Universal Television
As we close out the first week of the new years across the decades, this week’s batch of new series did not set the TV landscape on fire. 1975 and 2005 had no new shows, 1995 had two shows that technically had two seasons, but only because they premiered mid-season and ended halfway through the second, so basically one season by episode count. 2015 did have one three season series … but it was a British import. 1965 had the one successful show of the week, lasting for more than two decades. Scroll down to see the shows that premiered this week and tell us if you remember any of them.
1955
- January 26 – Conrad Nagel Theater (Syndication, One season, 25 episodes)
- January 30 – Stage 7 (CBS, One season, 25 episodes)
Stage 7 first premiered in December 1954 under the title Your Favorite Playhouse, which was just repeats of other series. The May 15, 1955 episode, ‘A Note of Fear’, featured the first dramatic TV appearance of Don Rickles.
1965
Plautus Productions
- January 31 – The American Sportsman (ABC, 21 seasons)
- January 31 – For the People (CBS, One season, 13 episodes)
- February 1 – Everything’s Relative (Syndication, One season, 100 episodes)
The hosts of The American Sportsman included South Dakota governor Joe Foss, Grits Gresham and Kurt Gowdy, who was the best known host. Celebrities appearing on the show include Bing Crosby, Andy Griffith, General Jimmy Doolittle, Burt Reynolds, Larry Hagman, Phil Harris, Bert Jones, Redd Foxx, William Shatner, and Shelley Hack.
For the People starred William Shatner as a New York City prosecutor. Jessica Walter played his wife. The show’s quick cancellation allowed him to accept the role of Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek. The show was rushed into production within a six week window, and the producers were horrified to learn the show would air against Bonanza on NBC, knowing the show would never survive. CBS had a different viewpoint, noting the show had Ed Sullivan as a lead-in and was followed by Candid Camera, two very popular shows, meaning audiences went to the trouble to get up and change channels in a time before remote controls were prevalent.
Everything’s Relative was a syndicated game show originally produced for NBC owned-and-operated stations. It was hosted by Jim Hutton, but not the actor Jim Hutton (despite what IMDb says). A pilot for a revival was produced in 1980 with Jim Peck as host, but was not sold.
1975
- No new series premiered this week in 1975.
1985
- January 26 – Otherworld (CBS, One season, 8 episodes)
- January 27 – Code Name: Foxfire (NBC, One season, 8 episodes)
Roderick Taylor, American poet, screenwriter, recording artist and television producer and director, created Otherworld and gave himself a cameo role in each episode.
Joanna Cassidy, John McCook and Sheryl Lee Ralph were the three main leads of Code Name: Foxfire.
1995
Greengrass Productions
- January 26 – Pointman (PTEN, Two seasons, 22 episodes)
- January 29 – Extreme (ABC, One season, 13 episodes, 6 unaired)
- January 31 – The Marshal (ABC, Two seasons, 25 episodes)
ABC was confident enough in Extreme to premiere it following Super Bowl XXIX, but it failed to find an audience and was cancelled after seven episodes. The last six episodes were never broadcast in the US. The failure of the Super Bowl launch caused networks to reconsider their strategy for post-game broadcasts, which became a spot for special episodes of already popular series such as the Friends episode that aired following Super Bowl XXX on NBC the following year, although the practice of launching new series has not been fully discontinued.
The Marshal received one Emmy nomination for Sound Editing for a Series for the episode ‘Hitwoman’. The series was initially intended to be a reality series for US Marshals like Cops was for police. The plan was dropped after the Waco siege and reworked into a dramatic series. The series was produced by Don Johnson’s production company, and Johnson personally selected Jeff Fahey to star. The casting was crucial as Fahey would be the only regular cast member, and he would have no partner or sidekick, with guest stars a part of the program’s format. No series since The Fugitive had focused so tightly on a single lead character. Even scheduled against Walker, Texas Ranger on CBS, the show was successful enough to be the only new ABC series from the 1994-1995 season to be renewed for a second season. ABC shifted the show to lead off the Monday schedule in the Fall of 1995, but it struggled against NBC’s comedy block and Melrose Place on FOX. The last show aired on December 25, 1995 just before the final Monday Night Football game of the season.
2005
- No new series premiered this week in 2005.
2015
Tiger Aspect Productions
- January 29 – Duff Till Dawn (Food Network, One season, 7 episodes)
- January 29 – Fortitude (Pivot, Three seasons, 26 episodes)
Duff Till Dawn was a cake baking competition series hosted by Duff Goldman.
Fortitude was a British horror psychological thriller. The show’s parasite was based on ichneumon wasps, which lay their eggs in hosts. Stanley Tucci makes his first appearance on a British TV program during the series’ first season. Christopher Eccleston and Michael Gambon were also regulars during Season 1.