Warner Bros. Television
The TV season is really getting into the dead of winter with the first full week of December with no new programs premiering in the decades between 1958 and 1998. But with the rise of cable TV networks looking for ways to draw viewers their way while the network shows are either struggling or taking a break, there were several new series premiering in 2008, some well-known today and some less so. Let’s take a look!
1958
- No new series premiered this week in 1958.
1968
- No new series premiered this week in 1968.
1978
- No new series premiered this week in 1968.
1988
- No new series premiered this week in 1968.
1998
- No new series premiered this week in 1968.
2008
- December 2 saw the premiere of the reality competition series Party Monsters Cabo in which party planners at the LG Village tried to see who could pull off the ultimate party for Hollywood’s A-List. The winner would receive a contract with LG for their parties. The series was hosted by Brian Worley and Michele Merkin. It lasted one season, producing eight episodes.
- December 3 saw another cable reality series debut with Man v. Food hitting the Travel Channel. Original host Adam Richman explored the biggest food offerings of a different American city each week before participating in an eating challenge at a local restaurant. Richman announced his retirement from food challenges on January 27, 2012, bringing the show’s four season run to an end. However, the network revived the series on August 7, 2017 with new host Casey Webb.
- December 6 gave our furry friends a show to watch as Animal Planet debuted Cats 101. The series spotlighted a different cat breed in each episode with input from animal professionals, facts, origins, descriptions of the breeds and commentary from cat owners. There are only so many breeds in the world, so the series ended after four seasons on May 12, 2012.
- December 7 saw the premiere of Adventure Time on Nicktoons. The pilot follows the adventures of a boy named Finn and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (who is a dog who can change shape). The pair live in the Land of Ooo where they interact with various characters. After the short went viral on the internet, Cartoon Network stepped up to commission a full-length series which previewed on March 11, 2010 and officially premiered April 5, 2010. The series has been a cult hit for Cartoon Network, with critical praise, eight Emmy Awards, a Peabody, three Annie Awards and several more. The series ended after 10 seasons but the finale left things open-ended.
- December 7 — 2008 wasn’t all reality series. Scripted drama Leverage premiered on TNT from producer Dean Devlin and star Timothy Hutton. The series follows a a five-person team who use their special abilities — including computer hacking — to fight corporate and governmental injustices. The series’ recurring cast members included Mark Sheppard, Jeri Ryan, Tom Skerritt, Richard Chamberlain, Goran Visnijc, Clayne Crawford, Leon Rippy, Saul Rubinek and Adam Baldwin. The series ran for five seasons, ending on December 25, 2012.
- December 8 saw the debut of another scripted series, Childrens Hospital, which began its run as a web series on TheWB.com. The black comedy parodied the medical show genre and starred Rob Corddry. The first season consisted of 10 five-minute episodes, with Adult Swim picking up the show in 2009 with episodes airing in 2010. Other cast members included Lake Bell, Rob Huebel, Ken Marino and Megan Mullally. Malin Akerman and Henry Winkler joined the cast in Season 2. Guest stars and recurring cast members included Michael Cera, Nick Offerman, Nathan Corddry, Nick Kroll, Kurtwood Smith, Jon Hamm, Jordan Peele Adult Swim renewed the series for a seventh season on June 2, 2015, premiering on January 22, 2016. Rob Corddrey then announced the seventh season would be its last with the final episode airing April 15, 2016. 96 episodes total were produced.
How many of these show do you remember? Do you have a favorite or memories of the series that didn’t go down in TV history? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
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