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Despite being the first week of November — or because it is the beginning of a Sweeps Month — there are quite a few new shows that made their debuts this week, including a still running news program, two cartoon anthology series with one hosted by a human and the other by everyone’s favorite ham (pun intended), a sadly short-lived sci-fi series from Steven Spielberg’s production company, several reality series including two that either parodied or just ripped off The Apprentice, an Emmy-winning cable drama, a reboot of a nine-year-old cable comedy, and two Hallmark Christmas movies. Scroll down to see the list of shows and movies that premiered this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1954
- November 7 – Face the Nation (CBS, Sixty-four seasons to date)
Face the Nation is also broadcast on the CBS radio network. It is one of the longest running news programs in television history. Washington DC CBS News bureau chief Bill Shadel was the original host from 1954-1955, and Senator Joseph McCarthy was the first guest. Lesley Stahl became the first female host in 1983. She left in 1991 to focus on 60 Minutes. Margaret Brennan became the second female host in 2018 with the title of the show slightly tweaked to Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan in September 2021.
1964
- November 9 – The Les Crane Show (ABC, One season, last broadcast on November 12, 1965)
- November 9 – The Porky Pig Show (ABC, One season, 26 episodes)
The Les Crane Show was created for ABC to compete with The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson on NBC. Crane left the show after four months and the title was changed to ABC’s Nightlife, with a rotating roster of hosts including Shelley Berman, Nipsey Russell, Pat Boone and Allan Sherman. Crane returned as the regular host in June 1965, accompanied by Russell.
The Porky Pig Show was composed of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical shorts made between 1948 and 1964, hosted by Porky Pig. Three cartoons were shown each episode, with the first one always starring Porky.
1974
- No new series premiered this week in 1974.
1984
- No new series premiered this week in 1984.
1994
Amblin Entertainment
- November 6 – Earth 2 (NBC, One season, 21 episodes)
Earth 2 broke new ground in featuring one of the first female commanders on a sci-fi TV series, about two months before Star Trek: Voyager premiered with the more better known Kathryn Janeway. Exteriors depicting the planet G889 were filmed in New Mexico locations such as Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks and Diablo Canyon. NBC aired the episodes out of production order which may have contributed to the show’s early demise. Earth 2 was nominated for three Emmy Awards including Makeup and Sound Editing, winning for Visual Effects.
2004
- November 3 – Nanny 911 (FOX/CMT, Four seasons, 51 episodes)
- November 5 – Cartoon Alley (TCM, Three seasons, 47 episodes)
- November 7 – Perfect Hair Forever (Adult Swim, One season, 9 episodes)
- November 7 – Huff (Showtime, Two seasons, 26 episodes)
- November 7 – My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss (FOX, One season, 10 episodes, 5 unaired)
- November 8 – ToddWorld (TLC/Discovery Kids, Two seasons, 39 episodes)
- November 8 – $25 Million Dollar Hoax (NBC, One season, 3 episodes)
- November 9 – The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best (FOX, One season, 13 episodes)
Nanny 911 was loosely based on the British series Little Angels. Many of the participants on the show have claimed that most of the behavior by the chidren was staged, and situations or parents were made to look bad with manipulative editing.
Cartoon Alley featured classic animated shorts from the 1930s-1950s, with most coming from Warner Bros., MGM and Paramount. The first season also featured shorts from the Gaumont Film Company. The series was hosted by Ben Mankiewicz.
Perfect Hair Forever is a spin-off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Space Ghost appears in every episode either in an actual role or in the background. The series ended after one season with six episodes. A second season was announced with a 16 episode order, but the show did not continue. A seventh episode was aired unannounced as part of Adult Swim’s April Fool’s Joke on April 1, 2007. Two versions of an eighth episode aired back-to-back on April 1, 2014.
Huff was cancelled after two seasons with several unresolved storylines. Oliver Platt was Golden Globe nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Movie for the first season. The series received ten Emmy nominations during its run, winning three: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Blythe Danner, two consecutive years) and Outstanding Main Title Design.
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss parodied shows like The Apprentice with contestants performing tasks that could help them win a job with a major corporation. The contestants, however, did not know it was all fake. The five unaired episodes were released online in March 2005.
$25 Million Dollar Hoax is based on a United Kingdom show titled The Million Pound Hoax, broadcast on Sky One. Ed McMahon, George Gray, and N*SYNC’s Lance Bass made guest appearances.
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best was highly derivative of The Apprentice.
2014
Hallmark Channel
- November 3 – Euros of Hollywood (Bravo, One season, 9 episodes)
- November 4 – Search for the Lost Giants (History Channel, One season, 6 episodes)
- November 5 – Kitchen Inferno (Food Network, One season, 8 episodes)
- November 8 – The Nine Lives of Christmas (Hallmark Channel, TV movie)
- November 8 – Sonic Boom (Cartoon Network, Two seasons, 104 episodes)
- November 9 – The Comeback (HBO, One season, 8 episodes)
- November 9 – A Cookie Cutter Christmas (Hallmark Channel, TV movie)
Kitchen Inferno was hosted by Curtis Stone.
The Nine Lives of Christmas is based on the novel by the same name by Sheila Roberts. Brandon Routh and Kimberly Sustad starred, and the two reprised their roles in the 2021 sequel The Nine Kittens of Christmas.
Animated series Sonic Boom is loosely based on the video game franchise Sonic the Hedgehog created by Sega, the fifth animated series based of the franchise, and the first to be produced with CG animation and in high definition.
The Comeback was actually the second season of the series starring Lisa Kudrow that first premiered in 2005.
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