TV by the Decade :: October 6•12

Berlanti Productions

Two decades failed to produce any new series this week across the decades, but the others had some that were very notable. 1954 had an anthology series that brought James Bond to life for the very first time, 1984 produced a game show that has gained a cult following, and gave us a kids show that saw the origins of another classic TV sitcom character, 1994 had a lighthearted kids show that grew darker as it went along, 2004 gave us a long-running paranormal investigation series, and 2014 brought another DC Comics character (back) to life on the small screen. Scroll down to see the list of shows that premiered this week between 1954 and 2014, and tell us if your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1954

• October 7 – The Mail Story (ABC, One season, 13 episodes)
• October 7 – Climax! (CBS, Four seasons, 166 episodes)
• October 9 – The Donald O’Connor Show (NBC, One season, 19 episodes)

The Mail Story is an anthology series, also known as Handle With Care, that was a part documentary that explained the services available from the Post Office Department (now the U.S. Postal Service), with dramatic stories about people misusing the mail system from the 1850s to the present. The premiere episode was introduced by Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield.

Climax! is also known as Climax Mystery Theater. The show was first hosted by William Lundigan with Mary Costa joining later as a co-host. It was one of the few CBS shows of the era to be broadcast in color, using cameras manufactured by RCA which were primarily used by rival network NBC. As the show was broadcast live, only black-and-white kinescopes of the surviving episodes exist. The series began as a suspense-horror anthology, but sponsor Chrysler demanded more adventure and emotional stories and the format was changed in February 1955. The series is notable for producing the first screen adaptation of an Ian Fleming James Bond novel, Casino Royale, which starred Barry Nelson as American secret agent ‘Jimmy Bond’ and Peter Lorre as villain ‘Le Chiffre’. The episode was made available on the original DVD release of the 1967 feature film adaptation. Only one other episode, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Michael Rennie and Sir Cedric Hardwicke, is available on DVD as part of the Classic Sci-Fi TV — 150 Episodes box set. In the adaptation of The Long Goodbye, actor Tristram Coffin, playing a dead body, arose and walked offstage while on camera. Some episodes can be found on YouTube.

The Donald O’Connor Show is also known as Here Comes Donald.

1964

• No new series premiered this week in 1964.

1974

• No new series premiered this week in 1974.
  

1984

• October 7 – Out of Control (Nickelodeon, One season, 26 episodes)
• October 8 – Trivia Trap (ABC, One season, 128 episodes)
• October 10 – Dreams (CBS, One season, 12 episodes, 7 unaired)

Dave Coulier starred on the sketch comedy show Out of Control, with comedy team Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre and animation by Spectre Productions. Bob Saget was originally considered to host, with Thomas F. Wilson and Joel Hodgson also under consideration. The show’s in-production title was The Out of Control Room, a reference to the setting of a TV news control room. Many of the character traits Coulier used for his role on Full House originated with this series. Bill Bixby, Joel Hodgson and Dennis Miller were among the guest stars. Patrick ‘The Stick’ Varnell, best known for his role in the horror spoof Student Bodies, made his only TV appearance on the show.

Trivia Trap is a Mark Goodson Productions game show hosted by Bob Eubanks. Gene Wood was the announcer for the first two weeks, Charlie O’Donnell took over for week three, and was replaced by Bob Hilton for the run of the series. The show was scheduled at 11:00 AM against The Price is Right on CBS and Wheel of Fortune on NBC, and struggled in the ratings. It was the last Goodson game show to have an original format, with all shows produced until the acquisition of the company by Fremantle being revivals of past series. It was also the last Goodson series to air on ABC until Match Game 90 premiered in July 1990.

Dreams was created by Andy Borowitz, known now for his satirical column The Borowitz Report, and starred John Stamos and Jami Gertz. The story followed a fictional rock band trying to get a recording contract. The cast performed their own vocals.

1994

• October 8 – The Secret World of Alex Mack (Nickelodeon, Four seasons, 78 episodes)

The Secret World of Alex Mack was a co-production of Nickelodeon and Hallmark Entertainment. A series of 34 paperback books were produced as a tie-in to the show. The series evolved during its run from episodes featuring innocent hijinks to those with darker connotations. The character of Alex was initially conceived as a boy but Nickelodeon had the character changed to a girl. Near the end of Season 4, show creator Thomas W. Lynch offered star Larisa Oleynik a package deal that included a fifth season and a feature film, which she turned down as she was feeling burnt out after four seasons. A 20 year reunion special was filmed in 2018 and released on YouTube and Vimeo.

2004

Pilgrim Films & Television

• October 6 – Ghost Hunters (Sci Fi/Syfy/A&E/Discovery+/Travel Channel, 16 seasons, 251 episodes to date, 12 specials)
• October 6 – Proof Positive (Sci-Fi, One season, 10 episodes)
• October 6 – World Cup Comedy (PAX TV, Two seasons, 25 episodes)
• October 7 – Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show (The WB/Comedy Central, Two seasons, 13 episodes, 1 unaired)
• October 7 – Life as We Know It (ABC, One season, 13 episodes, 2 unaired)
• October 11 – The Backyardigans (Nickelodeon, Four seasons, 80 episodes)
• October 11 – Maya & Miguel (PBS Kids Go!, Five seasons, 65 episodes)
• October 11 – Postcards From Buster (PBS Kids Go!, Three seasons, 55 episodes)

Ghost Hunters originally featured Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, and their team from TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society). When the show was revived in 2019 for two seasons, Wilson returned with a new team not associated with TAPS. In 2021, the show was revived again with Hawes and the previous TAPS members but Wilson was not featured. Due to the show’s original connection to NBCUniversal, some episodes featured guest stars including Josh Gates, Nene Leakes, Eddie McClintock, Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin, CM Punk, Amanda Tapping, Steve Valentine and Meredith Vieira. When Syfy renewed the show for its eighth season, it became the longest-running reality series on the network. Wilson left the show (and the radio show Beyond Reality) in 2012 to focus on his personal life. Wilson reunited with Hawes as a guest on Beyond Reality on August 1, 2016 following the announcement of the show’s cancellation by Syfy. The show spawned the spin-offs Ghost Hunters International, UFO Hunters and Ghost Hunters Academy, and inspired later series Kindred Spirits, Ghost Nation and Haunted Discoveries.

Proof Positive was a paranormal investigation series hosted by Amanda Tapping, star of Stargate SG-1 and Sanctuary that was paired with Ghost Hunters. World Cup Comedy was hosted by Mary Gallagher and Dan O’Connor.

Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show was a loose follow-up to Carey’s former series Whose Line Is It Anyway? Ryan Stiles and Kaitlin Olson appeared in the pilot episode which was never aired. Segments of the show were compiled from multiple tapings, as evidenced by the cast wearing different clothing after commercial breaks. The WB cancelled the series after five episodes, and Carey took it to Comedy Central for the second season.

Life as We Know It was loosely based on the novel Doing It by Melvin Burgess. ABC pulled the show from its schedule during November sweeps, with reruns airing on MTV to good ratings. The show was cancelled in January 2005 with two episodes going unaired. The episodes were included on the DVD release.

Animated series The Backyardigans originated as a live-action pilot with actors in full-body costumes, but Nickelodeon rejected it and the series was reworked for animation. The series was planned to continue past its fourth season, but executive producer Janice Burgess decided to move on to the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club. The show’s music received eight Daytime Emmy nominations.

Postcards From Buster is a spin-off of the Arthur TV series. The backdoor pilot for the show aired as part of Arthur‘s eighth season. The series went on a three year hiatus between 2008 and 2012. Characters from the Arthur series are also featured in the spin-off.

2014

Sheleg

• October 6 – Max & Shred (Nickelodeon, Two seasons, 39 episodes)
• October 7 – The Flash (The CW, Nine seasons, 184 episodes)
• October 8 – Somebody’s Gotta Do It (CNN/TBN, Four seasons, 32 episodes to date)
• October 10 – Cristela (ABC, One season, 22 episodes)
• October 12 – The Affair (Showtime, Five seasons, 53 episodes)

The Flash, based on the DC Comics character, was a spin-off of The CW’s Arrow, with the two series creating what would become known as the ‘Arrowverse’ on the network with new DC series joining the line-up. The series was developed after two well-received appearances by Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash on Arrow, with a backdoor pilot planned, but the budget was increased to produce a proper pilot. The premiere was the second most-watched pilot in The CW’s history after The Vampire Diaries. The first Flash costume took about 40 minutes for Gustin to put on due to the cowl being a prosthetic that had to be glued to his face. By Episode 8, a new cowl was created that fit over his head and locked into place, cutting the time by about 15 minutes. The costume was made primarily of leather with stretchable material that allowed Gustin to bend. The series is notable for casting original 1990 The Flash star John Wesley Shipp in the roles of Henry Allen, Barry’s father, and Jay Garrick, the first comics incarnation of The Flash.

Sitcom Cristela was created by stand-up comedian Cristela Alonzo, who also starred in, wrote and executive produced the series, making her the first Latina to create, produce, write, and star in her own primetime comedy. The pilot was filmed on the set of Last Man Standing, and crossed over with that series on one episode. The show premiered to decent ratings but disappointing reviews, however the reviews improved as the season progressed but the ratings declined.

The Affair won Golden Globes in 2015 for Best Television Series – Drama and Best Actress in a TV Drama Series (Ruth WIlson), and a 2016 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for Maura Tierney. Tierney was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2016. Wilson requested to leave the series after Season 4, and while no explanation was given publicly, it was later revealed she was uncomfortable with the amount of nudity required. Body doubles were frequently used. There were also accusations of showrunner Sarah Treem and director Jeffrey Reiner acting inappropriately toward actors on set, and while Treem would deny the accusations, Reiner was investigated for allegedly sharing photos of the nude body double with Lena Dunham, who had no connection to the show. Joshua Jackson also did not return for the fifth season, while regulars Omar Metwally and Sanaa Lathan only appeared in Episodes 2 and 3, while Cataline Sandino Moreno only appears as a guest star in Episodes 6 and 7.