TV by the Decade :: Dec 26•Jan 1

Roy Rogers Productions

We’re in that gray area for television this week, closing out the old year and ringing in the new and that means networks (especially in the modern era) are not going to waste any new programming during the last week of the year. But NBC gambled on the rollout of a new Western series that paid off in 1951, but that was the only new scripted series to make its debut. The new year of 1982 was rung in with two new current events programs that both enjoyed very long runs. Let’s take a look and see if you remember any of this week’s new series debuts! Happy New Year!

1951

December 30 – The Roy Rogers Show

Cast: Dale Evans, Roy Rogers, Trigger, Pat Brady, Bullet, Harry Harvey, Russ Scott

Notable Guests: Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer, Dub Taylor, Denver Pyle, Paul Harvey, Stuart Whitman, Charles Bronson, Robert Blake, Ruta Lee

Synopsis: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans star as the proprietors of the Eureka Cafe and Hotel in Mineral City. Typical episodes followed the stars as they rescued the weak and helpless from the clutches of dishonest lawmen, con artists, bank robbers, claim jumpers, rustlers, and other ‘bad guys’.

Network: NBC

Broadcast History: Six seasons, 100 episodes, last broadcast on June 9, 1957

Trivia: Though set in contemporary times, the show had an unexplained juxtaposition of traditional cowboy tropes in the modern world. The series was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1955 for Best Western or Adventure Series.

1961

No new shows premiered this week in 1961.

1971

No new shows premiered this week in 1971.

1981-1982

January 1 – Crossfire

Cast: Tom Braden, Pat Buchanan, Robert Novak, Michael Kinsley, John Sununu, Bob Beckel, Tony Snow, Lynne Cheney, Geraldine Ferraro, Bill Press, Mary Matalin, Tucker Carlson, Paul Begalia, James Carville
Synopsis: American nightly current events debate television program.
Network: CNN
Broadcast History: Twenty-three years, last broadcast on June 3, 2005
Trivia: The series was revived on September 9, 2013, and placed on hiatus during coverage of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappearance beginning March 11, 2014. The revival returned on May 1, 2014, and went on hiatus again for coverage of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 incident in mid-July 2014. The show was officially cancelled on October 15, 2014.

January 1 – The McLaughlin Group

Cast: John McLaughlin (1982–2016)
Synopsis: Weekly public affairs television program.
Network: Syndication
Broadcast History: Thirty-four years, last broadcast on August 19, 2016
Trivia: John McLaughlin hosted the series until his death in 2016, at which point the show ended. The show was revived on January 7, 2018, retaining McLaughlin’s name, with Tom Rogan as host. The revival aired on WJLA in Washington DC for its first few months, then available online only through December 30, 2018. The show went on hiatus, but returned to the air on September 6, 2019 on Maryland Public Television. It became a national broadcast on January 3, 2020 on PBS. The series went on hiatus again after the December 25, 2020 broadcast.