TV by the Decade :: September 6•12

Warner Bros. Television

Premiere month is kicking off this week with a ton of new shows making their debuts, including a smorgasbord of Saturday morning cartoons, many of which had very short runs but have become classics (cult and otherwise), a long running game show that launched the career of Bob Barker, many sitcoms and dramas that had very short broadcast lives, and a classic sitcom starring a young man by the name of Will Smith. Let’s take a long stroll down memory lane to see which of these shows you remember!

1950

• September 7 — Game show Truth or Consequences premieres on CBS. The game was simple: Contestants had two seconds to answer a trivia question or riddle before ‘Beulah the Buzzer’ sounded. Failing to do so, they would then have to perform a stunt to win a prize. Some contestants missed the question on purpose to do the stunt. The game show made its national debut as a radio program on March 23, 1940, then became the first game show to air on broadcast television as a one-time experiment on the first day of broadcast for WNBT in New York. The series made its official prime time debut with host Ralph Edwards in 1950 where it aired until May 31, 1951. The show moved to NBC with Jack Bailey as host from May 18, 1954 to September 28, 1956. Three months later on December 31, NBC revived the show with Bob Barker hosting, launching his television career. This was also the longest-running version of the daytime edition of the show, ending on September 24, 1965. A primetime edition with Steve Dunne hosting was also launched during this time and had a short run from December 13, 1957 to June 6, 1958. Desi Arnaz gets credit for the idea of shooting I Love Lucy on film to preserve the series, but Edwards actually did it first a year earlier with Truth or Consequences, the first program with a live audience to be recorded that way. On January 22, 1957 the show, produced in Hollywood, became the first to be broadcast in all time zones from a pre-recorded videotape, a year-old technology that had previously been used only for time-delayed broadcasts to the West Coast. In 1966, Truth or Consequences became the first successful daily game show in first run syndication while not also airing on a network. Barker returned to host this version which ran until 1975. The show was revived again in 1977 as The New Truth or Consequences. By this time, Barker was hosting The Price is Right for CBS daytime, and had already agreed to take over the nighttime hosting duties from Dennis James, so the job went to Bob Hilton. The new show did not click with viewers and lasted just one season. The show was revived again in 1987 with Larry Anderson hosting, assisted by Murray Langston (better known as The Unknown Comic from The Gong Show), but it too ended after a single season. In 1949 the town of Hot Springs, New Mexico agreed to host an episode of the radio program in exchange for changing its name to Truth or Consequences, which it continues to use to this day. The town hosts an annual Truth or Consequences festival as well in a park named after the show’s creator Ralph Edwards. The town was also featured in a two-part episode of Doctor Who in 2015 with the game show being discussed and the origin of the town’s name. In 2012 The Gurin Company bought the rights to the show from Ralph Edwards Productions for a possible reboot.
• September 10 — Variety series The Colgate Comedy Hour premieres on NBC. The show featured notable comedians and entertainers of the era. The show evolved out of the Four Star Revue, which was sponsored by Motorola. Colgate became the new sponsor and spent $3 million on the first season. Eddie Cantor hosted the first episode, with Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis hosting the second on September 17 (although Lewis misremembered in his autobiography that they hosted the first episode). For the 1950-51 season, AT&T put into service a coast-to-coast microwave interconnection service which allowed the show to be broadcast live across the nation, with production units in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Martin & Lewis and Abbott & Costello anchored from the West Coast, while Cantor anchored from New York. This format gave the show an edge over Ed Sullivan’s show on CBS which had to rely on whoever happened to be in New York at the time of a particular episode. Cantor suffered a heart attack right after a broadcast in September 1952, but recovered and returned in January 1953, but was reluctant to move on with the show. By the fourth season, he was too ill to continue, leaving the show in May 1954. In June 1955, the show’s name was changed to The Colgate Variety Hour to reflect a move away from pure comedy, as the acts were finding it difficult to come up with new material every week. But ratings continued to decline as Sullivan’s show grew more popular, and the final episode was broadcast as a Christmas special on December 25, 1955 with the show’s last continuing host Robert Paige. The series was replaced on January 8, 1956 with The NBC Comedy Hour which ran for just 18 episodes. The November 22, 1953 episode hosted by Donald O’Connor was the first color television broadcast using the NTSC system, which was in use in the US until the transition to digital in June 2009). Over the show’s six seasons, 221 episodes were broadcast.
• September 11 — Crime drama Treasury Men in Action premieres on ABC. The anthology series dramatized cases from various law enforcement agencies operating under the US Treasury Department. Walter Greaza hosted as The Chief of whichever agency was featured in the episode. Other actors who appeared on the show include Ross Martin, Claude Akins, Charles Bronson, Jesse White, James Dean, and Carolyn Jones. The series was broadcast live. It finished at Number 27 in the ratings for the 1950-51 season and moved to NBC for the rest of its run, finishing at Numbr 15 for the 1953-54 TV season. The show ran for a total of five seasons and produced 189 episodes, the last broadcast on July 1, 1955. The series aired in reruns as Federal Men.

1960

• September 10 — Western series The Tall Man premieres on NBC. The series starred Barry Sullivan (at 6’3″) as Sheriff Pat Garrett, with Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid (Gulager was 11 years older than his character, who died in 1881 at the age of 21). The series presents a more humane image of The Kid than does history. In real life, Garrett shot Billy in a nighttime ambush, but no episode of the series ever included this grim conclusion to their story. The series, set in the late 1870s and early 1880s, also featured other historical figures of the period such as rancher and merchant John Tunstall and New Mexico Territory governor Lew Wallace. Guest stars included Claude Akins, R.G. Armstrong, Edgar Buchanan, Harry Carey Jr., James Coburn, Iron Eyes Cody, Jim Davis, Faith Domergue, Ron Harper, Richard Jaeckel, Michael Landon, Jan Merlin, Vic Morrow, Leonard Nimoy, Stafford Repp, Julie Sommars, Regis Toomey and Harry von Zell. The series ran for two seasons, producing 75 episodes, the last airing on May 26, 1962.

1970

• September 12 — Saturday morning live-action series The Bugaloos premieres on NBC. Set in Tranquility Forest, the main characters are a band of teenage musicians named The Bugaloos who wear insect-themed outfits, and can fly using the wings on their costumes. The peaceful, hippie-like teens are pursued by the evil crone Benita Bizarre (Martha Raye), who lives in a gigantic jukebox and uses it to broadcast her own obnoxious and unpleasant ‘music’. Furious at the popularity of The Bugaloos, she seems to destroy or enslave them. Touted as a British The Monkees, more than 5,000 young actors and actresses turned up for the audition in Spring 1970 for the show’s four leads. Phil Collins was one of the finalists for the role of I.Q. prior to joining the band Genesis later in the year. Scottish musician John McIndoe won the role, and joked later with Collins that rock-n-roll history may have changed had he been cast instead. The other Bugaloos were cast with Wayne Laryea, John Philpott and Caroline Ellis. Although the actors were British, the show was filmed in Los Angeles but never aired in the UK. The show was given a laugh track by executive producer Si Rose against the wishes of creatores Sid & Marty Krofft but they eventually agreed that it was needed so children would know when to laugh, as TV audiences had grown accustomed to laugh tracks by that time. The first season consisted of 17 episodes. NBC re-aired the first season the following year and the Kroffts wanted to produce a second season as well as a movie, but miscommunication with the actors resulted in them returning to England, scrapping the second season. The movie deal also fell through as Columbia Pictures went bankrupt. A Bugaloos album was released in 1970 by Capitol Records featuring one track, ‘Just the Memory Stays Around’, that did not appear in any episode of the series. The Bugaloos recorded a total of 15 songs but only 11 appear on the album. The series final new episode aired on January 2, 1971. The Kroffts announced at Comic-Con in 2015 that a revival was in the works for Nickelodeon. It was rumored Cyndi Lauper would play Benita Bizarre. At the 2017 Comic-Con, clips of the pilot were shown with Lisa Simms as Benita. In a 2018 radio interview, Marty Krofft revealed Nickelodeon did not pick up the show, but they were reshooting the pilot with Randy Jackson overseeing the music. The series is referenced in the film The Tao of Steve.
• September 12 — Saturday morning animated series Doctor Dolittle premieres on NBC. The series is based on the books by Hugh Lofting, as well as the 1967 film. The series follows Dolittle as he travels the world on his ship Flounder to help sick animals in need, aided by his first mate Tommy Stubbins and the animal crew. The Flounder was always followed by Sub-Mar Island, a disguised submarine commanded by Sam Scurvy and his pirate crew. Scurvy’s one goal in life is world domination, and he believes this can be achieved by learning Dolittle’s secret for talking to the animals. The series was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in association with 20th Century Fox, the film’s producer. The series ran for a single season of 17 episodes, ending on January 9, 1971.
• September 12 — Saturday morning animated series Groovie Goolies premieres on CBS. The series centered on The Goolies, a group of hip monsters living at Horrible Hall, a haunted boarding house for monsters, who refer to each other as cousins. The series was modeled after Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In with quick cuts, pun-filled jokes and short skits, with each episode featuring two pop songs, one performed by The Monster Trio (Drac, Frankie and Wolfie), with a closing number performed by a rotating roster of guest bands. The main characters included Drac (voiced by Larry Storch), Frankie, Wolfie, witch Hagatha, female vampire Bella La Ghostly, Dr. Jekyll and Hyde, Mummy, skeleton Boneapart, Ghoulihand, Ratso and Batso, Hauntleroy and Mama Casket. Musical groups included The Bare Bones Band, The Mummies and the Puppies, The Rolling Headstones, and The Spirits of ’76. The characters were inspired by Universal’s Classic Monsters, which had a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s thanks to TV airings of the classic films. The series was developed in response to network head Fred Silverman’s wish to find a show to be a companion with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and The Archies. A series was already in development for Archie character Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, so that show and the Groovie Goolies were packaged together as an hour-long series, Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies, which had characters crossing over to both shows. During the first season, the show was the highest rated children’s program with a 54% audience share. CBS decided to split the shows in 1971, moving the Goolies to Sundays, paired with Tom & Jerry, a decision that led to the show’s cancellation. But the Goolies continued to appear on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and also appeared in the film Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Grovvie Goolies which aired on rival network ABC as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie. ABC later broadcast the show’s first season in 1975 on Saturdays and Sundays. The characters made a final appearance in two episodes of NBC’s The New Archie and Sabrina Hour in 1977. The show entered syndication in 1977 as part of an anthology, The Groovie Goolies and Friends, which aired 104 episodes that included other series from Filmation. Filmation has tried to revive the series as a feature film in 1978, and with two different shows in 1984, none of which came to fruition. Drac’s singing voice was provided by Dick Monda reworked the lyrics of one of the show’s songs, ‘Chick-A-Boom (Don’t Ya Jes’ Love It)’, and released a single under the name Daddy Dewdrop, becoming a Top Ten hit and landing him on the list of One Hit Wonders at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 16th and last original episode of the series was broadcast on December 26, 1970.
• September 12 — Saturday morning animated series Harlem Globetrotters premieres on CBS. The series follows the legendary basketball team as the travel and get involved in a local conflict that leads to a basketball game to settle the issue. Villains try to rig the contest to ensure the Globetrotters’ defeat, but the team always find a way to even the odds, always winning the game. The series is historic for being the first Saturday morning cartoon to feature a predominantly African-American cast. 16 episodes were produced for the show’s first season, with six additional episodes ordered for the second season, giving it a total of 22 episodes. After the show’s cancellation, the characters made three appearances on The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972 and 1973. A second animated series, The Super Globetrotters, aired in 1979 and featured the players as superheroes. The voice cast included Scatman Crothers, Stu Gilliam, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Robert DoQui, Daws Butler and Don Messick. The series’ last original episode aired on October 16, 1971.
• September 12 — Children’s documentary series Hot Dog premieres on NBC. Created by Frank Buxton, the series was based on his travels as a comedian which took him on tours of various factories. The series used humor to explain how we do things like snore and how things like hot dogs were made. The pilot was hosted by Jo Anne Worley, Tom Smothers and Woody Allen, but Smothers was replaced with Jonathan Winters when the show was picked up to series. Seventy topics were covered over the course of the show’s 13 episodes, and the series won a Peabody Award in 1970.
• September 12 — Saturday morning animated series Josie and the Pussycats premieres on CBS. The series featured an all-girl teenage pop group that toured the world with their entourage, getting mixed up in strange adventures, spy capers and mysteries. The group consisted of lead singer Josie, bassist Valerie and drummer Melody. Each episode featured a song played over a chase scene, similar to The Monkees. The show was developed from the success of The Archie Show from a failed concept called Mysteries Five (which ultimately became Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?), so the network decided to go to the Archie Comics source for inspiration. The series was notable for featuring a Black female character as a series regular in a Saturday morning cartoon, although that choice did not come without a fight with Hanna-Barbera, which wanted an all-white girl band. Music producer Danny Janssen threatened to walk away from the project until HB relented (it should be noted 1969’s The Hardy Boys series on ABC featured the first Black male regular character on a Saturday morning cartoon). The speaking voices for the Pussy Cats were provided by Janet Waldo, Barbara Pariot and Jackie Joseph. The singing voices of the Pussy Cats were provided by Kathleen Dougherty, Patrice Holloway, and Cherie Moor, who would later be known as Cheryl Ladd. Dougherty felt Ladd had the stronger lead singing voice and ceded the spotlight, essentially leaving Ladd and Holloway to provide the trio’s singing voices. Casey Kasem provided the voice of the band’s manager. The series was aired with a laugh track but the track was removed for later home video releases. Cartoon Network and Boomerang have aired the original version of the show with the laugh track intact. The series ran for just 16 episodes, and was reconceptualized as Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space for the 1972-73 season. That series also ran for 16 episodes. The last appearance of the group as animated characters was on the September 22, 1973 episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies titled ‘The Haunted Showboat’. The final episode of the original series aired on January 2, 1971.
• September 12 — Saturday morning live-action comedy series Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp premieres on ABC. Inspired by spy spoof Get Smart, the series featured chimpanzees with ‘speaking roles’ provided by human actors. The plots revolved around Link and his colleague Mata Hairi who work for A.P.E., the Agency to Prevent Evil, and their on-going conflict with evil organization C.H.U.M.P., the Criminal Headquarters for the Underworld’s Master Plan, headed by Baron von Butcher. Other characters included APE’s chief Darwin, von Butcher’s henchman Creto, mad scientist Dr. Strangemind, Dragon Woman, Wang Fu, Ali Assa Seen, and the Duchess. Each episode would also feature a musical number presented by host Ed Simian, performed by The Evolution Revolution. The episodes were narrated with mock sincerity by Malachi Throne. The voice cast included Dayton Allen (imitating Humphrey Bogart as Lance), Joan Gerber and Bernie Kopell, all providing voices for multiple characters. Two of the show’s three writers, Stan Burns and Mike Marmer, had been writers for Get Smart, and both quit their jobs as head writers for The Carol Burnett Show to work on Lancelot Link. To make the dialog fit the chimps’ lip movement, voice-overs were ad-libbed on set, leading to absurd moments of characters breaking into song at the end of sentences or spontaneously reciting Mother Goose rhymes so it would look right. Baron von Buthcer was modeled on the Siegfried character from Get Smart, also played by Kopell who approached the voicing of the character as if he were Siegfried, the head of KAOS. Sources vary as to the number of episodes, with some reporting 13 and others reporting 17. The single season originally aired as an hour-long show that included Warner Bros. cartoon shorts, but the second ‘season’ featured the live-action half-hour episodes without the cartoons.
• September 12 — Saturday morning animated series Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down premieres on ABC. The series was built around caricatured Jerry Lewis characters from the 1965 film The Family Jewels, and was structured like Groovie Goolies, filled with slapstick comedy and jokes. Characters included Chinese detective Hong Kong Flewis, his son One Ton Son, father Professor Lewis and sister Geraldine. In the series, Jerry worked for the Odd Job Employment Agency, usually making a shambles of his latest job in his harmless, naive way. Lewis contributed to some of the scripts, but did not provided the voice of his character. That was performed by David L. Lander, who would go on to fame as Squiggy on Laverne & Shirley. Other voice actors included Howard Morris, Tom Bosley and Jane Webb. 18 episodes were produced for a single season which ended on January 9, 1971.

1980

• September 6 — Saturday morning animated series Drak Pack premieres on CBS. The series was built around decendents of the Universal Classic Monsters — Drak Jr., Frankie and Howler — who united as the Drak Pack to atone for their ancestors’ wrongdoings. The appear human, but when trouble arises they strike their right hands together and shout ‘Wacko!”, transforming into their monster forms. Other characters included Count Dracula, Dr. Dred, Toad, Fly, Mummyman and Vampira. The voice cast included Jerry Dexter, William Callaway, Alan Oppenheimer, Hans Conried, Don Messick, Chuck McCann and Julie McWhirter. A single season of 16 episodes was produced, with the last episode airing on December 20, 1980.

1990

• September 7 — Reality series D.E.A. premieres on FOX. Based on true stories from the Drug Enforcement Agency, the program combined recreations and actual surveillance footage and news broadcasts covering the stories depicted. Fox liked the concept of the show but it was put on hiatus due to low ratings. A retooled version debuted as DEA: Special Task Force which placed more emphasis on the agents and less on the graphic violence. The revamp did not help the ratings and the show was cancelled after a single season of 10 episodes, the last airing on June 1, 1991.
• September 8 — Animated series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 (NBC, 26 episodes), Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (Fox Kids, 21 episodes), Bobby’s World (Fox Kids, 81 episodes), Gravedale High (NBC, 13 episodes), Little Rosey (ABC, 13 episodes), Fox’s Peter Pan & the Pirates (Fox Kids, 65 episodes), Piggsburg Pigs! (Fox Kids, 13 episodes), The Wizard of Oz (ABC, 13 episodes) and Tom & Jerry Kids (Fox Kids, 65 episodes) make their debuts.
• September 8 — Docuseries American Chronicles premieres on FOX. Produced by David Lynch and Mark Frost, the series featured quirky camera angles, unusual music, and a focus on violence and sexuality that was right at home on the pair’s Twin Peaks. Richard Dreyfuss narrated. 13 episodes were produced, but the show was cancelled just three months after its premiere, ending on December 15, 1980 with one episode unaired (it aired in Europe on June 21, 1992).
• September 8 — Sitcom The Fanelli Boys premieres on NBC. The series focused on the family business of Theresa Fanelli, a funeral home she’s preparing to sell to her son Anthony after her husband’s death. Her plans to move to Florida are soon thwarted when son Ronnie drops out of school, son Frankie’s engagement is broken, and disreputable brother Dom is between hustles. Anthony also learns the business is $25,000 in debt, and soon all the boys are back home with their mother. The cast included Ann Morgan Guilbert, Ned Eisenberg, Chris Meloni, Joe Pantoliano, Andy Hirsch, Richard Libertini and Vera Lockwood. The series only last for a single season of 19 episodes, with the last airing on February 16, 1991.
• September 9 — Reality show America’s Funniest People premieres on ABC. Launched as a one-time special episode America’s Funniest … Part II, the spin-off of America’s Funniest Home Videos featured videos of people intentionally trying to be funny, with the videos also competing for a $10,000 prize. Home viewers selected the winner for the first five episodes, which was announced on the following episode, but was switched to the audience voting after that. The show’s Jackalope vignettes became popular with viewers, and the show also featured regular segments ‘This Old Shack’, ‘Alien Shorts’, ‘Whiz on Wheels’, ‘Dunk Your Parents’, ‘Prank Patrol’, ‘Weird Sports’, ‘Cool Ways to Scare Your Mom’, and comedy mini-movies by Dennis M. Miller and Jason Cardwell. The show was hosted by Dave Coulier and Arleen Sorkin for its first two seasons. Tawny Kitaen replaced Sorkin in the third season. The show produced 89 episodes, with the last airing on August 28, 1994.
• September 10 — Sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air premieres on NBC. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his wealthy uncle and aunt in their Bel Air mansion after getting into a fight in his hometown. However, his lifestyle often clashes with the lifestyle of his upper-class relatives. The main cast included James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell and Ross Bagley. Janet Hubert-Whitten played Aunt Vivian for the first three seasons, but famously quit the show and was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid. The recurring cast included DJ Jazzy Jeff, Vernee Watson-Johnson, Jenifer Lewis, Charlayne Woodard, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Tyra Banks and Nia Long. Celebrity guests included Richard Roundtree, Don Cheadle, Heavy D, Quincy Jones, Al B. Sure, Kadeem Hardison, Naomi Campbell, Evander Holyfield, Vivica A. Fox, Jasmine Guy, Queen Latifah, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bell Biv DeVoe, Milton Berle, Sherman Hemsley, Oprah Winfrey, Vanessa Williams, Naya Rivera, Kim Fields, Tom Jones, DL Hughley, Hugh Hefner, and Robin Quivers. Hemsley returned in Season 6 as George Jefferson with Isabel Sanford as Louise. The series ran for six seasons, producing 148 episodes, with the series finale airing on May 20, 1996.
• September 10 — Sitcom Lenny premieres on CBS. The series starred long-time Boston stand-up comedian Lenny Clarke as Lenny Callahan, a working-class Bostonian who held down two jobs, a daytime one as laborer for the local electric utility and an evening one as a doorman at a posh hotel. His wife, Shelley (Lee Garlington) was a full-time homemaker and the couple had three children (presumably the reason Lenny needed to keep two jobs). One of their daughters, Kelly, was played by Jenna von Oÿ. Daughter Tracy was played by Alexis Caldwell. Other characters included Lenny’s brother Eddie (Peter Dobson), a get-rich-quick schemer, and their parents, Pat (Eugene Roche) and Mary (Alice Drummond). The series was scheduled against The Wonder Years on ABC and Unsolved Mysteries on NBC and was a ratings failure, placed on hiatus in October. It returned in a new time slot in December, but was pulled from the schedule after the 15th episode aired on March 9, 1991. The 16th and final episode was never aired.
• September 10 — Comedic parody My Talk Show premieres in Syndication. The spoof of local access television programs was set in Derby, Wisconsin and was created by housewife and talk show fan Jennifer Bass. The show was a hit with local viewers and picked up for syndication. The show was set in the Bass home, with the garage used for the audience and a satellite van used for production. While Jennifer attempted to be a talk show host, she usually found herself interrupted by neighbor Anne Marie Snelling, and other family members and friends. Bass was replaced by next door neighbor Angela Davenport midway through the series’ run, and she experience the same interruptions as Jennifer. The series starred Cynthia Stevenson, Stephanie Hodge, Debra McGrath, David Packer and Ron James. One of the show’s writers, Michael Patrick King, would go on to create 2 Broke Girls for CBS. Due to the series late night syndicated time slots across the country, viewership was limited and the show ceased production in December 1990 with a total of 59 episodes.
• September 10 — Sitcom Uncle Buck premieres on CBS. Kevin Meaney starred as Buck, a slob who drinks, smokes and is named the guardian of his nieces, Tia and Maizy, and nephew, Miles, after their parents, Bob (Buck’s brother) and Cindy (Buck’s sister-in-law), are suddenly killed in a car accident. The cast included Dah-ve Chodan, Jacob Gelman,Sarah Martineck, Audrey Meadows and Lacey Chabert. Based on the 1989 movie of the same name, the series was panned by critics. After airing for two months on Mondays, CBS moved the show to the lower-watched Fridays, hoping to establish a new night of comedy with Evening Shade, but could not compete against ABC’s hit Full House. The show was cancelled after 16 episodes, leaving six unaired. The last episode was broadcast on March 9, 1991.
• September 11 — Sitcom The Family Man premieres on CBS. Gregory Harrison played Los Angeles fire captain Jack Taylor, a recent widower trying to hold his family together with inept help from his father-in-law Joe Alberghetti (Al Molinaro). Joe’s stay with the family after his daughter Teri’s death was supposed to be temporary, but by the end of the pilot, after Jack and his kids showed how much they needed him in their lives, he decided to permanently move out from New York City. Stories focused on Jack’s unique relationships with each of his children, the problems and adjustments of a suddenly-motherless household, and the misadventures and scrapes of the growing brood. Jack’s high-demand job as fire captain also had prominence. The series was paired on CBS Saturday nights with the newly-acquired The Hogan Family, which had just ended a five season run on NBC. But after ten episodes, CBS put both shows on hiatus after the December 1 broadcasts. During the break, CBS cancelled The Hogan Family and sought a protected time slot for The Family Man (i.e. behind an established hit series). The decision was made to air the show during the summer, twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays following Major Dad and Rescue 911 respectively. Feeling the show would find an audience, CBS ordered 13 additional episodes but ratings did not improve, with 21 of the show’s 22 produced episodes airing. The last episode was broadcast on July 17, 1991.
• September 12 — Animated series The Little Mermaid (CBS, based on the Disney film, 31 episodes), Fievel’s American Tails (CBS, 13 episodes continuing from the film An American Tail: Fievel Goes West), Disney’s Raw Toonage (CBS, 12 episodes), Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa (ABC, 26 episodes) make their debuts.
• September 12 — Crime drama Gabriel’s Fire premieres on ABC. Gabriel Bird, played by James Earl Jones, was a former Chicago police officer who, over twenty years prior, had been wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a fellow police officer. In fact, he shot the officer to protect a defenseless mother and child whom the officer was about to murder in cold blood during a 1969 police raid. Unbeknownst to Bird, the raid had been merely a pretext for the police to attack the members of a militant black nationalist organization. This incident in the character’s background was inspired by the 1969 death of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, who was shot and killed during a raid upon his residence conducted by Chicago police and other law enforcement personnel. On the show, the street on which the raid involving Bird had occurred was identified as ‘Hampton Street’. When Bird is released, he starts working as a private detective, hired by the lawyer who had helped free him. The cast included Laila Robins, Dylan Walsh and Madge Sinclair. The series ran for a single season of 22 episodes, followed by a revamped version of the series titled Pros and Cons. The series saw its last broadcast on June 6, 1991. Jones won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Sinclair won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and David Opatoshu won for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

2000

• September 9 — Animated series Kong: The Animated Series premieres in Syndication. When King Kong fell to his death from the Empire State Building upon being shot down by biplanes, a scientist named Dr. Lorna Jenkins took DNA samples from him which she used to recreate a clone counterpart of the original Kong with the help of the DNA of her grandson, Jason. Many years later, Dr. Lorna Jenkins sends an e-mail to her grandson where he and his friend, Eric “Tan” Tannenbaum IV are invited to Kong’s home on Kong Island. What they didn’t know is that their university professor Ramone De La Porta had tampered with the e-mail so that he got invited as well. Upon meeting the native girl Lua, the group is taken to Dr. Lorna Jenkin’s lab where Ramone’s true colors are shown. Upon getting access to the Cyber-Link technology, Ramone uses it to steal some of the Primal Stones in a plot to take over the world. The Primal Stones were used to keep the demon Chiros in his prison. With the help of his Cyber-Link that can merge him with Kong, Jason and his friends must work to reclaim the Primal Stones from Ramone De La Porta and his followers while fighting the forces of Chiros. The series was created to compete with Godzilla: The Series. Two movies based on the series were released in 2005 and 2007. Two seasons were produced with a total of 40 episodes.
• September 9 — Animated series Teacher’s Pet premieres on ABC. The series follows Leonard Helperman (voiced by Shaun Fleming), a 9-year-old boy in the 4th grade, who lives in fear because his mother, Mary Helperman (Debra Jo Rupp), is his teacher. Because of this, he is often mocked and called a ‘teacher’s pet’, but he wants to be considered normal. Meanwhile, his dog Spot (voiced by Nathan Lane and later on for a few episodes by Nathan’s voice understudy, Kevin Schon) misses Leonard while he’s at school, and yearns to be a human boy. So on the first day of the school year, he decides to come to class disguised as a new student named Scott Leadready II, who quickly becomes the most popular, influential kid in school. However, Leonard eventually finds out his secret. Although he disapproves of this at first, he allows Spot to continue attending school. The series aired for two seasons with 39 episodes total, with the last broadcast on February 9, 2002. The series also ran on Toon Disney from January 11, 2002 to May 10, 2002.
• September 11 — Music series 106 & Park premieres on BET. The series featured hip hop and R&B music videos in a countdown format and was the network’s highest rated show. The show was originally produced in Harlem, New York City, and the title of the show is derived from the original studio location at East 106th Street and Park Avenue. After BET was acquired by Viacom, the show was relocated to the CBS Broadcast Center at 524 West 57th Street while retaining the series’ original title. Hosts included AJ & Free (2000-2005), Julissa & Big Tigger (2005–2006), Terrence J & Rocsi (2006–2012), Bow Wow & “The Search” (2012–2013), Bow Wow & Keshia Chanté (2013–2014). BET cancelled the series on November 14, 2014 and the final episode was broadcast on December 19, 2014 with 3,710 episodes to its credit.



• September 11 — Sitcom Girlfriends premieres on UPN. The series starred Tracee Ellis Ross as Joan, unofficial den mother to the group of friends; Golden Brooks as Maya, former assistant to Joan and an author and housewife; Parsia White as Lynn, former roommate of Joan; Jill Marie Jones as Toni, Joan’s childhood friend; Reggie Hayes as William, the girls’ closest male friend; Keesha Sharp as Monica, William’s wife; and Flex Alexander as Darnell, Maya’s husband (played by Khalil Kain starting in Season 2). Charmin Lee, Yvette Nicole Brown and Phil Reeves had recurring roles. Guests included Aldis Hodge, Angie Stone, Anne-Marie Johnson, Bernie Casey, Bern Nadette Stanis, Beverly Johnson, CCH Pounder, Chante Moore, Cindy Williams, Common, Coby Bell, Danny Bonaduce, Darius McCrary, David Groh, Dawn Wells, Dawnn Lewis, Erykah Badu, Idris Elba, Jackie Collins, James Avery, Jenifer Lewis, Jill Scott, Jo Marie Payton, Kadeem Hardison, Katt Williams, Kelly Rowland, Kelsey Grammer, Kenya Moore, Laila Ali, Loretta Devine, Marcia Clark, Melvin Van Peebles, Mo’Nique, Orlando Jones, Phil Morris, Al Sharpton, Sandra Bernhard, Sinbad and Wayne Brady. The series continued on The CW after the merger of UPN and The WB, and was the longest running sitcom on the air when its eighth and final season debuted in 2007. The series finale aired on February 11, 2008 after 172 episodes.
• September 12 — Reality series MTV Cribs premieres on MTV. The series features tours of the private homes of celebrities. The series faced controversy when some celebs were accused of and admitted to using other people’s property as their own for the show. In one episode, Robbie Williams claimed Jane Seymour’s home as his own, while he was just renting it from her. He later admitted the con and showed his actual home in a later episode. 50 Cent’s episode featured three Ferraris that were actually rented for the episode. Kim Kardashian’s episode was filmed at her mother’s home, and singer Jojo revealed that her home featured on the show was her uncle’s as she and her mother did not have a home at the time. The series continues as short-form episodes on Snapchat Discover and has produced 113 episodes to date.

2010

• September 6 — Animated series Regular Show premieres on Cartoon Network. The series revolves around the daily lives of two 23-year-old friends, Mordecai (a blue jay), and Rigby (a raccoon). They work as groundskeepers at a park, and spend their days trying to avoid work and entertain themselves by any means.[10] This is much to the chagrin of their manager/boss Benson (a gumball machine) and their coworker Skips (a yeti), but to the delight of their (other) manager/boss Pops (a man with a lollipop-shaped head). Other coworkers include an overweight green male called Muscle Man, and a ghost called Hi-Five Ghost. Many of Regular Show‘s characters were loosely based on those developed for creator J.G. Quintel’s student films at California Institute of the Arts. The series ran for eight seasons, producing 261 episodes. The series concluded with a one-hour finale on January 16, 2017.
• September 6 — Animated sketch comedy series Mad premieres on Cartoon Network. The series was based on Mad magazine, where each episode is a collection of short animated parodies of television shows, films, games, celebrities, and other media, using various types of animation. Recurring sketches included A Mad Look Inside, Alfred E. Neuman for President, Ask the Celebrity, Celebrities Without Makeup, Dear Reaper, Drawn Out Dramas, Snappy Answers for Stupid Questions, Spy vs. Spy, This Day in History, What’s Wrong With This Picture? and Where’s Lady Gaga? The series, panned by critics as a ripoff of Robot Chicken and Cartoon Network in general, ran for four seasons, producing 103 episodes. The show ended its run on December 3, 2013.
• September 8 — Comedy-drama series Hellcats premieres on The CW. Based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick, Hellcats follows Marti Perkins, a pre-law college student at Lancer University, who lost her scholarship and has no other choice but to join the college’s cheer squad, the Hellcats, in order to obtain a new one. There she meets her new roommate and team captain Savannah Monroe, the injured flyer Alice Verdura, her new partner Lewis Flynn and the Hellcats coach Vanessa Lodge who hopes to win nationals, otherwise the cheer leading program will be cut. All the while, Marti also has to deal with her financially unstable and sometimes irresponsible mother, Wanda Perkins, whom she often has to bail out of difficult situations, and her best friend Dan Patch. The cast included Aly Michalka, Gail O’Grady, Ashley Tisdale, Heather Hemmens, Robbie Jones, Matt Barr, Sharon Leal, Jeff Hephner, D.B. Woodside, Aaron Douglas, Gale Harold and Magda Apanowicz. The CW originally ordered 13 episodes and scheduled the show after America’s Next Top Model where it became the first premiere to match or build on that show’s ratings since The CW began in 2006. The network later ordered the ‘back nine’ episodes for a full 22 episode season. Ratings began to steadily decline and the show was cancelled on May 17, 2011, the same day the final episode aired.
• September 8 — Crime comedy-drama series Terriers premieres on FX. Ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth (Donal Logue) partners with his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack (Michael Raymond-James), in an unlicensed private investigation business. The series is set in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, although it is portrayed as a distinct town, with Dolworth having once been a member of the fictional Ocean Beach Police Department. The cast also included Laura Allen, Kimberly Quinn, Jamie Denbo and Rockmond Dunbar. The show was met with high critical praise but low ratings, leading to the show’s cancellation on December 6, 2010. The 13th and final episode was broadcast on December 1, 2010.
• September 9 — Action-thriller Nikita premieres on The CW. The series is an adaptation of the Luc Besson’s French film La Femme Nikita, the second such adaptation after the 1997 TV series La Femme Nikita. The series focuses on Nikita (Maggie Q), a woman who escaped from a secret government-funded organization known as ‘Division’ and, after a three-year hiding period, is back to bring down the organization. The main cast in various seasons included, Lyndsy Fonseca, Shane West, Aaron Stanford, Melinda Clarke, Xander Berkeley, Noah Bean, Tiffany Hines, Ashton Holmes, Dillon Casey, and Devon Sawa. While the series follows the original film more closely, it does borrow characters or charavter names from the previous TV series. The series ran for four seasons, producing 73 episodes. The final episode was aired on December 27, 2013.
• September 10 — Talk show Fashion Police premieres on E!. The series was originally broadcast as a series of specials the day after a red carpet event, and became a weekly series on September 10, 2010 where the panel discussed the dos and don’ts of celebrity fashion. The show started as a half-hour series and expanded to an hour. The original host was Joan Rivers, with a panel consisting of George Kotsiopoulos, Giuliana Rancic, and Kelly Osbourne. Following Rivers’ death on September 4, 2014, E! announced two weeks later that the series would continue. Kathy Griffin was announced as Rivers’ replacement on December 1, 2014. Brad Goreski replacd Kotsiopoulos when the show returned in January 2015. Osbourne departed the show in February 2015 to ‘pursue other opportunities’, and Griffin quit after seven episodes. E! put the show on hiatus for a revamp and it returned on August 31, 2015 with Rivers’ daughter Melissa as the host for a six-episode run, with Goreski and Rancic returning. Margaret Cho and NeNe Leakes joined the panel for the sixth season. E! cancelled the series on October 18, 2017 and aired a finale on November 27, 2017 featuring never-before-seen clips of Joan Rivers. Over seven seasons, 216 episodes were produced.
• September 12 — Docuseries World of Jenks premieres on MTV. The series stars Andrew Jenks and showcases the lives of inspirational young people from various locations of the United States. Jenks moves in with a different stranger for a week to experience their life from their perspective. The series aired two seasons with a total of 22 episodes. The last episode aired on May 20, 2013.

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