2007: Tony Soprano stops believin’ The pivotal HBO drama The Sopranos concluded a run of six seasons and 86 episodes with an open-ended finale that inspired no small amount of discussion, griping, and elaborate fan theories. Credited as one of the shows at the vanguard of a “Golden Age” of TV drama in the 2000s, the … Continue reading »
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This was Television on June 9
1997: Married… With Children concludes One of Fox’s earliest and longest-running series, the bawdy sitcom ran for 11 seasons and 259 episodes. Ed O’Neill, Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, and David Faustino starred as the aggressively dysfunctional Bundy clan, whose crude exploits helped establish the fledgling network’s desired brand identity as young, edgy, and courting of controversy. In … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 8
1948: “Mr. Television” first comes to television Milton Berle, familiarly known to audiences as “Mr. Television” or “Uncle Milty,” became one of the earliest TV stars in American history as the host of Texaco Star Theater, which launched its small-screen incarnation on this date on NBC. Like most early TV programs, the comic variety show … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 7
1955: The $64,000 Question debuts Based on a radio quiz show that began life as Take it or Leave It and then became The $64 Question, the CBS game show began a three-year run. One of the most popular programs of the 1950s game show era, The $64,000 Question in 1955-56 became the only show to displace I Love Lucy as … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 6
1998: Sex and the City debuts Based on the writing of columnist Candace Bushnell, the HBO comedy centered on four successful single women in turn-of-the-millennium Manhattan. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon portrayed the quartet, whose archetypal personalities and bracingly frank discussions of sex, romance, friendship, career life, and more both … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 5
1954: Your Show of Shows concludes One of the foundational texts of television comedy, the sketch and performance showcase concluded a four-season run on NBC. Headed by Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, the cast and writers room of Your Show of Shows produced a host of comedy greats, including Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, and Carl … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 4
1981: The Waltons say goodnight The popular family drama, about the denizens of the rural Virginian town of Walton’s Mountain, ended a run of nine seasons and 210 episodes on CBS. Based on the novel Spencer’s Mountain and its subsequent film adaptation, The Waltons —which became a by-word for wholesome family TV—charted the lives of a sizable … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 3
1969: Star Trek: The Original Series concludes The voyages of the starship Enterprise came to a close after three seasons and 79 episodes on NBC. Generally low-rated during its run, Gene Roddenberry’s Utopian sci-fi drama nevertheless accrued a die-hard fan base, which kept the franchise alive in pop culture and helped spawn successor series and films throughout … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 2
1953: Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation More than a year after the 25-year-old princess became Queen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Ceylon, Pakistan and other territories, the traditional coronation ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey. As well as the first such ceremony to be televised, … Continue reading »
This was Television on June 1
1980: CNN launches Founded by cable TV magnate Ted Turner, Cable News Network became the first channel in the U.S. devoted exclusively to news coverage and the first 24-hour news network in the world. Turner himself introduced the channel when it hit the air at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Its first broadcast, from its Atlanta … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 31
1990: Seinfeld debuts Before it became the biggest sitcom on television, Seinfeld began with the smallest episode order in network history. Called The Seinfeld Chronicles when the pilot aired on this date, the NBC series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David aired only four more episodes in its first season during the summer of 1990. -A.D. Today’s Birthdays: Chris … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 30
1992: Hee Haw concludes The rural-themed showcase for sketch comedy and musical performances debuted on CBS in 1969, though it spent the bulk of its 24 years on the air in first-run syndication after the Eye Network axed it in 1971. The denizens of Kornfield Kounty ceased regular first-run production after this date’s episode, though additional … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 29
2009: Leno exits Tonight… temporarily After 17 years at the helm of late night’s most famous franchise, Jay Leno stepped down from The Tonight Show as part of an agreement struck by NBC five years earlier. As part of a plan to avoid the sort of costly successorship struggle that greeted Johnny Carson’s retirement in 1992, NBC … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 28
2012: Hatfields & McCoys debuts History Channel’s first original scripted drama, the three-day miniseries starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton became one of the most popular shows in the network’s history. It debuted to nearly 14 million viewers, one of basic cable’s highest recorded audiences, and netted 16 Emmy nominations. -A.D. Today’s Birthdays: Brandon Cruz, widower’s son … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 27
1954: Father enters through the back door An episode of the anthology series Ford Television Theater, then airing on NBC, served as the backdoor pilot for the sitcom Father Knows Best. “Keep It in the Family” starred Robert Young as the patriarch of an ordinary Midwestern family, and was a trial adaptation of the radio show Young … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 26
2013: Arrested Development returns After three seasons on Fox from 2003–2006, Arrested Development developed a small but devoted fan base and a reputation as one of the most acclaimed comedies of its era. That reputation only grew in the years after the show’s cancellation, helped by constant and unfounded rumors that the cast and crew would find a … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 25
1999: Home Improvement ends Based on the stand-up comedy of star Tim Allen, Home Improvement was of the top rated shows of the 1990s during its eight season, 204-episode run on ABC. Allen portrayed Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor, a husband and father who hosted a local TV show celebrating shopcraft and other aspects of traditionally masculine … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 24
2010: The clock runs out on 24 Kiefer Sutherland portrayed superhuman special agent Jack Bauer for eight seasons and 192 episodes, as well as a TV movie. Bauer battled various terrorist elements over the course of a single day in each season, with each of the season’s 24 episodes representing a real-time hour of events in … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 23
2010: Lost concludes The two-hour finale to one of the most popular dramas of the 2000s generated a heated and divided fan reaction that remains part of the show’s legacy. Through a six-season, 121-episode run on ABC, Lost had earned a die-hard following in part by layering multiple mysteries onto the story of a group of plane crash … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 22
1992: Johnny steps down Johnny Carson capped a 30-year reign as the King of Late Night after hosting his final episode of NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. While his penultimate episode featured Bette Midler’s famous tribute/serenade, Carson’s swan song was an intimate retrospective with no guests and an audience composed only of invited friends … Continue reading »
This was Television on May 21
1990: Newhart closes the inn Bob Newhart’s second hit sitcom (following The Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s), Newhart posited the deadpan comic as the proprietor of a Vermont inn frequented by a bevy of eccentric locals. After eight seasons and 184 episodes on CBS, the series ended with one of the most famous finales in TV history. … Continue reading »
