Margo Martindale, Taylor Swift, Dreama Walker, Elizabeth Berkley, John Cho, Busy Philipps, Andy Samberg, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Lennon, Martin Starr, Brooklyn Decker, Jessica Biel, Adam Brody, Kerri Kenney, Prince, Alan Ritchson, Lori Greiner, Jack McBrayer, Fred Armisen, Andre Braugher, Clea DuVall, Kate Flannery, David Hornsby, Taran Killam, Demetri Martin, Natasha Lyonne, Molly Cheek, Joey King, Clyde Kusatsu, Steve Howey, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Billy Eichner, Bob Gunton, Reid Scott, Tony Amendola, Apl.de.Ap, Darlene Love, Olivia Rodrigo, Rizwan Manji, Randall Park, Regis Philbin, Billy Gardell, Julie Hagerty, Joe Lo Truglio, Donna Pescow, Fred Willard, Clark Duke, Marty Ingels, Nick Kroll, Lisa Bonet, Tiffany Haddish, Henry Winkler, J.B. Smoove, Drew Droege, Jack Carter, Ryan Kwanten, Ron Funches, Dylan O’Brien, Dennis Haskins, Robert Smigel, Barry Bostwick, Adam Huber, Curran Walters, Tig Notaro, Jimmy O. Yang, Damaris Lewis
• Synopsis: After a bad break-up, Jess, an offbeat young woman, moves into an apartment loft with three single men. Although they find her behavior very unusual, the men support her – most of the time.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: Seven seasons, 146 episodes, last broadcast on May 15, 2018
• Trivia: The series was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards. Zooey Deschanel was developing a show at HBO when she read the script for New Girl and responded to the material. Jake Johnson was cast after agreeing to lose 15 pounds at the network’s request. Damon Wayans Jr. joined the series while expecting his ABC show Happy Endings to be cancelled, but it was renewed and he was replaced with Lamorne Morris, who had been unavailable when the pilot was filmed. Wayans returned as a different character in Season 3 and became a regular in Season 4. Deschanel missed six Season 5 episodes due to her pregnancy. Amanda Bynes had been considered for the role of Jess. In Season 1, Jess makes a reference to the movie Bridge to Terebithia, in which Deschanel also stars.

September 20 – Unforgettable

• Cast: Poppy Montgomery, Dylan Walsh, James Hiroyuki Liao, Jane Curtin, Dallas Roberts, Tawny Cypress, Michael Gaston, Kevin Rankin, Daya Vaidya
• Guest Cast: La La Anthony, Kathy Najimy, James Urbaniak, Skeet Ulrich, Boris Kodjoe, Samira Wiley, Ashanti, Casey Siemaszko, Victoria Cartagena, Robert Clohessy, Clark Johnson, Elias Koteas, Jay O. Sanders, Craig Bierko, Joey Slotnick, Rachel Dratch, Bruce Davison, Gary Basaraba, Dennis Christopher, Phyllis Somerville, Frankie Faison, Constantine Maroulis, Lesley Stahl, Sebastian Roché, Al Sapienza, Chris Chalk, Yaya DaCosta, Gary Cole, Aida Turturro, Frank Whaley, Rachel Ticotin, Andrew McCarthy, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Brandon Micheal Hall, Kevin Kilner, Wayne Knight, Babs Olusanmokun, Adam Huber, Happy Anderson
• Synopsis: Former Syracuse, New York police detective Carrie Wells has hyperthymesia, a rare medical condition that gives her the ability to visually remember everything. She reluctantly joins the New York City Police Department’s Queens homicide unit after her former boyfriend and partner, Lieutenant Al Burns, asks for help with solving a case. The move allows her to try to find out the one thing she has been unable to remember, which is what happened the day her sister was murdered.
• Network: CBS / A+E
• Broadcast History: Four seasons, 61 episodes, last broadcast on January 22, 2016
• Trivia: CBS cancelled the series after the first season, Lifetime expressed interest but passed, then CBS reversed its decision and renewed it for a second season. CBS again cancelled the series after Season 3, and A+E picked it up for a fourth, but did not order a fifth season, leaving the series to end on a cliffhanger. Marilu Henner is credited as a consultant on several episodes; she has the same condition as the lead character.

September 22 – Charlie’s Angels

• Cast: Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor, Ramon Rodriguez
• Guest Cast: Isaiah Mustafa, Carlos Bernard, Erica Durance, Peyton List, Pedro Pascal, Elizabeth Peña, D.B. Woodside, James Morrison, Romeo Miller
• Synopsis: A cat burglar, a car thief, and a dirty cop get a chance to turn their lives around; fighting crime and working for the mysterious Charlie Townsend.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: One season, 8 episdoes (1 unaired), last broadcast on November 10, 2011
• Trivia: Victor Garber provided the voice of Charlie. Robert Wagner was originally selected to provide Charlie’s voice but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts.

September 22 – Person of Interest

• Cast: Jim Caviezel, Kevin Chapman, Michael Emerson, Amy Acker, Taraji P. Henson, Sarah Shahi, John Nolan, Enrico Colantoni
• Guest Cast: Robert John Burke, Al Sapienza, Brett Cullen, Clarke Peters, Paige Turco, Jay O. Sanders, Camryn Manheim, Carrie Preston, Leslie Odom Jr., Michael Kelly, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Ken Leung, James Le Gros, Jessica Hecht, Saul Rubinek, Jimmi Simpson, LaChanze, Joseph Mazello, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Reg E. Cathey, Linda Cardellini, Alan Dale, Natalie Zea, Matt Lauria, Pablo Schreiber, Sarah Wynter, Dennis Boutsikaris, Luke Kirby, Tracie Thoms, Blair Brown, Aasif Mandvi, Keith David, Michael Cerveris, Tim Guinee, Mark Pellegrino, Julian Sands, Jonathan Tucker, Malik Yoba, Nestor Carbonell, John Heard, Michael Gaston, Reiko Aylesworth, Judith Ivey, Alicia Witt, Kirk Acevedo, Dan Lauria, Samm Levine, Scott Adsit, Chris Chalk, Austin Pendleton, José Zúñiga, Paul Ben-Victor, Lee Tergesen, Carlos Leon, Geoff Pierson, William Sadler, Tony Plana, Loudon Wainwright III, Rob McClure, Lillias White, Brian d’Arcy James, Gary Basaraba, Kevin Kilner, Dan Hedaya, Margo Martindale, Casey Siemaszko, Jason Ritter, Matt McGorry
• Synopsis: The series centers on a mysterious reclusive billionaire computer programmer, Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), who has developed a computer program for the federal government known as ‘the Machine’ that is capable of collating all sources of information to predict terrorist acts and to identify people planning them.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 103 episodes, last broadcast on June 21, 2016
• Trivia: Harold Finch’s finacee is portrayed by Michael Emmerson’s real-life wife, Carrie Preston. Kyle Chandler turned down the lead role. Michael Emerson, James Caviezel, and Kevin Chapman were the only actors to appear in every episode.