TV by the Decade :: March 20•26

Mace Neufeld Productions

It was mostly a good week for new TV series debuts over the last four decades — there were no new shows from 1952 to 1972 — with many having multi-season runs and Emmy Awards. 1982 had two series with long runs, but both suffered cancellations (one of them twice) and revivals, with one moving to First-Run Syndication almost three years after its network run ended. 2002 saw the debut of a groundbreaking reality series that is still running today, and a sitcom based around the stand-up act of a popular comedian. 2012 also had a groundbreaking kids series featuring an African-American girl as the lead. Let’s take a loot and see if any of your favorites made the list this week.

1952

• No new series premiered this week in 1952.

1962

• No new series premiered this week in 1962.

1972

• No new series premiered this week in 1972.

1982

March 23 – Q.E.D.

• Cast: Sam Waterston, A.C. Weary, George Innes, Caroline Langrishe, Julian Glover
• Notable Guests: Burt Kwouk, Paul Freeman, Ian Ogilvy, Ronald Lacey, Elizabeth Shepherd, Wolf Kahler
• Synopsis: In 1912, Quentin E. Deverill, an eccentric expatriate American professor, uses his unique skills to solve mysteries in London.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 6 episodes, last broadcast on April 27, 1982
• Trivia: The series was independently produced and purchased by ITV in the UK where it was shown across a variety of networks at various time, never having a chance to find an audience.

March 25 – Cagney & Lacey

• Cast: Tyne Daly, Al Waxman, Martin Kove, John Karlen, Sidney Clute, Sharon Gless, Carl Lumbly, Harvey Atkin, Troy W. Slaten, Tony La Torre, Paul Mantee, Robert Hegyes, Jo Corday, Beverley Faverty, Dick O’Neill, Barry Laws, Stephen Macht, Dan Shor
• Notable Guests: Merry Clayton, Barry Primus, David Paymer, Meg Foster, Dan Lauria, Carole Cook, Ferdy Mayne, Lance Henriksen, Bibi Besch, Lynn Whitfield, Robert Foxworth, Doris Roberts, Grace Zabriskie, Marc Alaimo, Peggy McCay, Gregory Sierra, James Avery, Loretta Swit, Michael Madsen, Brian Dennehy, Paul Freeman, Jonathan Banks, Estelle Getty, Miguel Ferrer, Conchata Ferrell, Richard Masur, Fred Grandy, Kathy Bates, Julie Adams, Andrew Robinson, Rose Marie, Didi Conn, Lois Nettleton, Doris Belack, Faith Ford, Bobby Di Cicco, Shannon Tweed, Rex Smith, Walter Gotell, James Hong, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Bill Pullman, Salome Jens, Betty Buckley, Peter Boyle, Elizabeth Ashley, Tony Plana, Armin Shimerman, Charles S. Dutton, Mercedes McCambridge, Philip Baker Hall, Judith Ivey, CCH Pounder, Fionnula Flanagan, Doug Savant, Lin Shaye, Dennis Christopher, Meshach Taylor
• Synopsis: Two female police detectives cooperate with each other both in their professions and in their personal lives.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Seven seasons, 125 episodes (plus 4 TV movies), last broadcast on May 16, 1988
• Trivia: Barney Rosenzweig’s original conception was a female buddy cop film titled Newman and Redford (which was changed for legal reasons). No studio wanted to make it, so it was shopped to the networks as a TV series with just the character development, and CBS was the only one that showed interest. The October 1981 TV movie pilot featured Loretta Swit in the role of Christine Cagney. When the producers of M*A*S*H refused to let her out of her contract when the series was picked up, Meg Foster was cast as Lacey for the first season (which was just six episodes). CBS initially cancelled the show after the first season. They felt Foster was too aggressive and feared viewers might think she was a lesbian (the network, in fact, stated the strong portrayals of both actresses were ‘perceived as dykes’). Barney Rosenzweig was on a mission to get CBS to reconsider. Sharon Gless was always considered for the fole of Cagney but was unavailable due to her contract with Universal Television (the last actress ever to sign a long-term contract with a studio in 1972) and had replaced Lynn Redgrave on the sitcom House Calls. Word came that CBS was about to cancel that show so Rosenzweig pressured them to cast Gless as Cagney. She wasn’t sure about taking the part because she didn’t want to be known for replacing other actresses. Gless was cast to make the character more feminine. Ratings were still low during Season 2 and the show was cancelled again. Rosenzweig organized a letter writing campaign with viewers to protest the cancellation. CBS switched the show’s time slot for its final three months on the air during summer reruns and viewership increased. The ratings increase, viewer protest and Emmy nominations resulted in CBS renewing the show as a mid-season replacement. It would have returned sooner, but the sets had already been destroyed and the cast had been released from their contracts. Tony La Torre had already joined another series, the third season of the retooled 9 to 5 on ABC, but when that show was cancelled after a few months he returned to Cagney & Lacey. The show finished in the Top Ten for the 1983-1984 season, and earned a total of 36 Emmy Award nominations during its run, including six each for Tyne Daly and Gless. Each year from Season 2 on, one of the actresses won the Best Actress in a Drama Emmy Award — four for Daly and two for Gless. The series itself won the Best Drama Emmy two years in a row, 1985 and 1986. CBS moved the series to Tuesdays at 10PM against ABC’s new hit thirtysomething, and ratings dropped 20 points. The season ended on a cliffhanger and CBS considered a renewal, but at the May upfronts the cancellation was announced. Four TV movies were produced between 1994 and 1996 with Gless and Daly. John Karlen and Molly Orr also returned. Martin Kove, Al Waxman, Carl Lumbly, Vonetta McGee, Robert Hegyes and Paul Mantee made cameos in the first movie. Sidney Clute, who played Det. LaGuardia, died from cancer during production on the fifth season. His character was replaced with Det. Jonah Newman (Dan Shor), but Clute’s name was kept in the opening credits for the remainder of the series in his honor. Sarah Drew and Michelle Hurd were cast in a reboot pilot in 2018 but CBS passed.

20th Century Fox Television

March 25 – 9 to 5

• Cast: Rachel Dennison, Valerie Curtin, Sally Struthers, Edward Winter, Rita Moreno, Peter Bonerz, Jean Marsh, Peter Evans, Fred Applegate, Art Evans, Dorian Lopinto, Herb Edelman, Leah Ayres, George DelHoyo, Tony La Torre, Ann Weldon, Jeffrey Tambor
• Notable Guests: Jane Fonda, Howard Hesseman, John Larroquette, Marian Mercer, Selma Diamond, Fran Drescher, Chris Lemmon, Ian Abercrombie, Gailard Sartain, Shannon Tweed, Steve Landesberg
• Synopsis: The sitcom takes us into the further adventures of the characters from the movie of the same name.
• Network: ABC/Syndication
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 82 episodes 92 unaired), last broadcast on March 26, 1988
• Trivia: The series aired on ABC until October 27, 1983, then moved to Syndication on September 13, 1986. Valerie Curtain was replaced with Leah Ayres for the third season. In the Syndicated run, Sally Struthers replaced Rita Moreno, while Curtain returned to the role of Judy. Jeffrey Tambor was the original Franklin Hart during the first season, but was replaced with Peter Bonerz in Season 2. The series was a Top 20 show during its first season. Due to a format revamp, Executive Producer Jane Fonda left the show, unhappy with the new direction. The Judy Bernly character was written out for a recast with a younger character. Office Snoop Roz (Jean Marsh) was also dropped, and the setting was changed from Consolidated Companies to American House. The revamp caused an instant decline in the ratings (a case of don’t fix what isn’t broken), falling to 75th our of 76 shows and the series was cancelled five episodes into Season 3. Two of the completed episodes of the season were unaired. The first season was shot on film, but subsequent seasons were on videotape. The first two seasons features clips from the movie in the opening credits. The show was revived for Syndication in the Fall of 1986 with Rachel Dennison returning to the role of Doralee (Dennison is Dolly Parton’s younger sister), and Valerie Curtin back as Judy. Rita Moreno was unavailable so Sally Struthers was cast as a new character, and the setting was also changed again to Barkley Foods International. Franklin Hart was not in the Syndicated version. Dennison was the only cast member to appear in every episode. Dolly Parton’s theme song from the movie was the show’s theme song, but vocals were provided by Phoebe Snow for the first season. Parton’s vocals were reinstated from Season 2 until the end of the show’s run. The necklace Dennison wears on the show was the same one Parton wore in the movie. Jean Marsh was asked to read for the role of Roz with an American accent. After the reading, she asked to do it again in her normal British accent, the producers liked it and she was cast.

March 26 – Capitol

• Cast: Constance Towers, Debrah Farentino, Marj Dusay, Rory Calhoun, Carolyn Jones

  Additional Cast: Catherine Hickland, Tawny Kitaen, Ginger Alden, Richard Egan, Julie Adams, Tonja Walker, Teri Hatcher, Tammy Wynette, Nicholas Walker, Bradley Lockerman, Ed Nelson, Jess Walton, Grant Aleksander, Kimberlin Brown, Kelly Preston, Paul Mantee, Julie Parrish, Billy Warlock, Janis Paige, Carole Cook, Lana Wood, Lola Falana, Ashley Laurence, Grant Goodeve, Lara Parker, Michael Dorn, Carol Alt

• Synopsis: Soap opera in which the storyline usually revolved around the political intrigues of people whose lives are intertwined in Washington, D.C.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 1293 episodes, last broadcast on March 20, 1987
• Trivia: The 1984 wedding of characters Trey and Sloane was filmed on location at the Jefferson Memorial. The series was known for having a major character with a disability. Soap Opera Digest honored the older members of the cast with several awards nominations, but none of the cast were ever nominated for Daytime Emmys. Marj Dusay took over the role of Myrna in April 1983 when Carolyn Jones became too ill to continue. Dusay was credited with making the character more multi-dimensional. Catherine Hickland played two characters who looked alike. When the original character, Julie, was sent away and the other character, Jenny, died, Hickland was brought back after several months as Julie. When the character of Mark Denning was revealed to be a traitor, actor Ed Nelson was so upset he quit in disgust. Capitol was the first soap produced in Los Angeles since The Young & the Restless began in 1973. Capitol replaced Search for Tomorrow, which moved to NBC after CBS refused to return it to its original time slot of 12:30 PM. CBS announced the show’s cancellation in December 1986, and it was replaced in March 1987 with The Bold & the Beautiful, a sister series to Y&R. Capitol was the TV debut of Debrah Farentino, and the last shows for Carolyn Jones and Richard Egan.

1992

March 23 – Adventures in Wonderland

• Cast: Elisabeth Harnois, John Hoffman, Patrick Richwood, Wesley Mann, Harry Waters Jr., Armelia McQueen, Robert Barry Fleming, Richard Kuhlman, John Lovelady, Reece Holland
• Notable Guests: Teri Garr, David Ruprecht, Pat Sajak, Judge Reinhold, Marlee Matlin, Willie Nelson, Ed McMahon, Gilbert Gottfried, Sam Harris
• Synopsis: A young girl named Alice has many zany adventures with her friends in a magical world on the other side of her looking glass.
• Network: Disney Channel
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 100 episodes (1 unaired), last broadcast on October 20, 1993
• Trivia: Based on the novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) by Lewis Carroll as well as the 1951 animated film. Originally taped at Disney-MGM Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, with two sound stages used exclusively for the show, for its first 40 episodes. Filming then moved to Los Angeles. The series debuted on Disney Plus on April 30, 2021. The series won six Daytime Emmy Awards for Hairstyling (1992), Makeup (1994, 1996), Writing for a Children’s Series (1994), Costume Design (1995), and Directing in a Children’s Series (1996).

2002

March 22 – ChalkZone

• Cast: Elizabeth Daily, Candi Milo, Hynden Walch, Jess Harnell, Robert Cait, Bill Burnett, Miriam Flynn, Rodger Bumpass, Rosslynn Taylor Jordan, Robbyn Kirmsse
• Notable Guests: Rob Paulsen, Grey Griffin, Kevin Michael Richardson, Dee Bradley Baker, Frank Welker, Tim Curry, Tress MacNeille, Kath Soucie, Lauren Tom, Michael Horse, Buck Owens, Baha Men
• Synopsis: The adventures of a boy with a magic chalk stick that enables him to enter a world of chalk drawings and alter its reality at will.
• Network: Nickelodeon
• Broadcast History: Four seasons, 40 episodes, last broadcast on August 23, 2008
• Trivia: The pilot short aired on Oh Yeah! Cartoons on December 31, 1999. ChalkZone became the first spin-off of that series to enter into production as a series.

March 25 – The Bachelor

• Hosts: Chris Harrison, Emmanuel Acho, Jesse Palmer
• Synopsis: A single bachelor dates multiple women over several weeks, narrowing them down to hopefully find his true love.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: Twenty-six seasons, 275 episodes to date
• Trivia: Season 13 contestant Megan Parris has accused the producers of manipulative editing to create a fictional storyline, script the show, and bully contestants into saying things to the camera they did not want to say. Creator Mike Fleiss has admitted a develops contestants into characters that cater to the audience’s tastes, coming under fire for admitting the show has more to do with making good television than reality.

Warner Bros. Television

March 27 – George Lopez

• Cast: George Lopez, Constance Marie, Luis Armand Garcia, Valente Rodriguez, Belita Moreno, Masiela Lusha, Emiliano Díez, Jack Blessing, Aimee Garcia
• Notable Guests: Elmarie Wendel, Nick Offerman, Mel Rodriguez, Sandra Bullock, Adam West, Jim O’Heir, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Hilary Duff, Lou Diamond Phillips, George Wendt, Eva LaRue, Ming-Na Wen, Stacy Keibler, Dot-Marie Jones, Jerry Springer, Rita Moreno, Paget Brewster, Esai Morales, John Michael Higgins, Sonia Braga, Cheech Marin, H.R. Pufnstuf, Jim Palmer, Ashley Tisdale, Jimmie Walker, Carrot Top, Kaitlin Olson, Leslie Jordan, Paris Hilton, Laila Ali, RObert Rodriguez, Danny Trejo. Michael Clarke Duncan, Stacy Keach, Jim Belushi, Richard Lewis, Rip Taylor, Andy Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr., Eva Longoria, Brian Austin Green, Edward James Olmos, Barbara Eden, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Mario Lopez, Tommy Chong, Oscar De La Hoya, Joey Greco
• Synopsis: Comedian George Lopez stars as a Los Angeles manufacturing plant manager attempting to deal with his wacky family along with other random mishaps.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: Six seasons, 120 episodes, last broadcast on May 8, 2007
• Trivia: After hearing one of his comedy albums, Sandra Bullock went to one of George Lopez’s performances and approached him backstage about producing a show starring him and built around his comedy. Bullock had been wanting to do a series with a Latino storyline, concerned about the lack of representation on television. ABC cancelled the series after six seasons, telling Lopez they would lose money if the show was renewed. Lopez attributed the cancellation to the series being owned by Warner Bros. Television and not ABC, because a show that under-performed his show in the ratings and was owned by ABC was renewed. Masiela Lusha was the only main cast member not of Latin descent. She is Albanian.

2012

March 21 – Bent

• Cast: Amanda Peet, David Walton, Margo Harshman, Joey King, Jeffrey Tambor, J.B. Smoove, Jesse Plemons, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Matt Letscher
• Notable Guests: Marcia Gay Harden, Michaela Watkins, Joel Brooks, Larry Miller, Kyle Bornheimer
• Synopsis: A recently divorced lawyer, Alex, hires an irresponsible general contractor, Pete, to remodel her kitchen. Alex and Pete butt heads, but she realizes Pete will not only transform her kitchen, but her worldview as well.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 6 episodes, last broadcast on April 4, 2012

March 23 – Doc McStuffins

• Voice Cast: Lara Jill Miller, Loretta Devine, Robbie Rist, Jess Harnell, Laya DeLeon Hayes
• Additional Voices: Rob Paulsen, Dee Bradley Baker, Laraine Newman, Grey Griffin, Tom Kenny, Camryn Manheim, Leslie Grossman, John Michael Higgins, Dawnn Lewis, Sutton Foster, Molly Ringwald, Amy Sedaris, Kath Soucie, Taye Diggs, Jim Belushi, Wayne Knight, Tony Hale, Wanda Sykes, Ludacris, Tom Cavanagh, Ty Burrell, Lacey Chabert, Dennis Farina, Charlie Schlatter, Edie McClurg, Lisa Loeb, Jeffrey Tambor, Geena Davis, Molly Shannon, Audra McDonald, Dot-Marie Jones, Michelle Obama, Anthony Anderson, ROger Bart, Carson Daly, Ellen Pompeo, Gabourey Sidibe, Peter Cullen, Robin Roberts, Vanessa Williams, Martha Plimpton, Megan Hilty
• Synopsis: An imaginative animated series about Doc McStuffins, a young girl who aspires to be a doctor like her mom and communicates with and heals broken toys and stuffed animals.
• Network: Disney Junior
• Broadcast History: Five season, 136 episodes, last broadcast on April 18, 2020
• Trivia: The first show commissioned for Disney’s rebranded Disney Junior block, which replaced Playhouse Disney on Disney Channel. The Disney Junior series with the most episodes to date, and only one of two Disney Junior shows to make it to five seasons.