Worldwide Pants
Four decades produced new series this week, with 1993 having the most notable shows of the week. 1983 had a cartoon compilation series for the newly launched Disney Channel, 2003 had a reality show that wasn’t quite what it seemed, and 2013 had an animated series that produced two more seasons than were actually ordered. This week in 1993, however, was a very good week with series that earned multiple season runs and one that only lasted a season but has become a cult favorite. The biggest show that premiered this week aired in late night and ran for more than 20 seasons and over 4,200 episodes. Read on to learn more about these shows and tell us if your favorites are on the list!
1953
- No new series debuted this week in 1953.
1963
- No new series debuted this week in 1963.
1973
- No new series debuted this week in 1973.
1983
- September 1 – Donald Duck Presents (The Disney Channel, last broadcast on November 1, 1992)
Donald Duck Presents premiered shortly after the launch of The Disney Channel and was the third series to air as part of its original 16 hour day of programming. The show was replaced in 1992 by Donald Duck’s Quack Attack.
1993
Boam/Cuse Productions
- August 27 – The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (FOX, One season, 27 episodes)
- August 28 – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (FOX Kids, Three seasons, 145 episodes)
- August 28 – Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (The Family Channel, Four seasons, 65 episodes)
- August 30 – Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, Twenty-three seasons, 4,261 episodes)
- August 30 – Missing Persons (ABC, One season, 17 episodes)
- September 2 – The John Larroquette Show (NBC, Four seasons, 84 episodes, 6 unaired)
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., starring Bruce Campbell, was a ‘weird Western’ that included elements of science fiction similar to the classic TV series The Wild, Wild West. The show was one of the last to be filmed on the Warner Bros. Western backlot. The series was a critical darling and developed a loyal fan base, but it could not attract an audience large enough to last beyond its single season. The series was deliberately set in 1893, exactly 100 years before the premiere. The series was put into development by FOX after the success of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, with the movie’s writers on board to create a series that played like old-time movie serials. Series creators Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse never intended the series to be historically accurate, purposely inserting anachronisms into the episode to make it feel contemporary, with the tone of the show to be ‘just under over-the-top’. The network would send notes to the writers asking for increases or decreased in the science fiction, comedy and Western elements, and the show shifted thematically from sci-fi to comedy midway through the season.
The first 32 of the 60 Season 1 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes were remade in 2010 and aired on ABC Kids. Fox brass were not confident in the pitch for the original series but produced a pilot with the caveat that if not successful it could lead to the dismissal of FOX Kids exec Margaret Loesch.
Snowy River: The McGregor Saga originally aired in Australia on Nine Network under the title Banjo Paterson’s The Man from Snowy River. The series is also simply known as Snowy River, but it has no connection to the film The Man from Snowy River or its sequel. The cast included Hugh Jackman, Guy Pearce and Josh Lucas, with guest stars Ben Mendelsohn, Victoria Tennant, Olivia Newton-John, Tracy Nelson, Lee Horsley, Dean Stockwell, Chad Lowe, Jane Badler and Frances O’Connor.
As host of both Late Show and Late Night (NBC) for more than 30 years combined, David Letterman surpassed Johnny Carson as the longest-running late night host in 2013. The show was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series 16 times, winning six. It was also nominated for directing (15 times) and writing (16 times). When Letterman retired, CBS filled the slot with with reruns of scripted dramas until The Late Show with Stephen Colbert premiered on September 8, 2015. Securing Letterman, announcer Bill Wendell, Paul Shaffer and the band, and the writers from NBC plus the purchase of and renovations made to the Ed Sullivan Theater cost CBS more than $140 million. NBC claimed ownership of some elements from Late Night so ‘Viewer Mail’ was renamed ‘CBS Mailbag’, Larry ‘Bud’ Melman actor Calvert DeForest would use his real name on the CBS show, and the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Band’ became the ‘CBS Orchestra’. NBC gave Letterman two choices for a show name since he could not use Late Night: Late Show with David Letterman or Nightly with David Letterman. CBS execs took Late Show so as not to cause confusion with Nightline on ABC or the NBC Nightly News. Letterman usually taped Friday shows on Thursday, but between 2004 and 2010 the Friday show was taped on Monday with a monologue that avoided any topical humor or references to current events. In late 2011, Friday show tapings returned to Thursday to help become more topical. Bill Murray was the show’s first guest and Billy Joel was the first musical guest. Bill Cosby was the show’s first ever guest host while Dave was recuperating from quintuple bypass surgery. Following Johnny Carson’s death, Letterman’s monologue on January 31, 2005 was made up entirely of jokes Carson had written after his retirement and sent to Dave. The October 29, 2012 episode was taped without an audience after they were sent home for safety reasons due to Hurricane Sandy. Darlene Love performed the song ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ on the show every December from the series premiere until Letterman retired. It was his favorite Christmas song. Regis Philbin made the most appearances on the show, 150. Letterman missed 14 shows in February and March 2003 due to shingles. In June 2003, Letterman began having guest hosts on Fridays, but this caused a ratings decline which helped Jay Leno so Letterman returned to helm the Friday shows. Letterman fell ill less than an hour before the March 20, 2007 episode and guest Adam Sandler filled in at the last minute, with Don Cheadle appearing as a guest on a moment’s notice.
NBC cancelled The John Larroquette Show after airing just six Season 4 episodes. Larroquette’s former Night Court actors Harry Anderson, Charles Robinson and Marsha Warfield made guest appearances, and Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty played themselves in a Golden Girls/Sunset Boulevard inspired episode. The first season’s dark humor and nighttime setting was retooled with lighter humor and a daytime setting to secure a second season order from NBC. The series was to be titled Crossroads but NBC wanted to capitalize on Larroquette’s name. The videotaped show was process to appear as if shot on film, but reruns on other networks used the original videotaped format. Larroquette earned an Emmy nomination in 1994 for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Betty White won the Emmy for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Liz Torres was also nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
2003
Stone Stanley Entertainment
- August 29 – Cowboy U (CMT, Five seasons, 53 episodes)
- September 1 – Tactical to Practical (History, Three seasons, 40 episodes)
- September 2 – The Joe Schmo Show (Spike, Three seasons, 29 episodes)
The Joe Schmo Show was a reality show with the premise that one unwitting subject would be surorunded by actors in character in a faux reality show. Pre-SNL Kristin Wiig was one of the cast members of Season 1, and during one of the challenges, the show’s mark Matt Kennedy Gould knocked her down causing a head injury for which she had to be taken to the hospital. Returning the next day, still in character, Gould felt so bad that he gave her the prize he ‘won’ in the challenge. The tone of the show also changed when Gould, who was to be the butt of the show’s joke, bonded with one of the actors and became emotional over his friend being eliminated. Sensing the audience would sympathize with his earnestness, games and contests were rigged so he would win. The second season format was a dating show and featured two unwitting participants, Tim Walsh and Ingrid Wiese, but within minutes of beginning the show Wiese became suspicious after a one-day actor told her that her agent had arranged for her to be on the show. Wiese began to notice more ‘plot holes’ in the production and finally stated in a confessional segment that she didn’t think the show was real. Producers finally revealed the truth to her during a segment in which Walsh was not present and offered to let her stay on essentially now as a cast member as long as she didn’t reveal the truth to Walsh, and she’d receive the same $100,000 prize as Walsh. She agreed and Amanda Naughton, a candidate to appear on the show previously, was brought in as another contestant. All three were awarded $100,000 at the end of the show. Natasha Leggero was among the Season 2 cast. Ralph Garman hosted all three seasons but as different characters. Lorenzo Lamas appeared as a pardoy of himself in the third season. A new version of the show has been announced for 2024 with Cat Deeley hosting.
2013
Cartoon Network Studios
- September 2 – Uncle Grandpa (Cartoon Network, Five seasons, 153 episodes)
Uncle Grandpa is based on Peter Browngardt’s animated short of the same name from The Cartoonstitute, and is also a spin-off of Secret Mountain Fort Awesome. Season 2 was split to become Season 2 and 3, and the announced third season was split to be Seasons 4 and 5. The pilot was Emmy nominated for Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program, and won in 2014 for Nick Edwards in the category of Outstanding Individual in Animation.
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