Living Dead Guy Productions
Several decades produced new series this week, but what this week may be known for is the number of shows that were cut short with many episodes left unaired — seven series ended their runs before completing their seasons. One was a 2004 reality series that eventually completed with a pay-per-view option, while another 2004 series was left with nine unaired episodes, but the four that did air gained a cult following that got to see the entire series finish on DVD. The most successful seris of the week was a reality series that ended after its stars became unavailable … because they were in prison. Scroll down the list to see this week’s series premieres and tell us if any of your favorite shows are celebrating anniversaries!
1954
- March 11 – The Public Defender (CBS, Two seasons, 69 episodes)
- March 14 – Night Editor (Dumont, One season, 46 episodes)
The Public Defender episodes were adapted from actual cases that occurred across the United States when people accused of crimes who could not afford an attorney were provided with one at no charge to them. There was an initial concern that there would not be enough ideas for stories but as the show progressed ‘a rich vein of dramatic material’ was found to be available. The show normally aired on Thursdays, but during in July 1954 was moved to Mondays as a summer replacement for I Love Lucy.
Night Editor was a 15-minute anthology series on the Dumont network. The show featured one actor, Hal Burdick, and one set to help keep costs down. Burdick would change his voice to differentiate between characters. The series was adapted from a 1934 radio program of the same name, and Columbia Pictures also produced a 1946 feature film with the title. 46 episodes are preserved in the Library of Congress.
1964
- No new series premiered this week in 1964.
1974
- No new series premiered this week in 1974.
1984
- No new series premiered this week in 1984.
1994
- March 12 – Winnetka Road (NBC, One season, 6 episodes, 1 unaired)
- March 14 – Someone Like Me (NBC, One season, 6 episodes, 1 unaired)
The cast of Winnetka Road included Ed Begley Jr., Josh Brolin, Kristen Cloke, Catherine Hicks, Meg Tilly, Paige Turco, Richard Herd, Eddie Bracken and Richard Gilliland.
The cast of Someone Like Me included Gaby Hoffman, Patricia Heaton and Nikki Cox.
2004
Cheyenne Enterprises
- March 10 – Game Over (UPN, One season, 6 episodes, 1 unaired)
- March 12 – Touching Evil (USA, One season, 13 episodes)
- March 12 – Playing It Straight (Fox, One season, 8 episodes, 5 unaired)
- March 12 – Wonderfalls (Fox, One season, 13 episodes, 9 unaired)
- March 16 – Century City (CBS, One season, 9 episodes, 5 unaired)
Game Over was an adult computer animated sitcom that focused on what happened to videogame characters after the game ended. Marisa Tomei voiced the character of Raquel Smashenburn in the series’ unaired pilot episode, but scheduling problems saw Lucy Liu take over the role for the actual series. The voice cast also included Patrick Warburton, Rachel Dratch, Elizabeth Daily, and Artie Lange. The series received generally positive reviews, but UPN shifted it around the schedule during its five airings making it impossible for viewers to find. All six episodes were released on DVD in 2005.
Touching Evil was based on the British series of the same name, and starred Jeffrey Donovan and Vera Farmiga, with Bradley Cooper in a recurring role. The series was produced by Bruce Willis’ production company, Cheyenne Enterprises. The series was a critical success but a ratings failure.
Reality series Playing It Straight was cancelled after the airing of its third episode. The premise had college student Jackie Thomas and 14 suitors — 5 straight, 9 gay — at the Sizzling Saddle Ranch in Elko, Nevada. Through a series of activities, Jackie was required to eliminate the man she thought was gay. By the end, if one straight man was standing the pair split a $1 million prize. If she had a gay man at the end, he won the total amount. The show came under criticism for reinforcing stereotypes and promoting a negative portrayal of gay man. Fox was going to burn off the remaining episodes over the summer, but reversed that decision. The network added plot synopses to its website for the unaired episodes, and eventually made the episodes available on a pay-per-view basis. Jackie did select a straight man named Banks in the end and they split the money. A press release a year after the series was taped stated the pair were still together. The failure of the show impacted another Fox special, Seriously, Dude, I’m Gay, which was pulled from the schedule 11 days before its premiere.
The cast of Wonderfalls included Caroline Dhavernas, Lee Pace, William Sadler, Diana Scarwid, Tracie Thoms, and Jewel Staite. The show was originally to debut in the Fall of 2003 but delayed to 2004 where it aired in a Friday time slot. The pilot actually performed better when it was repeated the Thursday after its premiere, so Fox moved the series to Thursdays without any warning or promotion. Fox, as was typical, aired the episodes out of order. Despite airing just four episodes, the series developed a loyal fan base and producers attempted to shop the series to other networks including The WB. Some episodes were screened theatrically in Los Angeles in the Summer of 2004 to raise support for the show. The first season’s 13 episodes were intended to tell a stand-alone story, but plans were discussed for second and third seasons. The original pilot episode featured Kerry Washington as Mahandra and Adam Scott as Aaron, but they were unable to commit to future episodes. They were replaced with Thoms and Pace. The complete series did air in Canada starting in October 2004, and in the US on the Logo network in the Summer of 2005.
CBS cancelled sci-fi series Century City after airing four episodes, out of intended order. The complete series was broadcast on Universal HD beginning November 29, 2004. Hulu began streaming the episodes in June 2009, but they were cropped from the original widescreen presentation. The cast included Nestor Carbonell, Viola Davis, Héctor Elizondo and Ioan Gruffudd.
2014
Miramax
- March 10 – Believe (NBC, One season, 13 episodes, 1 unaired)
- March 11 – Chrisley Knows Best (USA, Ten seasons, 204 episodes)
- March 11 – From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (El Rey, Three seasons, 30 episodes)
- March 16 – Crisis (NBC, One season, 13 episodes)
- March 16 – Naked After Dark (Discovery Channel, One season, 6 episodes)
Believe was co-created by director Alfonso Cuarón. Kyle MacLachlan, Jamie Chung, Delroy Lindo, and Kerry Condon were among the cast. Every scene in the pilot was a long take, a specialty of Cuarón, but the process was dropped with the second episode.
From Dusk till Dawn: The Series expanded on the story of the Gecko Brothers from the feature film of the same name. The series was never officially cancelled after the airing of its third season from September 6 to November 1, 2016, but the actors were released from their contracts on October 31.
NBC cancelled Crisis following the eighth episode on May 4, 2014. The remaining episodes were aired beginning May 25 with the final two episodes aired back-to-back on June 21.
Naked After Dark was a talk show featuring celebrity guests and Naked and Afraid ‘survivors’ discussing their time on the series.
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