TV by the Decade :: June 26•July 2

Procter & Gamble

This week saw several new shows make their debuts in three different decades. 1952 produced a long-running soap opera that began life as a radio show, becoming one of the longest running shows in TV history. Other shows that year did not fare as well. 1992 saw David Duchovny moonlighting from The X-Files on a sexy cable series, while MTV and HBO found success with music and comedy, and 2012 brought Charlie Sheen back to television after his forced exit from Two and a Half Men. Read on to see if any of your favorite shows premiered this week!

1952

June 29 – Information Please

• Host: Clifton Fadiman (June–August), John McCaffery (August–September)
• Synopsis: Quiz show featuring a celebrity panel.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Last broadcast on September 21, 1952
• Trivia: Summer replacement series for The Fred Waring Show. Started as a radio quiz show on NBC from May 17, 1938 to April 22, 1951.

June 30 – Guiding Light

• Notable Cast: Kim Zimmer, Beth Chamberlin, Maureen Garrett, Robert Newman, Beth Ehlers, Frank Dicopoulos, Ron Raines, Grant Aleksander, Michael O’Leary, Maeve Kinkead, Jerry verDorn, Mary Stuart, Beverlee McKinsey, Murray Bartlett, Ricky Paull Goldin, Michael Zaslow, Marj Dusay, Sherry Stringfield, Cynthia Watros, Frank Grillo, Hunt Block, Judi Evans, Vincent Irizarry, Melina Kanakaredes, Harley Jane Kozak, Tammy Blanchard, Hayden Panettiere, Barbara Crampton, Michelle Forbes, John Wesley Shipp, Paige Turco, Patti D’Arbanville, Cindy Pickett, Ramy Zada, Ian Ziering, James Rebhorn, Nia Long, Stephen McHattie, JoBeth Williams, Laura Bell Bundy, Kevin Bacon, Matt Bomer, Ruth Warrick, Christina Pickles, Taye Diggs, Doug Hutchison, Joan Collins, Paul Wesley, Maureen O’Sullivan, Michael Carbonaro, Montel Williams
• Synopsis: This soap opera took place in the fictional Midwestern town of Springfield and centered on the middle class Bauer family.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Fifty-seven seasons, 15,762 episodes, last broadcast on September 18, 2009
• Trivia: Known as The Guiding Light before 1975. Started on NBC radio on January 25, 1937, moving to CBS radio on June 30, 1952 with an overlapping broadcast until June 29, 1956. The radio series originally centered on Reverend John Ruthledge and the ‘guiding light’ was a lamp in his study people used as a sign for them to find his help. The Bauer family became the focus when the show transferred to television. The show ran for 15 minutes and was broadcast live, but expanded to 30 minutes in 1968, switching to taped broadcast, and expanding to an hour on November 7, 1977. The show ran 72 years between radio and TV. During the 57th season, the show changed its look to give it a more realistic feel, including the use of ‘shaky cams’ that disoriented viewers. Outdoor locations were used, and production offices were used as sets which cut down costs of building sets. Winner of the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 1980, 1982 and 2007 (in a tie with The Young and the Restless). Hundreds of episodes prior to the late 1970s are believed lost. Some 1960s episodes exist on Kinescopes. Procter & Gamble did not archive its shows until the late 1970s, believing there was no use for them after their initial airing. When longtime cast member Charita Bauer died in 1985, a year of audience demand resulted in an off-screen death for her character Bert in 1986. When Michael Zaslow left the series after developing ALS, the audience did not like the actor who took over the role of Roger Thorpe so he was written off, but the audience demanded a proper tribute to Zaslow when he died in 1998. The character was finally killed off in 2005, off screen. Thorpe had previously been killed off in 1980, and producers asked Zaslow to return in 1989 to take over the character of Alan Spaulding after Christopher Bernau died. Zaslow declined because he was too closely associated with Thorpe, so producers brought Roger back from the dead because they wanted Zaslow back so badly. When Mary Stuart died in 2002, her character Meta Bauer was sent on vacation to Nova Scotia in 2006. In the early 1980s, the character of Bert Bauer was written to have cervical cancer. The network fought against the storyline but eventually agreed as long as there was no use of the words ‘cancer’, ‘uterus’ or ‘hysterectomy’. This was the first storyline on television to deal with cancer and spurred millions of women to schedule a Pap test. The B-52s performed and acted with the cast in an April 1982 episode. Cast members reprised the roles in the TV movie The Cradle Will Fall. When Charita Bauer had a leg amputated due to diabetes, her character did as well.

July 1 – Boss Lady

• Cast: Lynn Bari, Nicholas Joy, Glenn Langan, Charles Smith, Lee Patrick
• Notable Guests: Richard Gaines
• Synopsis: Gwen Allen is the CEO of a construction company headed by her father. Her major challenges are to find a new general manager for the company and keeping her father in his job.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: One season, 12 episodes, last broadcast on September 23, 1952
• Trivia: Summer replacement for Fireside Theatre. Married couple Virginia Field and Willard Parker were originally set to star but when the show’s sponsor Procter & Gamble learned Field had appeared in a shampoo commercial for a rival company, they were ordered dropped from the show. The pair sued but the outcome is unknown.

July 1 – The Power of Women

• Host: Vivien Kellems
• Synopsis: A public affairs program originally hosted by Vivien Kellems.
• Network: DuMont
• Broadcast History: One season, 20 episodes, last broadcast on November 11, 1952
• Trivia: Host Kellems left partway through the series’ run. The series is believed to be lost.

1962

• No new series premiered this week in 1962.

1972

• No new series premiered this week in 1972.

1982

• No new series premiered this week in 1982.

1992

June 27 – Red Shoe Diaries

Showtime

• Cast: David Duchovny
• Notable Guests: Denise Crosby, Matt LeBlanc, Ally Sheedy, Steven Bauer, Sheryl Lee, Maryam d’Abo, Christopher Atkins, Sammi Davis, Robbi Chong, Freedom Williams, Beverly Johnson, Arnold Vosloo, Robert Knepper, Joan Severance, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Sofia Shinas, Michael Reilly Burke, Tchéky Karyo, Udo Kier, Michael T. Weiss, Annabelle Gurwitch, Margaret Cho, Zalman King, Wendy Schaal
• Synopsis: Erotic anthology series in which Jake yearns to understand the secret life of his late fiancee. To find the answer, he solicits the most heartfelt, passionate, and intimate entries in other women’s diaries.
• Network: Showtime
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 66 episodes (plus 1 TV movie), last broadcast on June 1, 1997
• Trivia: Most episodes were directed by either Zalman King, Rafael Eisenman or both. A new Red Shoes Diary pilot directed by King was completed in 2006 but never aired.

June 29 – The Grind

• Hosts: Eric Nies, DJ Jackie Christie
• Synopsis: Dance music show
• Network: MTV
• Broadcast History: 1,410 episodes, last broadcast on November 28, 1997
• Trivia: Replaced Club MTV. The show spawned a number of aerobics and workout videotapes.

July 1 – Def Comedy Jam

• Hosts: Martin Lawrence, D.L. Hughley, Joe Torry, Adele Givens, Ricky Harris, Mike Epps
• Notable Guests: Bill Bellamy, Earthquake, Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer, Chris Tucker, Sommore, Steve Harvey, Eddie Griffin, Ellen Cleghorne, Mystro Clark, J.B. Smoove, Tracy Morgan, Flex Alexander, Kevin Hart, Leslie Jones, Katt Williams, Deon Cole, Tiffany Haddish, Damon Wayans Jr., Patrice O’Neal, Faizon Love, John Witherspoon, Rudy Ray Moore, Rickey Smiley, Sheryl Underwood, George Wallace, Mo’Nique, Craig Robinson
• Synopsis: A stand-up comedy series from Russell Simmons showcasing legendary comedians.
• Network: HBO
• Broadcast History: Seven seasons, last broadcast on May 2, 1997
• Trivia: Inspired by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and Jerry Lewis’ movie The Nutty Professor. Comedian Rich Vos was the first Caucasian to perform on the show. The show produced a spinoff called Loco Slam.

2002

• No new series premiered this week in 2002.

2012

June 28 – Anger Management

FX Network

• Cast: Charlie Sheen, Shawnee Smith, Noureen DeWulf, Michael Arden, Derek Richardson, Barry Corbin, Daniela Bobadilla, Selma Blair, Brian Austin Green, Laura Bell Bundy
• Notable Guests: Brett Butler, Michael Boatman, Martin Sheen, Darius McCrary, Michael Gross, Elaine Hendrix, Ginger Gonzaga, Steve Valentine, Barry Livingston, Denise Richards, Michaela Watkins, Kerri Kenney, Will Sasso, Lindsay Lohan, Carol Kane, Marion Ross, LeAnn Rimes, Gilbert Gottfried, Arden Myrin, Gina Gershon, Stacy Keach, Meredith Salenger, Bob Einstein, Slash, CeeLo Green, Eugenio Derbez, Corbin Bernsen, Robin Riker, Cheryl Ladd, Isaiah Mustafa, Kevin Dobson, John Henson, Christine Estabrook, Dana Gould, Julia Duffy, Cheech Marin, Mimi Kennedy, Richard Moll, Brian Posehn, Michele Gomez, Amanda Bearse, Tuc Watkins
• Synopsis: Ex baseball player Charlie is an anger management therapist with small group sessions at home. He has an OCD teen daughter, an ex-wife and a sex buddy/therapist.
• Network: FX
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 100 episodes, last broadcast on December 22, 2014
• Trivia: Loosely based on the 2003 film of the same name. With 5.74 million viewers for its debut, it ranked as the most watched US cable TV premiere in history. Ten episodes were initially ordered with a deal for 90 more if the show was a success. Martin Sheen, who guested on Season 1, was announced as a regular for Season 2 but he remained a recurring guest. Charlie Sheen threatened to quit the show if Selma Blair was not fired for being so vocal about his behavior. The next day she was fired, replaced with Laura Bell Bundy while Brian Austin Green’s role was expanded. Sheen advocated for Brett Butler’s recurring role on the series because of their shared struggle with addiction.

June 28 – Brand X with Russell Brand

• Host: Russell Brand
• Notable Guests: Dermot Mulroney, Henry Rollins, Drew Carey, Kathy Griffin, William Shatner, David Spade, Metta World Peace, Shepard Fairey, Kristen Johnston, Kevin Smith, Kurt Sutter, Sarah Silverman, Eric Idle, Anthony Anderson, Eddie Izzard, Zach Braff, Noel Fielding, Noel Gallagher, Larry Flynt
• Synopsis: Late-night talk show, stand up comedy television series.
• Network: FX
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 26 episodes, last broadcast on May 2, 2013
• Trivia: The first half of Season 1 had no guests, just an extended monologue with three loosely connected topics. The second season was expanded to an hour and broadcast live.

July 1 – Shark Wranglers

• Cast: Chris Fischer, Brett McBride, Jody Whitworth, Denny Wagner, Todd Goggins, Alex Snow, Ryan Johnson, Juan Valencia, Luis Torres
• Synopsis: Reality television series.
• Network: History
• Broadcast History: One season, 10 episodes, last broadcast on September 2, 2012
• Trivia: A similar series aired on the National Geographic Channel, first as Expedition Great White in 2010, and then as Shark Men a year later.