NBCUniversal Television Studio
We’re out of the Fall Premiere Week now with just a baker’s dozen of new series making their debuts in just four different decades. The earliest decade, 1954, brought a popular movie star dog to the small screen, and produced a live anthology series broadcast in color with an episode so popular it was restaged two more times. That year also brought a famous British detective to American television. 1994 had a groundbreaking, but short-lived, family series, 2004 revived a classic 1970s sci-fi series to great acclaim, and saw the debut of a new weight loss competition, while 2014 gave the CW a popular dramedy with Latin flavor, and a comedy series that may exist in the universe of another comedy series. Scroll down to see the shows that premiered this week and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1954
Screen Gems
- October 15 – The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (ABC, Five seasons, 164 episodes)
- October 18 – Producers’ Showcase (NBC, Three seasons, 37 episodes)
- October 18 – Sherlock Holmes (Syndication, One season, 39 episodes)
- October 19 – The Halls of Ivy (CBS, One season, 39 episodes)
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin star Rin Tin Tin was named after the legendary movie star dog performer of the same name, and was played by Rin Tin Tin IV, a descendant or some relation to the original dog. However, due to his poor screen performance, the part was mostly played by an unrelated dog named Flame Jr. The show’s troupe of twelve character actors was often required to play multiple parts in the same episode, sometimes to the point of one actor fighting himself, wearing a cavalry uniform in one shot and an Apache outfit in another.
Producers’ Showcase was broadcast live and in color. The series aired every fourth Monday. The series won seven Emmy Awards including one for Best Dramatic Series in 1956. The series presented the first international show with live remote locations, Wide Wide World, and the first full-length Broadway production on color television, Peter Pan with Mary Martin. The series premiere episode was titled ‘Tonight at 8:30’ and was made up of three plays by Noël Coward to be directed by Otto Preminger, who had no experience in television. After three weeks of rehearsals and no complete run-through, producer Fred Coe privately fired Preminger three days before air and supervised the broadcast himself. Preminger appeared in pre-filmed segments introducing each act, and he received sole producer and director credits, however it was his first and last television experience. The production of Peter Pan was so successful in its March 7, 1955 broadcast that it was restaged in January 1956. NBC revived the production again for a 1960 Christmas special videotaped in color with nearly all of the original adult cast members returning (the children had aged out of their roles). Martin also won an Emmy Award for her performance in 1956. The show received 20 total Emmy nominations.
Sherlock Holmes was based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but most of the episodes consisted of original material. It was the first American TV series adaptation to feature the Holmes character, and the only one until 2012’s Elementary. The series was filmed in France. A second season of the series was planned but never came to fruition, though a second series by the same producer did air in 1979-1980, with most of the 1954 episodes remade. The episodes have been released on DVD several times by different companies.
The Halls of Ivy originated as a 1950-1952 radio series with husband-and-wife actors Ronald Colman and Benita Hume, who reprised their roles on TV. Virtually all of the scripts were adaptations of the radio plays. Unfortunately, many of the episodes are missing.
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
- October 15 – My Brother and Me (Nickelodeon, One season, 13 episodes)
My Brother and Me was Nickelodeon’s first series to feature a mainly Black cast. The series was cancelled due to disagreements between the producers and creators, who had different visions for the show.
2004
- October 18 – Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi, Four seasons, One mini-series, 76 episodes, 2 TV movies)
- October 19 – The Biggest Loser (NBC/USA, Eighteen seasons, 248 episodes)
- October 19 – He’s a Lady (TBS, One season, 6 episodes)
Battlestar Galactica was a re-imagining of the 1978 TV series of the same name. The series won a Peabody Award, and earned 19 Emmy nominations, with three wins for visual effects and sound editing.
A foot race on the eighth season of The Biggest Loser resulted in two contestants requiring hospitalization and led to changes creating a healthier environment for weight loss including a pool for low-impact cardio.
He’s a Lady was a reality competition in which 11 ‘macho men’ competed to see who could pass realistically as a female. Producers worked with GLAAD to be more sensitive to portrayals of LGBTQ+ people and to be more aware of transgender issues. Production adopted the phrase ‘in character’ rather than ‘in drag’ when referring to a contestant’s persona. The show was heavily criticized by far-right religious organizations for promoting ‘life as a transvestite’ and called for boycotts of the sponsors (S.C. Johnson actually did bow to pressure and pulled its support for the show).
2014
Poppy Productions
- October 13 – Jane the Virgin (The CW, Five seasons, 100 episodes)
- October 13 – Blaze and the Monster Machines (Nickelodeon, Eight seasons, 154 episodes)
- October 13 – Tiny & Shekinah’s Weave Trip (VH1, One season, 8 episodes)
- October 14 – Marry Me (NBC, One season, 18 episodes, 4 unaired)
- October 15 – Unlivable (fyi, One season, 8 episodes)
Jane the Virgin is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la virgen, and parodies Latin American telenovelas. The series earned two Emmy Award nominations. It was nominated for two Golden Globes in 2015, including Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, winning Best Actress for Gina Rodriguez. Rodriguez was nominated again in 2016 and 2017.
Marry Me was created by David Caspe and starred his wife Casey Wilson. Many believe Caspe’s following series Happy Endings exists in the same universe as Marry Me as they both feature a recurring character played by Stephen Guarino. Both series are also set in Chicago and feature actors Wilson, Ken Marino and Sarah Wright Olsen (in different roles). John Gemberling also appeared on Happy Endings but was just credited as ‘Thief’ so it’s unclear if he was playing the same character. Marry Me guest stars including Rob Huebel, Rob Riggle, Nat Faxon and Ryan Hansen also guested on Happy Endings.
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