Daniel H. Blatt-Robert Singer Productions
In a relatively minor week with a handful of new series premieres, we did get two shows with short runs that have gone on to become cult classics with devoted fans. The first is a sci-fi show from 1984 that began with two very popular mini-series, and the second is a 2014 series based on a DC Comics character who went on to appear on two other shows and in animated form. 1954 produced a TV comedy birthed from a radio program, 1994’s output was mainly for kids although one animated series also has its own devoted fan base of adults, and 2004 went the reality route. Scroll down to see the shows (and TV movie) that premiered this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries!
1954
- October 22 – The Jack Carson Show (NBC, One season, 10 episodes)
The Jack Carson Show began as a radio program, first on CBS, then NBC, and back to CBS under various titles. The TV version aired alternating weeks with The Red Buttons Show. Don Ameche and Constance Towers were among the cast.
1964
- No new series premiered this week in 1964.
1974
- No new series premiered this week in 1964.
1984
- October 26 – V (NBC, One season, 19 episodes, 1 unfilmed)
V: The Series follows the events of two mini-series, V (1983) and V: The Final Battle (1984). Most of the original cast members repreised their roles on the series with the exception of Eric Johnston, who was replaced by Nicky Katt as Sean Donovan. The show’s theme music was derived from the closing credits music from the second mini-series through Episode 13. Beginning with Episode 14, new theme music was added along with a new monologue describing the premise of the show, while cast members Michael Ironside, Lane Smith, Blair Tefkin and Michael Wright were removed. Smith’s and Wright’s characters were killed off in Episode 13, while Ironside’s and Tefkin’s characters left for Chicago, with Ironside’s character set to return in the unfilmed episode. After the show ended, sets were placed in storage for some time as discussions were held on bringing a conclusion to the V saga with a TV movie or another mini-series. Future Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski proposed a sequel titled V: The Next Chapter which took place five years after the end of the series, with Ironside’s character the only one to return as the rest of the main characters were temporarily or permanently written out. Warner Bros. passed on the project. The budget for the each episode of the series was about half of what was given to the mini-series, which hampered the quality of the production. In both mini-series, the Visitors’ voices were given a pitch-shift in post-production, a process that was dropped for the series without explanation as to why they suddenly sounded human. The series did receive one Emmy nomination for Makeup. A new V series premiered in 2009 that aired for two seasons, bringing original cast members Jane Badler and Marc Singer back, but as different characters (although Badler’s character was still named Diana).
1994
Walt Disney Television Animation
- October 24 – Allegra’s Window (Nick Jr., Three seasons, 50 episodes)
- October 24 – Gullah Gullah Island (Nick Jr., Five seasons, 72 episodes)
- October 24 – Gargoyles (Syndication, Three seasons, 78 episodes)
Allegra’s Window featured over 100 songs created under the oversight of musical director Don Sebesky. The name Allegra came from the daughter of London-based academics who held a dinner party which series creator Jan Fleming attended, saying the name would be great for a little girl at the center of a project she was working on. The series was produced at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida.
Gullah Gullah Island starred Ron and Natalie Daise as the Alstons (same first names). Ron Daise was the author of Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage (1987), and he and his wife toured with a multimedia show titled Sea Island Montage, which was based on the book. After a performance, they met with an executive producer from Nickelodeon to discuss creating a series to help broaden its preschool programming. It was the first show of its kind to star an African-American family set in an indigenously black community. There was concern over people poking fun at the title, but Daise based the show on the existing Gullah culture. The Daise children also appeared on the show. The show was also produced at Nickelodeon Studios in Florida, sharing the same interior and exterior set with Clarissa Explains It All, with minor modifications.
Gargoyles was retitled Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles for its third season. The series was noted for its relatively dark tone, complex story arcs, and melodrama; character arcs were heavily employed throughout the series, as were Shakespearean themes and medieval Scottish history. The show also drew inspiration from other series including Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Hill Street Blues and Bonkers. The voice cast featured several actors associated with Star Trek including Marina Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Kate Mulgrew, Nichelle Nichols, Brent Spiner, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney and LeVar Burton.
2004
- October 24 – You’ve Got a Friend (MTV, One season, 8 episodes)
- October 25 – Battle for Ozzfest (MTV, One season, 12 episodes)
You’ve Got a Friend was produced by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg and Jeff Fisher, the team behind MTV’s Punk’d. The series, a reality comedy program, was successful but was cancelled after one season so they could focus on the other show. The premise featured a contestant who had to convince family and friends over the course of 48 hours that they had a new best friend, played by a trained improv comic. Only the contestant and the comic knew they were on a TV show, and the contestant would not know the identity of the comic until they were having a meal with friends at a restaurant and the comic would enter using the phrase ‘Hello, stranger!’, with the new friend becoming more sinister and unhinged to embarrass and disrupt the lives of the contestants who are playing to win $15,000 if they follow all directions to prove their ‘friendship’, including shaving their hair and eyebrows off, breaking up with their significant others, or announcing they are moving to Hollywood to start a new life with the ‘friend’.
2014
Ever After Productions
- October 20 – Kirby Buckets (Disney XD, Three seasons, 59 episodes)
- October 24 – Constantine (NBC, One season, 13 episodes)
- October 25 – The Good Witch’s Wonder (Hallmark Channel, TV movie)
Kirby Buckets was a live-action series that also included animated segments.
Constantine was based on the DC Comics character of the same name. After the series was cancelled, star Matt Ryan reprised the role in The CW’s ‘Arrowverse’, establishing Constantine as part of the same continuity. Ryan made a guest appearance on Arrow, and was brought back for two episodes of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Following positive reception, he was added to the third season finale, and would become a regular on the show beginning in Season 4. Ryan left the role of Constantine in the sixth season, and portrayed a new character, Dr. Gwyn Davies, in the final season. Ryan also voiced the character in the DC Animated Movie Universe, and the animated spin-off series Constantine: City of Demons. A script for a 14th episode was written and published, but never filmed. The character’s chain-smoking was curtailed by the network, but he was seen smoking in later episodes. Constantine’s bisexuality was never referenced on the series. Lucy Griffiths was cast as Liv Aberdine in the pilot, but the character was dropped when the series went into production, replaced by the character Zed played by Angélica Celaya. After the initial 13 episodes aired, NBC did not cancel the show and offered producers a chance to pitch ideas for a second season in the Spring of 2015. The pitch went well, and the show did marginally improve its timeslot for the network, but it would come down to budget, incoming pilots, and what might pair better with Grimm. Ultimately NBC passed and Warner Bros. shopped the series to other networks, but a month later the cast and crew were released from their contracts, effectively ending the series for good. The series earned a Creative Arts Emmy nomination for Production Design for a Contemporary Narrative Program.
The Good Witch’s Wonder is the seventh and final film in the Good Witch film series, leading into the TV series that premiered in February 2015.
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