1982: Cheers opens for business An urbane, snooty young woman takes a barmaid job at a blue collar Boston tavern run by a charismatic, womanizing ex-ballplayer, and one of the most beloved sitcoms in TV history is underway. Cheers was a defining hit of the 1980s and one of the engines of NBC’s rise to ratings dominance by … Continue reading »
1953: ABC makes room for Danny Thomas Successful nightclub entertainer Danny Thomas portrayed successful nightclub entertainer Danny Williams on the sitcom which began life as Make Room for Daddy on this date. After three seasons it was renamed The Danny Thomas Show, continuing under that title on ABC until 1957 before switching to CBS from 1957–64. The … Continue reading »
Beauty and the Beast highlights the two things people in the 1980s worried about the most: Asians and designer drugs. Continue reading »
Lots and lots of cartoons, it turns out. Continue reading »
1987: The next generation of Starfleet takes flight Star Trek: The Next Generation, starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, began a seven-season run in syndication on this date. These continuing voyages of the Starship Enterprise—set about a century after the events of the original series—proved that the Star Trek franchise could remain commercially and creatively viable two decades … Continue reading »
Julie and Emma discuss the zits, boobs, and rebel teachers of My So-Called Life. Continue reading »
This Was Television bids farewell to Blackadder, with a pair of specials unstuck in time and the most cunning of cunning plans. Continue reading »
1954: The Tonight Show is born Having endured through nearly six decades and several reinventions, NBC’s venerable late-night talk show began on this date as Tonight Starring Steve Allen. Allen, a comic, musician, and panel show veteran, helped create the program but departed as host after less than three years (Ernie Kovacs also hosted the … Continue reading »
Prime Suspect splits its fourth series into shorter mysteries, and generates its most wrenching installment to date. Continue reading »
Hulkamania, zombie morticians, and evil sumo wrestlers. What more could you want? Why aren’t you reading this already? Continue reading »
1960: The first televised presidential debate is held As first reported by This Was Television, Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy squared off in the first presidential debate held for a television audience. Over the years, the contrast between the young, handsome Democrat and the stiff, glowering Republican has taken on a greater … Continue reading »
Screen Gems tries its hand at the 70s culture clash with Bridget Loves Bernie. Continue reading »
The story of Richie’s birth is told in a terrific flashback episode. Continue reading »
While playing hooky with Rei, Nanako confesses her love for the older girl. Obviously this won’t end well. Continue reading »
1970: The Partridge Family comes on, gets happy. America’s favorite brightly-colored-bus-traveling sitcom family/bubblegum pop band, The Partridge Family, begins its tour of the network TV airwaves. Shirley Jones starred as the widowed matriarch of the musical brood, which included teen heartthrobs David Cassidy and Susan Dey, and adolescent mischief-maker Danny Bonaduce. As part of ABC’s family-friendly … Continue reading »
The show reaches its pinnacle of speedboat porn, but is its triumph of style over substance approaching a tipping point? Continue reading »
1968: 60 Minutes starts the clock The CBS institution, one of the longest-running programs in American history as it enters its 45th year, debuted on this date. Hosted by Mike Wallace (who rmained with the program for four decades) and Harry Reasoner, 60 Minutes pioneered the primetime news magazine format. The first episode went behind the … Continue reading »
1962: Meet George Jetson The Jetsons cast a futuristic spin on the American nuclear family, tapping into the Space Age optimism of the 1960s. The first program broadcast in color on ABC, it aired only one 24-episode season during its original 1962–63 run. Popularity in syndication led to a revival of new episode production in the … Continue reading »
2004: Oceanic flight 815 crashes With a J.J. Abrams-directed pilot regarded as one of the best of the ’00s, Lost began six seasons of baffling mysteries, rich character drama, and endless fan frustration. The ABC sci-fi/mystery drama centered on the survivors of a plane crash who find themselves stranded on an island that’s more than it appears … Continue reading »
Beauty and the Beast becomes a bit richer as Above and Below collide with a murder and a cave-in. Continue reading »
As the ’90s dawned and the Fox network grew, In Living Color briefly broke new ground for TV comedy. Continue reading »
