Ryan Murphy Television
Several new programs made their debuts this week across the decades, some quickly disappearing and others earning awards recognition. The 1976 police drama was born out of a 1975 TV movie, but was a short-lived affair. 1996 gave us a miniseries with several awards under its belt, and a TV drama that ended on a cliffhanger. The lone 2006 premiere carries a bit of history, though it disappeared very quickly. 2016 produced a miniseries and five regular series — scripted and reality — that all ran for three seasons, one of them earning awards gold. Scroll down to see all of the shows that debuted this week and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.
1956
- No new shows premiered this week in 1956.
1966
- No new shows premiered this week in 1966.
1976
- February 2 – Jigsaw John (NBC, One season, 15 episodes)
The series Jigsaw John was created following the broadcast of the TV movie They Only Come Out at Night. Jack Warden starred in the movie and series, which was based on the career of Los Angeles detective ‘Jigsaw John’ St. John.
1986
- No new shows premiered this week in 1986.
1996
Jim Henson Productions/Hallmark Entertainment
- February 1 – World’s Funniest Videos (ABC, One season, last broadcast on June 20, 1996)
- February 3 – C Bear and Jamal (FOX Kids, Two seasons, 13 episodes)
- February 4 – Gulliver’s Travels (NBC, TV miniseries)
- February 5 – Second Noah (ABC, Two seasons, 21 episodes)
World’s Funniest Videos, from the creators of America’s Funniest Home Videos, was hosted by Dave Coulier and Eva LaRue.
Voice actors for animated series C Bear and Jamal included Tone Loc, Dawnn Lewis, Kim Fields, Aries Spears, Margaret Cho and Paul Rodriguez.
Gulliver’s Travels, produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment, is one of the few adaptations of Jonathan Swift’s novel to feature all four voyages. The miniseries received 11 Emmy nominations, winning five including Outstanding Miniseries.
Second Noah was filmed in Tampa, Florida, and used Busch Gardens as a setting. When Disney purchased ABC ahead of the show’s second season, all programming and plot lines that promoted other theme parks were ended. The final three episodes of the series were re-written and re-set to feature Walt Disney World, which at the time was developing Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The show ended on a cliffhanger as female lead character Jesse, who had become pregnant, felt her baby kick for the first time.
2006
- February 7 – Get This Party Started (UPN, One season, 2 episodes)
Get This Party Started was the last original program to premiere on UPN before merging with The WB in September 2006 to form The CW. The show was 156th out of 156 TV programs on the air and was cancelled after two episodes.
2016
Warner Bros. Animation
- February 1 – Paradise Run (Nickelodeon, Three seasons, 70 episodes)
- February 2 – American Crime Story (FX, Three seasons, 29 episodes)
- February 2 – Rattled (TLC, Three seasons, 26 episodes, 1 special)
- February 3 – Madoff (ABC, TV miniseries)
- February 5 – Animals (HBO, Three seasons, 30 episodes)
- February 5 – Bunnicula (Cartoon Network/Boomerang, Three seasons, 104 episodes)
Daniella Monet hosted the children’s competition series Paradise Run. The show was produced at the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii.
American Crime Story is an anthology series that has consisted of three seasons to date: The People v. O.J. Simpson, The Assassination of Gianni Versace and Impeachment. A fourth season has been ordered but no development for a story, rumored to set at Studio 54, has taken place. The second season was to be set during Hurricane Katrina, with Versace as the third season, but after changing the story’s source material and losing several major actors, the Katrina season did not move forward. The series has received nine Golden Globe nominations, winning four including Best Miniseries or Television Film for the first two seasons. Sarah Paulson also won Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film for Season 1, and Darren Criss won Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film for Season 2. Season 1 earned seven Creative Arts Emmy nominations, winning four. Season 2 also received seven nominations and four wins, and Season 3 received three nominations with one win. Season 1 earned thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, winning five including Outstanding Limited Series, and acting awards for Courtney P. Vance, Sarah Paulson and Sterling K. Brown. Season 2 received nine nominations, winning three including Outstanding Limited Series, Lead Actor in a Limited Series (Darren Criss) and Directing for a Limited Series (Ryan Murphy). Season 3 scored two nominations but no wins.
Season 2 of TLC’s Rattled reality series was preceded by a special titled Rattled: A Paralyzed Mother’s Story, which aired on January 23, 2017.
The first two episodes of Animals were independently produced and screened at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. HBO picked up the series with a two-season order in May 2015. The series was created by and starred Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano. The recurring cast included RuPaul, John Early, Demi Moore and Mel Rodriguez. Lauren Lapkus, Jon Lovitz, Jay Duplass and Mindy Sterling voiced some of the animal characters.
Bunnicula premiered on both Cartoon Network and Boomerang, with Seasons 2 and 3 airing exclusively on Boomerang. Chris Kattan voiced the title character, with Sean Aston and Kari Wahlgren co-starring.