TV by the Decade :: July 3•9

Spelling Entertainment

It’s our 200th edition of TV By The Decade, and even though it falls within a holiday week (thanks for all the fireworks celebrating this milestone!), there are a surprising number of new shows that made their debuts, including a popular 1950s sitcom, early morning and late night new programs, several reality shows including one with a beloved ‘mob wife’, and a long-running primetime soap from Aaron Spelling. There are some interesting shows on the list this week so read on to learn more, and tell us if your favorites are celebrating an anniversary this week.

1952

July 3 – The Al Pearce Show

• Cast: Al Pearce, Arlene Harris, Bill Comstock
• Notable Guests: Art Morton, Yogi Yorgessen, Arthur Godfrey
• Synopsis: Comedy-variety series starring comedian and radio personality Al Pearce.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: One season, 17 episodes, last broadcast on September 4, 1952
• Trivia: Nighttime version of CBS’ morning show which alternated Thursday nights with The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.

July 3 – Mister Peepers

NBC

• Cast: Wally Cox, Patricia Benoit, Tony Randall, Marion Lorne, Rex Marshall, Georgann Johnson
• Notable Guests: Ernest Truex, Ruth McDevitt, Jack Warden, Reta Shaw, Murray Hamilton, Alice Ghostley, Cyril Ritchard, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Martin Balsam, James Broderick, Pat Hingle, Arthur O’Connell, George Maharis, Stefan Gierasch, Inger Stevens, Herbert Anderson, Elaine Stritch, Van Dyke Parks
• Synopsis: Mr. Peepers is a shy science teacher at Jefferson Junior High. He is always faced with problems but is never outwitted.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 127 episodes, last broadcast on June 12, 1955
• Trivia: 102 episodes are known to survive. Walter Matthau appeared in the pilot uncredited as Coach Burr, who was played by Jack Warden in the series. The series began as a live Summer replacement for Ford Festival but was not on the Fall schedule. When the new series Doc Corkle proved unpopular, and after NBC received thousands of letters praising Mr. Peepers, new scripts were quickly written and the show replaced Doc Corkle in October, continuing to air live and preserved on 16mm kinescopes. The wedding of Robinson Peepers and Nancy Remington was a major TV event on May 30, 1954. TV Guide put their wedding photo on its cover that week. Tony Randall was only meant to have a small role in the show but producers were so impressed with his work that the role was expanded and he became a series regular.

July 4 – Footlights Theater

• Notable Guests: Lloyd Bridges, Richard Carlson, Broderick Crawford, Ellen Drew, Edmund Gwenn, Barbara Hale, Ruth Hussey, Anita Louise, Mercedes McCambridge, Maureen O’Sullivan, George Reeves, Tommy Rettig, Gale Storm, Gig Young, Billie Burke, Richard Denning, Gale Storm, Mae Clarke, Darryl Hickman, Maudie Prickett, Cesar Romero, Raymond Burr
• Synopsis: American television anthology series.
• Network: CBS
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 22 episodes, last broadcast on September 25, 1953
• Trivia: The series was a Summer replacement for Our Miss Brooks. The first season was broadcast live, while the second season was filmed. Some scripts were original and some were adapted from novels.

July 8 – Guess What

• Host: Richard Kollmar
• Notable Guests: Audrey Christie, Ezra Stone, Arthur Kober, Virginia Pine, Mark Hanna, Quentin Reynolds, Doris Lilly
• Synopsis: Game show with four celebrity panelists trying to guess an unknown secret.
• Network: DuMont
• Broadcast History: One season, 8 episodes, last broadcast on August 26, 1952
• Trivia: Richard Kollmar was the husband of columnist and What’s My Line? panelist Dorothy Kilgallen. As with most shows from the DuMont Network, no copies of this show are known to exist.

1962

• No new series premiered this week in 1962.

1972

• No new series premiered this week in 1972.

1982

July 4 – Against the Odds

• Host: Bill Bixby, Phil Proctor (announcer)
• Notable Guests: Peter Brooks, Virginia Capers
• Synopsis: Bill Bixby hosts a collection of biographical stories of the lives of famous people who changed history.
• Network: Nickelodeon
• Broadcast History: The series was last broadcast in 1984.
• Trivia: Historical figures profiled included Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson, Pablo Picasso, Bessie Smith, Louis Pasteur, Margaret Mead, Malcolm X, Napoleon Bonaparte, Walt Whitman, Joan of Arc, George Washington Carver, Martin Luther King Jr., Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Darwin, Jackie Robinson, Harry Houdini, Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Lindbergh, Thomas Edison, Amelia Earhart, Rudolph Valentino, John Glenn, Susan B. Anthony, Sarah Bernhardt, P. T. Barnum

July 5 – America This Morning

• Notable Anchors: Steve Bell (1982–1986), Kathleen Sullivan (1982–1986), Forrest Sawyer (1988–1989), Paula Zahn (1988–1990), Juju Chang (1999–2000), Antonio Mora (late 1990s), David Muir (2003–2004), Mona Kosar Abdi (2020–present), Andrew Dymburt (2021–present)
• Synopsis: Early morning news program.
• Network: ABC
• Broadcast History: The show is still in production.
• Trivia: Launched with the title ABC News This Morning. It was retitled ABC World News This Morning in 1983. The broadcast originated in Washington DC but moved to New York City in 1988. The title was changed again to America This Morning on November 13, 2006. The second early morning network newscast to be shot in HD starting September 22, 2009.

July 5 – NBC News Overnight

• Anchors: Lloyd Dobyns, Linda Ellerbee, Bill Schechner
• Synopsis: Late night television news program.
• Network: NBC
• Broadcast History: 367 episodes, last broadcast on December 3, 1983
• Trivia: The show was conceived as an inexpensive program to air nightly after David Letterman’s show Monday-Thursday, and SCTV on Fridays. It’s notable because at the time most TV stations ended their broadcasts at 1:00 AM, and the few 24 hour stations aired syndicated programming or old movies. The show ended with the catchphrase ‘And so it goes’, which became the title of Linda Ellerbee’s first autobiography. The show ended up not being inexpensive, costing $3.5 million to produce. Due to the cost, a small but loyal audience, and a lack of ad revenue the show was cancelled. Loyal viewers were so upset when they head the news that many of them sent money to NBC to help cover production. All of the money was returned.

1992

July 8 – Melrose Place

• Cast: Thomas Calabro, Heather Locklear, Andrew Shue, Josie Bissett, Doug Savant, Grant Show, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Jack Wagner, Laura Leighton, Marcia Cross, Daphne Zuniga, Rob Estes, Kelly Rutherford, Brooke Langton, Lisa Rinna, Jamie Luner, David Charvet, Alyssa Milano, Linden Ashby, Patrick Muldoon, Vanessa A. Williams, Kristin Davis, John Newton, Rena Sofer, Selma Archerd, Lynn Meneses, Mark L. Taylor, Amy Locane
• Notable Guests: Dan Gauthier, Perry King, Greg Evigan, Michael Des Barres, William R. Moses, Jeffrey Nordling, Dan Cortese, Jason Beghe, Chad Lowe, Alexandra Paul, Kristian Alfonso, Susan Walters, Nancy Lee Grahn, Phil Morris, Parker Stevenson, Stacy Haiduk, James Darren, Salome Jens, Ken Howard, Mara Wilson, David Gautreaux, Brad Johnson, David James Elliott, Traci Lords, Jerry Hardin, Kathy Ireland, Ramy Zada, Donna Mills, John Saxon, Chad Everett, Linda Gray, Rae Dawn Chong, Brian Bloom, Gina Gershon, Loni Anderson, Priscilla Presley, Joanna Cassidy, Dr. Joyce Brothers, David Groh, Edie McClurg, Jennie Garth, Brian Austin Green, Ian Ziering, Jasmine Guy, Mackenzie Phillips, Valerie Harper, Willie Garson, Jeri Ryan, Tori Spelling, Shirley Jones, Sean Lennon, Zach Galligan, Anita Morris, Famke Janssen, Gerard Christopher, Julie Adams, Stephen Furst, Liz Sheridan, Joel Gretsch, Nestor Carbonell, William Schallert, David Naughton, Chris Isaak, Jeremy Davies, Jim Beaver, Michael Feinstein, Tuc Watkins, Jonathan Penner, Bibi Besch, Julie Newmar, John O’Hurley, James Karen, Tim Russ, Aaron Paul, Nancy O’Dell
• Synopsis: Classic serial drama centered around a group of friends living in Melrose Place, California.
• Network: FOX
• Broadcast History: Seven seasons, 226 episodes, last broadcast on May 24, 1999
• Trivia: Second series in the Beverly Hills 90210 franchise. Thomas Calabro was the only cast member to remain with the show for all seven seasons, appearing in 219 of the 226 episodes, the most of any cast member. The series was conceived as having stand-alone episodes that would have resolution at the end of each, but when the format proved unpopular the producers and writers began to develop more long-term storylines during the first season. By Season 2 it had adopted a full-on soap opera format. Amy Locane was written out after the first 13 episodes, replaced with Daphne Zuniga. Vanessa A. Williams was not brought back for the second season. Heather Locklear guested in a Season 1 episode and became a regular in Season 2, always billed as ‘Special Guest Star’ even though she remained with the show until it ended. Marcia Cross guested in Season 1 and became a series regular by the end of Season 2 but was not credited as such until Season 4. Doug Savant left the show at the start of Season 6, while Alyssa Milano was promoted to series regular. David Charvet was written out midway through Season 6. Andrew Shue departed at the beginning of Season 7, with Brooke Langton, Lisa Rinna, Milano, and Linden Ashby. John Haymes Newton and Rena Sofer joined the seventh season. Josie Bissett left after the 15th episode of Season 5 but returned for the 7th season. Marcia Cross left at the end of Season 5. Rick Dees and Kin Shriner appeared in uncredited roles. The D&D Advertising building is the same complex where the offices of Spelling Entertainment are located on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Two episodes were often filmed at the same time, with a dozen directors employed to film each 30 episode season. Charles Correll holds the record for most episodes directed at 47. The next closest is Chip Chalmers with 27. Filming for the sixth season began two weeks early to accommodate Locklear’s pregnancy, which was not incorporated into the storyline. Lisa Rinna was pregnant near the end of Season 6 with hers integrated into the story. Bissett was also pregnant during Season 7 and that was also part of the plot. The series won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Dramatic TV Series in 1993. Locklear was Golden Globe nominated for Best Actress in a TV Series – Drama from 1993 to 1996. Laura Leighton was nominated for Supporting Actress in 1995. The show produced the spin-off Models Inc. which lasted a single season. The CW revived the show with new and returning characters in 2009 for a single season. Hunter Tylo left The Bold and the Beautiful when she was cast on the show, but she was fired before beginning filming when she announced she was pregnant. She returned to B&B but sued Aaron Spelling for discrimination for being pregnant, winning a $4.8 million lawsuit. The case was important in establishing the right of female actors to work while pregnant. The third season was to end with the apartment building exploding but the scene was cut as it was to air just a month after the Oklahoma City bombing. The final shot was Marcia Cross’ character hitting the detonator button, with the actual explosion footage held until the Season 4 premiere. Calabro and Bissett are the only two cast members to appear in both the pilot and finale. Calabro, Locklear, Bissett, Leighton and Zuniga are the only original cast members to make appearances in the 2009 revival. As ratings declined and costs soared — some claimed an entire episode could have been produced on Locklear’s salary alone — the show was cancelled.

2002

July 6 – While You Were Out

TLC

• Cast: Anna Bocci, Teresa Strasser, Evan Farmer, Ananda Lewis
• Synopsis: An individual sets up a friend or family member with a surprise room redecoration. The person being set up is sent out of the house for two days on a phony premise, such as a vacation.
• Network: TLC
• Broadcast History: Four season, 211 episodes, last broadcast on August 5, 2006
• Trivia: The series was revived in 2019 as a collaboration between TLC and new sister network HGTV. The show was noteworthy for including conflicts, mostly friendly, between the cast, crew and homeowners. A few however did devolve into bitter arguments. The show’s final episode was beset with problems including host Evan Farmer’s flight not arriving until the final day of the shoot. The episode ended without an obvious acknowledgement that it was the end, but Farmer noted it was ‘the end of an era’.

July 7 – The Most Extreme

• Narrator: Adam Harrington
• Synopsis: Each episode focuses on a specific animal feature, such as strength, speed, behavior, anatomy, or diet, and examines and ranks ten animals that portray extreme or unusual examples of that quality.
• Network: Animal Planet
• Broadcast History: Five seasons, 77 episodes, last broadcast on July 3, 2007

July 8 – EX-treme Dating

• Host: Jillian Barberie
• Synopsis: Reality television show that paired two people (one man and one woman) on a blind date. The couple was chaperoned on the date by two of the person’s ex-partners. They talked to the other person via an earpiece, feeding hints for conversation topics and comments on the date itself. At the end of the date, one person waited for a limousine. If the other person was in the car, the couple got a second date paid for by the show. If the person’s ex-partners were in the car, the ex-partners themselves won a prize.
• Network: Syndication
• Broadcast History: Two seasons, 19 episodes, last broadcast on June 4, 2004

2012

July 8 – Bounty Wars

• Narrator: Adam J. Smith
• Synopsis: When a fugitive skips court and goes on the run, bail bonds companies are on the hook for the money. To motivate bounty hunters to find the accused and recover their cash, these companies create competitions.
• Network: Discovery Channel
• Broadcast History: One season, 3 episodes (2 unaired), last broadcast on July 8, 2012
• Trivia: The show was cancelled after the first episode aired.

July 8 – Big Ang

VH1

• Cast: Angela ‘Big Ang’ Raiola, Neil Murphy, Anthony ‘A.J.’ D’Onofrio, Janine (Big Ang’s sister), Dominick (Janine’s husband), Linda Torres, Lil’ Jenn, Lil’ Louis (Big Ang’s dog)
• Notable Guests: Drita D’Avanzo, Renee Graziano, Liv Kingston, Sheila Gambino
• Synopsis: Reality television series starring Angela ‘Big Ang’ Raiola, who first received television exposure on the second season of the reality series Mob Wives.
• Network: VH1
• Broadcast History: One season, 10 episodes, last broadcast on September 2, 2012
• Trivia: A second season was produced, but the show was retooled, relocated and renamed Miami Monkey.

July 9 – Perception

• Cast: Eric McCormack, Rachael Leigh Cook, Kelly Rowan, Arjay Smith, LeVar Burton, Scott Wolf
• Notable Guests: DJ Qualls, Dan Lauria, David Paymer, Peter Coyote, Jamie Bamber, John Rubinstein, Freddy Rodríguez, Jayne Atkinson, John Heard, JoBeth Williams, Neal McDonough, Jonathan Tucker, Patrick Cassidy, Roger Bart, Mary Page Keller, Timothy Busfield, Raphael Sbarge, Judd Hirsch, Edward Furlong, Julie Ann Emery, Ray Wise, Dennis Christopher, Max Gail, Edward Herrmann, Sheryl Lee, Steven Culp, Robert Picardo, Steve Valentine, Pamela Reed, Ravi Patel, Joanna Cassidy, Armin Shimerman, Reid Scott, Jake Busey, Kim Darby, Cary Elwes, Molly Hagan, Tom Sizemore, William Ragsdale, Dave Thomas, Simon Rex, Mark Harelik, Isabella Hofmann, John Glover, CCH Pounder
• Synopsis: Dr. Daniel Pierce is an eccentric neuropsychiatrist who uses his unique outlook to help the federal government solve complex criminal cases.
• Network: TNT
• Broadcast History: Three seasons, 39 episodes, last broadcast on March 17, 2015
• Trivia: The original title was Proof. Eric McCormack was the first actor cast. His character’s first name was changed from Geoffrey to Daniel. Though set in Chicago, the pilot was filmed in Toronto, with filming of the series moved to Los Angeles. Rachael Leigh Cook was six months pregnant when Season 2 ended production, which is why she’s carrying files or sitting down during the last episodes of the season.