Zig Zag Productions
It was another slow week as the regular TV season comes to an end and a few new Summer series make their debuts, all in 2014. One new series barely made it through a month before it was yanked, a second just made it through the Summer, and a third was very successful with multiple seasons … even though it was cancelled once and had a couple of long hiatuses between seasons. Check out the series that premiered this week and tell us if you remember any of them.
1954
- No new series premiered this week in 1954.
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
- No new series premiered this week in 1994.
2004
- No new series premiered this week in 2004.
2014
NBC
- May 20 – I Wanna Marry ‘Harry’ (FOX, One season, 8 episodes, 4 unaired)
- May 22 – Gang Related (FOX, One season, 13 episodes)
- May 22 – Last Comic Standing (NBC, Nine seasons, 76 episodes)
I Wanna Marry ‘Harry’ was a dating series in which the women believed they were dating Prince Harry, but he was a look-alike named Matthew Hicks. Producers did everything they could to convince the women they were dating Prince Harry, including having a crew member pose as a therapist who would tell the women to stop doubting the situation. One woman compared the situation to brainwashing. FOX cancelled the series after the fourth episode and removed the show from its schedule, but made the remaining episodes available on the network website, On Demand, Fox NOW and Hulu.
Tom Berenger was originally cast as police chief Sam Chapel on Gang Related, but was later replaced with Terry O’Quinn.
Hosts for Last Comic Standing were Jay Mohr, Anthony Clark, Bill Bellamy, Fearne Cotton, Craig Robinson, JB Smove, and Anthony Jeselnik. NBC cancelled the show before the final episode of Season 3 had aired. The episode aired on Comedy Central instead. NBC revived the show for a fourth season in 2006 with a two-hour special. The show ended again in 2010 after Season 7, but returned in 2014 for an eighth season. The last season to date, Season 9, aired in 2015. During the semifinalist round on Season 2, the judges noticed the comics advancing to the finals did not line up with the way they voted. Drew Carey and Brett Butler confronted producers on camera and were told that four producers were also voting and if the celebrity judges did not come to a unanimous consensus in their voting, the producers had to ability to usurp their votes. Carey called the situation ‘crooked and dishonest’. It was also learned that some of the finalists were clients or employees of producers or directors of the show. Iliza Schlesinger was the only female to win the competition (Season 6). In season 9, Esther Povitsky had an argument with judge Norm Macdonald, and her stand-up section was cut from the show.
Share this post
