20th Century Fox Television
It was another case of the winter doldrums for network television this week across the decades. Four new series debuted in three different years, and only one of them went to a second season. One new show was based on a Cary Grant film, and neither of the properties seem remembered today. A sitcom starred a movie legend and two ‘up-and-comers’ but that was deemed one of the worst shows of all time by TV Guide in 2002. Another star of a previous hit drama series tried her hand at a sitcom … that became a drama which lasted four weeks on the winter schedule, and Kiefer Sutherland returned to FOX with the most ‘successful’ of this week’s shows, even though the two season run only amounted to a normal single season. Read on to learn more about this week’s TV premieres!
1952
- No new shows debuted this week in 1952.
1962
Warner Bros. Television
January 27 – Room for One More
- Cast: Andrew Duggan, Peggy McCay, Carol Nicholson, Ahna Capri, Tim Rooney, Maxine Stuart, Ronnie Dapo
- Notable Guests: Jack Albertson, Robert Q. Lewis, Sue Ane Langdon, Sandra Gould, Barbara Stuart
- Synopsis: An adaptation of the Cary Grant film of same title, George and Anna Rose have two biological children, two adopted. Their warm and caring household frequently finds space for yet another youngster in need. Neighbors Ruth and Walter are on hand to offer help.
- Network: ABC
- Broadcast History: One season, 26 episodes, last broadcast on July 28, 1962
- Trivia: The movie and TV series were based on Room for One More by Anna Perrot Rose.
1972
- No new shows debuted this week in 1972.
1982
January 23 – One of the Boys
- Cast: Mickey Rooney, Dana Carvey, Nathan Lane, Francine Beers, Scatman Crothers
- Notable Guests: Elizabeth Berridge, Olympia Dukakis, Meg Ryan, Wendie Malick, Estelle Getty
- Synopsis: An energetic grandpa is invited to move out of his retirement home and into the cool pad of his college student grandson and his roommate.
- Network: NBC
- Broadcast History: One season, 13 episodes, last broadcast on April 24, 1962
- Trivia: Dana Carvey recounted that Mickey Rooney thought he was gay and would mock him in front of Nathan Lane, whom Rooney thought was straight.
January 29 – Cassie & Co.
- Cast: Angie Dickinson, John Ireland, Dori Brenner, A Martinez, Alex Cord
- Notable Guests: Ed Harris, John Larroquette, Robert Englund, Donna Pescow, Dixie Carter, Richard Jaeckel, Gregory Sierra, Terry Kiser
- Synopsis: Cassie Holland is a tough and feisty former police officer-turned-private detective who takes advantage of her looks to solve cases.
- Network: NBC
- Broadcast History: One season, 13 episodes, last broadcast on August 20, 1982
- Trivia: The show was originally conceived as a situation comedy, but the premise could not be made to work in this format, so it was changed to a drama. NBC pulled the show off the schedule after the fourth episode, The remaining episodes were burned off over the summer beginning on June 15.
1992
- No new shows debuted this week in 1992.
2002
- No new shows debuted this week in 2002.
2012
January 25 – Touch
- Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, David Mazouz, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lukas Haas, Saxon Sharbino, Greg Ellis, Saïd Taghmaoui, Maria Bello, Bodhi Elfman
- Notable Guests: Danny Glover, Frances Fisher, Mykelti Williamson, Titus Welliver, Leland Orser, Rob Benedict, Mary Stuart Masterson, William Ragsdale, Ron Rifkin, Matt McCoy, Annie Wersching, Keith David, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Tamlyn Tomita, Gabriel Luna, John Getz, Mackenzie Astin, Anna Diop
- Synopsis: A widower struggling to raise his emotionally challenged son discovers that he can predict events before they happen.
- Network: FOX
- Broadcast History: Two seasons, 26 episodes, last broadcast on May 10, 2013
- Trivia: Influenced by well-known works like Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), The Fisher King (1991), and Babel (2006).
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