Millar Gough Ink
As the major networks focus on ratings-grabbing programs and events for the November sweeps, only two decades produced any new TV series, and only one of them was on a broadcast network. That one was a 1995 soap opera which picked up where another soap left off and included characters that originated on other soap operas as well as one big name movie and TV star. The rest of this week’s new shows debuted in 2015, three on cable, one streaming, the longest running one surviving for just three seasons. Scroll down to see the shows that premiered this week, and tell us if you remember any of them.
1955
- No new shows premiered this week in 1955.
1965
- No new shows premiered this week in 1965.
1975
- No new shows premiered this week in 1975.
1985
- No new shows premiered this week in 1985.
1995
Dramatic Creations
- November 13 – The City (ABC, Two seasons, 352 episodes)
The City was a continuation of ABC soap opera Loving, which ended on November 10, 1995, and featured the surviving central characters of the latter’s final major story arc, which saw most of the show’s characters fall victim to a serial killer. The characters that survived moved from Corinth, Pennsylvania, to New York City and settled in the Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo. Morgan Fairchild signed a one-year contract to appear on the show, and when the contract ended she left and was replaced with Jane Elliot, best known for her role of Tracy Quartermaine on General Hospital. Elliot rejoined GH four months before joining The City to cross the character over to the newer soap. Her arrival, however, did not improve ratings and the show was cancelled in February 1997. Most of the characters got happy endings, but since Fairchild would not return as Sydney Chase, the show killed her off by the ‘Happy Now’ killer. ABC’s daytime talk show The View used the Sydney Chase loft set for its first five seasons. The characters of Angie Hubbard and her son Frankie originated on All My Children in the early 1980s and joined Loving in 1993 before trasferring to The City in 1995, making them the first two characters to have appeared on three ABC soaps as regulars, with Debi Morgan playing Angie across all three shows. The show won two technical Daytime Emmys in 1996.
2005
- No new shows premiered this week in 2005.
2015
Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment
- November 10 – Donny! (USA Network, One season, 6 episodes)
- November 13 – Blazing Team: Masters of Yo Kwon Do (Discovery Family, Two seasons, 42 episodes)
- November 13 – W/ Bob & David (Netflix, One season, 4 episodes, 1 special)
- November 15 – Into the Badlands (AMC, Three seasons, 32 episodes)
Donny! was a sitcom created by and starring Donny Deutsch.
Blazing Team: Masters of Yo Kwon Do was an animated adaptation of the live-action Blazing Teens yo-yo series from Alpha Group Co. Ltd. and Auldey Toys, which was aimed at western audiences. The animated series from Guangdong Alpha Animation & Culture and Hasbro Studios featured an entirely different set of characters. The series was originally commissioned for 52 episodes, but the second season order was reduced by 10 episodes to 16.
W/ Bob & David is a sketch comedy show homage to Mr. Show with Bob and David. Both shows starred Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. Many of the original series cast members also appeared on the show.
Into the Badlands is loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West. The six-episode first season was filmed in Louisiana, but production moved to Ireland for the following seasons. Following the finale, it was revealed that there were plans for a fourth season, as well as a spin-off set twenty years later but neither came to fruition.