TV by the Decade :: Apr 26•May 2

Still image from animated series "The Loud House" featuring a cartoon family of a father, mother and eleven children, with two dogs, a bird, and a hamster in a clear ball, are posed together on and around a staircase. Two brown end tables, each with a lamp, one orange and one blue, with a green jar on the foreground table. A red and blue framed picture hangs on the right wall above the staircase.

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Only a handful of new series made their debuts this week across the decades starting with a 1956 Summer replacement variety show on its third network in four years, a 2006 MTV comedy series inspired by the success of its star’s own feature film, and a long-running 2016 science series, and a short-lived drama based on the real-life friendship of two historical figures. Most notable are two animated series, one in 1996, the other in 2016 that entertained children and adults, and received awards attention during their runs. Scroll down to see the programs that debuted this week, and tell us if any of your favorites are celebrating milestone anniversaries.

1956

April 26 – The Eddy Arnold Show (ABC, One season, last broadcast on September 26, 1956)

Third iteration of The Eddy Arnold Show, which began on CBS in 1952 for just over a month as a Summer replacement series, then moved to NBC for three months as a Summer replacement for The Dinah Shore Show. It had its longest run on ABC at five months, and it too was a Summer replacement for Life is Worth Living. The show was broadcast live from the Jewell Theatre in Springfield, Missouri, which was home to ABC’s Ozark Jubilee.

1966

No new shows premiered this week in 1966.

1976

No new shows premiered this week in 1976.

1986

No new shows premiered this week in 1986.

1996

A family of four cartoon characters from "Dexter's Laboratory, featuring two parents and two children, sit on a pink couch against a blue background. A door, portrait, a tall cabinet, a lamp, and a cushion are visible in the background. A child's toy ray gun, a bolt and a screwdriver are seen on the floor in the foreground.

Cartoon Network Studios

April 27 – Dexter’s Laboratory (TNT/Cartoon Network/TBS, Four seasons, 78 episodes)

Four pilots for Dexter’s Laboratory aired on Cartoon Network and TNT between 1995 and 1996. The first CN pilot was the highest-rated What a Cartoon! short at the time, leading to a half-hour series of two seasons and 52 episodes. The 1999 TV movie Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip was intended as the series finale, but the show was revived for two more seasons beginning in 2001. The show was one of Cartoon Network’s most successful original series, earning four Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program (One Hour or Less). First season episodes debuted on TNT, followed by runs on Cartoon Network and TBS the next day. Season 2 moved the show to Cartoon Network.

2006

May 2 – Blowin’ Up (MTV, One season, 8 episodes)

Blowin’ Up was written by and starred Jamie Kennedy, along with Stu Stone, after the success of the movie Malibu’s Most Wanted, in which he also starred. Celebrities and rappers including Jason Biggs, Ice-T, Three 6 Mafia and Bob Saget guested.

2016

Promotional still image from "Houdini & Doyle". Two men in ornate, formal wear stand against a dark red velvet curtain backdrop. The man on the left, Michael Weston as Harry Houdini, wears a dark blue suit jacket with a light blue and gold patterned vest, a white shirt, and a large gold bow tie. He has curly dark hair and blue eyes. The man on the right, Stephen Mangan as Arthur Conan Doyle, wears a dark green suit jacket over a patterned brown and gold brocade vest, a white shirt, and a dark tie. He has dark hair styled back and a prominent mustache. Both men have serious expressions.

Big Talk Productions

April 26 – Space’s Deepest Secrets (Science Channel, Eight seasons, 93 episodes)
May 2 – Houdini & Doyle (FOX, One season, 10 episodes)
May 2 – The Loud House (Nickelodeon, Nine seasons, 307 episodes to date)

Houdini & Doyle was a drama series loosely based on the real friendship of Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The series was a UK/Canada/US co-production.

The Loud family in The Loud House were originally conceived as rabbits until a network executive asked creator Chris Savino to make them human. Nickelodeon originally ordered a 13-episode first season but increased the order to 26. Season 2 was picked up for 14 episodes, which was also increased to 26. Season 3 got a 26 episode renewal. The series received a total of five Daytime Emmy nominations, including two for Outstanding Children’s Animated Series, winning once in 2019. It also won Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program the same year.