2006: Will & Grace concludes Eric McCormack and Debra Messing starred as the titular roommates, in the NBC sitcom, one of the last entrants in the network’s 1990s Must See TV powerhouse. The leads, along with co-stars Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally, made up one of only three sitcoms in TV history in which each member … Continue reading »
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This was Television on May 17
1939: The first telecast of a baseball game Columbia University’s Baker Field hosted a contest between Columbia and Princeton, ultimately won 2-1 by the visitors. Approximately 400 TV sets in the New York City area received the game, which was aired by experimental station W2XBS, the precursor to WNBC. The successful seven-inning broadcast led the … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 16
2013: The Office (US) closes Adapted from the acclaimed British comedy of the same name, The Office was one of NBC’s few scripted hits in the post-Must See TV era of the 2000s and 2010s. Helping to make a star of original lead Steve Carell, and gradually expanding into a large ensemble comedy, the faux-documentary about the … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 15
1979: Starsky and Hutch concludes Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul starred as the titular California cops, a mismatched pair who fought crime with the help of a Ford Gran Turino and a flashily-attired street contact named Huggy Bear. The series ran for four seasons and 93 episodes on ABC. -A.D. Today’s Birthdays: Alex Breckenridge, tabloid … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 14
1998: Seinfeld signs off According to TV legend, “The Seinfeld Chronicles” was one of the worst-testing pilots in network history. Yet it eventually spawned a gargantuan hit, the sitcom that would conquer pop culture in the 1990s and help cement NBC’s ”Must See TV” lineup as a ratings powerhouse. Seinfeld purported to be “a show about nothing,” … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 13
1993, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2011: Swan songs for long-running series Several of the longest tenured series in modern TV history concluded their runs on this date, including: 1993: Knots Landing, the CBS primetime soap spun off from Dallas, said goodbye to the cul-de-sac after 14 seasons and 344 episodes. 2004: One of the last vestiges … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 12
1987: Hill Street Blues signs off The acclaimed NBC drama, focusing on the lives and work of police officers in an anonymous American city, ran seven seasons and 146 episodes. An MTM Enterprises production created by Stephen Bochco and Michael Kozoll, Hill Street Blues had a significant influence not only on subsequent years of TV drama, … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 11
1996: American Gladiators taps out The stylized athletic competition concluded a seven-year, 139-episode run in first-run syndication. It pitted male and female challengers against a stable of highly trained athletes—the “Gladiators”—in a series of tests of strength, stamina, agility, and more. These events included an obstacle course of gymnastics rings, a race up a pyramid of crash mats, … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 10
1965: Alfred Hitchcock Presents concludes The thriller/mystery anthology series hosted by the famed director enjoyed a run of 10 seasons and 361 episodes, alternating between CBS and NBC. In 1962, the program was expanded from a half-hour and retooled as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Although Hitchcock himself directed only 20 episodes during the series’ run, he influenced … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 9
1961: Newton Minow gives his “Wasteland Speech” Minow, then Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, addressed the National Association of Broadcasters in his first major speech since being appointed to head the agency. In it, he stressed the capacity for television to serve as a public resource, as well as the decidedly unenlightened status of contemporary commercial … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 8
1976: “Welcome Back” tops the charts Penned by John Sebastian, the folksy theme to Welcome Back, Kotter spent a week as the number on pop song in America. It followed the theme from the crime drama S.W.A.T. as the first TV theme songs ever to hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Having debuted the prior year, … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 7
1947: Kraft Television Theatre debuts The NBC anthology series began a run of 11 seasons and 650 episodes. The hour-long program showcased a different dramatic teleplay each week, following one of the most popular and successful formats in the early days of network television. Contributors to Kraft Television Theatre‘s roster included James Dean, Grace Kelly, Jack Lemmon, … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 6
2004: Friends concludes A cornerstone of NBC’s “Must See TV” era, Friends wrapped up after 10 seasons and 236 episodes. A pop culture phenomenon in its early seasons, the series about six young compatriots in New York City helped define the sitcom aesthetic of the 1990s. It was also one of the final true ratings hits for … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 5
1952: Lucy shills Vitameatavegamin The I Love Lucy episode “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” one of the most revered episodes in the annals of sitcomdom, debuted on CBS. Lucille Ball’s Lucy Ricardo schemes her way into a role pitching the health tonic Vitameatavegamin—which, due to its 23 percent alcohol content, gets her drunker and drunker with each increasingly … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 4
1999: NewsRadio concludes Never a ratings hit, the NBC sitcom developed a cult following during its five-season, 97-episode run. The series followed the wacky staff of WNYX, a fictional New York City AM radio station. The ensemble cast included Dave Foley, Maura Tierney, Stephen Root, and Phil Hartman, whose tragic death after the show’s fourth season … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 3
1948: CBS Evening News debuts CBS Television News, a 15-minute nightly newscast anchored by Douglas Edwards, became the first regularly-scheduled, national TV news broadcast in the US. In 1950, the program became Douglas Edwards with the News, helping to establish CBS’s position as the home of some of television’s most trusted national news anchors. In 1956, Douglas … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 2
1941: NTSC standards are adopted The Federal Communications Commission formally adopted the standards of the National Television System Committee for black and white television. The standards, which still in place today to analog television throughout most of the Western Hemisphere as well as parts of East Asia and the Pacific, were implemented to resolve conflicts … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 1
1999: SpongeBob SquarePants debuts One of the most popular programs in Nickelodeon’s history, the animated adventures of an oddly shaped, nattily attired sea sponge and his undersea friends began a run that’s included nine seasons and over 200 episodes. With more than 300 episodes and one 2004 feature film, SpongeBob Square Pants is Nick’s most prolific original … Continue reading »
This was Television on April 30
1997: Ellen comes out A two-part episode towards the end of the fourth season of the mid-rated ABC sitcom Ellen became a controversial and lauded flashpoint in the growing gay rights movement. In “The Puppy Episode,” lead character Ellen Morgan—and, by proxy, series star Ellen DeGeneres—confirmed several months of speculation by coming out as a lesbian. … Continue reading »
This was Television on April 29
1961: Wide World of Sports debuts ABC’s sports anthology series, hosted by Jim McKay, ran until 1998, with additional sports-related broadcasts airing under that banner until 2006. It covered huge spectrum of global sports, with an emphasis on events—such as badminton, curling, jai-alai, and surfing—not normally covered by American television prior to the advent of ESPN. … Continue reading »
This was Television on April 28
1965: Barbra Streisand’s first TV special Coming off her first Grammy wins and a starring role in the Broadway production of Funny Girl, Streisand took the next step in becoming a household name with My Name is Barbra. The CBS concert special was a smash hit for the 22-year-old songstress. It won the night in … Continue reading »
