Dog and Cat

Starring: Lou Antonio, Kim Basinger, Matt Clark 
First Aired: March 5, 1977
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Dog and Cat took use of Kim Basinger’s notoriety at the time to make a successful film. The actress, who had already established herself as one of the most influential models of the decade, sought to make the move into acting. Despite the fact that she would go on to star in a slew of other projects over the next few years, Dog and Cat would not be a career-defining role for the actress because it only lasted six episodes. In addition to Lawrence Gordon, the show was syndicated by CBS, despite the fact that it originally aired on the ABC television network. The sitcom was produced by Paramount, and it was the first to be overseen by ABC executive Brandon Tartikoff, who served as showrunner. Dog and Cat took over for the show Most Wanted, which had landed the highly sought-after Monday night television schedule. Basinger and Lou Antonio co-starred in the film as two partners who worked together in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Dog And Cat

Johnny Midnight

Starring: Edmond O’Brien, Arthur Batanides, Barney Phillips, Yuki Shimoda
First Aired: January 3, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000* per episode with inflation

A few decades back, private detective shows were all the rage. In case you didn’t know, that was the case. Despite the fact that they are still popular now, back in the 1960s, every network was scrambling to find success with one. Johnny Midnight was a television series that centered on a tough New York City detective played by Edmond O’Brien. The narration in this MCA crime thriller was comparable to that of Walter Winchell or Humphrey Bogart, who both played detectives. Additionally, Arthur Batanides played Sergeant Olvera, Barney Phillips played Lieutenant Geller and Yuki Shimoda played Uki, in addition to O’Brien’s performance as the main character. Whitney Blake, Joey Flynn, J. Pat O’Malley, and other celebrities made cameo cameos on Johnny Midnight. Many aspects of the series pay homage to shows that came before it, including the use of cinema noir settings and narration provided by the title character.

Johnny Midnight