FX Productions
The last week of October leading into the beginning of September offers little in the way of memorable new programming, with the longest running series being a morning news show. But 2009 did produce two long-running shows, one a scripted comedy and one an unscripted reality series … and one of the two is still on the air ten years later. Which one? Read on to find out!
1959
- No new series premiered this week in 1959.
1969
- No new series premiered this week in 1969.
1979
- No new series premiered this week in 1979.
1989
- No new series premiered this week in 1989.
1999
- October 30 — Animated series The Avengers: United They Stand debuts on FOX Kids. The series featured Marvel’s West Coast Avengers, consisting of Ant-Man, Wasp, Wonder Man, Tigra, Hawkeye, Falcon, Vision and Scarlet Witch. Bigger names Captain America and Iron Man only made one guest appearance in one episode each, and Thor was not seen outside the opening credits. The series also featured villains Ultron, Kang the Conqueror, Egghead, the Masters of Evil, the Grim Reaper and the Zodiac. There were some fan references to the characters’ comic book history but nothing casual viewers would be confused about, and the series bore little resemblance to the comics due to the redesign of the cast costumes. A first season of 13 episodes was produced and a second season was planned but production was ended with the last episode broadcast on February 26, 2000.
- October 31 — Competition series Great Pretenders debuts on FOX Family. The kids show was a precursor to the popular Lip Sync Battle as teenagers danced and lip-synced to their favorite songs, with the performances judged by a live studio audience. The series was hosted by pop group Wild Orchid which consisted of Stacy Ferguson (aka Fergie), Stefanie Ridel and Renee Sands. The series ran for about four seasons but the actual premiere and end date seem to be lost to history.
- November 1 — Morning news program The Early Show debuts on CBS, the network’s ninth attempt to compete with NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America. Unlike the network’s previous morning shows which focused on hard news, this one followed the competitors’ formats of lighter news, lifestyle and entertainment news. Former Today host Bryant Gumble had been lured to CBS to head the broadcast with Jane Clayson, formerly of ABC. Julie Chen read the news with Mark McEwen handling the weather. The show became infamous for an awkward segment with contributor Martha Stewart, in June 2002, who was in the midst of the insider trading scandal at the time. Clayson began to ask her about the scandal during a cooking segment with Stewart visibly upset and avoiding an answer while chopping lettuce for a salad. Stewart stopped contributing to the show after that appearance (Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison in 2004). Gumble left the show on May 17, 2002 and Clayson and McEwen were replaced soon after. The show was overhauled with a new team taking over on October 28, 2002 consisting of Chen (who had job security with her husband running the network), Harry Smith, Hannah Storm, Rene Syler and Dave Price. Syler left the show on December 22, 2006. Russ Mitchell took over as the news anchor on January 2, 2007. Hannah Storm left the show on December 7, 2007. Maggie Rodriguez succeeded her, and a new set debuted on January 7, 2008 with Smith, Rodriguez, Chen, Mithcell and Price in place. Mitchell exited as news anchor the week of January 13, 2010 with Erica Hill coming in as his replacement, joining Smith, Rodriguez and Price. Chen was now a featured correspondent. In December 2010, Smith, Price and Rodriguez were fired and Erica Hill and Chris Wragge were appointed anchors, with Marysol Castro replacing Dave Price on weather. Chen was the only member of the show to remain from its inception until she left in 2010 to anchor the new daytime talk show The View, but she was still a special contributing anchor to the show. Jeff Glor became the new news anchor. Marysol Castro left the show on September 2, 2011 which led CBS to cut to local affiliate to deliver their own weather reports. In 2011, the show refocused to hard news stories. CBS announced on November 15, 2011 that The Early Show would be ending with a new hard news and interview-focused program, CBS This Morning, to premiere on January 9, 2012. The show ended on January 7, 2012 after 14 seasons and 3,580 episodes.
2009
- October 27 — Reality series Monica: Still Standing debuts on BET. The series, which was plugged on the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards with a performance by Monica and Keyshia Cole of the duet ‘Trust’, focused on Monica searching for a hit single for her fifth studio album while balancing her personal life of being a full-time mother with her troubled past. The series led to a successful return to the limelight after a ten year hiatus from the business. The series produced 12 episodes and ended on January 19, 2010.
- October 29 — Comedy series The League debuts on FX Network (later moving to the FXX Network). The semi-improv comedy features six friends in Chicago who participate in a fantasy football league, doing anything to win while dealing with situations in their everyday lives. The series starred Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Stephen Rannazzisi, Paul Scheer, Jon Lajoie and katie Aselton. The recurring cast included Jason Mantzoukas, Rob Huebel, Leslie Bibb, Seth Rogen, Brie Larson, Ike Barinholtz, Jayma Mays, Jeff Goldblum, Will Forte, Brooklyn Decker, Adam Brody, Jorma Taccone, June Diane Raphael and Rob Riggle. The series also had a long list of notable guest stars including Thomas Lennon, Craig Bierko, Lake Bell, Alia Shawkat, Martin Starr, Ray Liotta, Keegan-Michael Key, Sarah Silverman, Eliza Dushku, Thomas Middleditch, Timothy Olyphant, Ryan Hansen, Julia Duffy, Ken Marino, Robert Wagner, Lee Meriwether, Bob Odenkirk, Griffin Dunne, Glenne Headley, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Nealon, Ali Larter, Lizzy Caplan, Mark Cuban, Jerry O’Connell, Anna Camp, Corbin Bernsen, Dan Castellaneta, Milo Ventimiglia and Larry David. The show ran for seven seasons, moving to the new FXX Network beginning with the fifth. 84 episodes were produced and the series ended on December 9, 2015.
- October 30 — Reality series Pit Bulls & Parolees debuts on Animal Planet. The series seeks to combat the misconceptions about pit bulls and pairs them with workers on parole who are planning a return to society. The series features the Villalobos Rescue Center, which was based in Agua Dulce, California but has since relocated to the Greater New Orleans area in Louisiana due to the increasingly restrictive and expensive permits required to operate in California. A move had been planned to another town in California but the county did not grant permission for the move and rescue owner Tia Maria Torres lost all of her personal savings that had been spent to secure the move. It was the memory of rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina that led to the move to Louisiana. The show’s tenth season returned on October 5, 2019 after its mid-season break.
Did you or do you watch any of these show? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
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