The great world of television is a thriving hub of creation, but with so many new shows being launched every year, it can be easy to forget about the ghosts of earlier works that haunt the landscape. We now have access to thousands of shows with the push of a mouse, but only a few decades ago, there were significantly fewer options. Back in the day, NBC, CBS, and ABC were some of the most popular television networks in the country (and they still are today). In the case of sitcoms, the idea of these long-gone episodes was virtually identical to that of today’s shows; the same can be said for police dramas and thrillers. Though the sense of humor and values have evolved over time, networks have maintained their relevance. When it came to coming up with the next big hit program, networks battled viciously against one another. But this strategy didn’t always work out. There was a steady stream of short-lived programs that didn’t endure long, and some that simply faded away into obscurity after they were no longer in production as a result. Consider taking a peek through the archives to see if there are any titles that have been long forgotten.

Do You Remember These Shows From The 50’s, 60’s, And 70’s

My Favorite Martian

Starring: Ray Walston, Bill Bixby, Alan Hewitt, Pamela Britton
First Aired: September 29, 1963
Number of Seasons: 3
Estimated Production Cost: $70,000* per episode with inflation

Back in the 1960s, the possibility of life on other planets was a popular topic of discussion. America was resolved to land on the moon, and by the end of the decade, they would have accomplished this goal successfully. In the interim, shows such as My Favorite Martian kept the audience delighted on the little screen. This three-season CBS sitcom was produced by Jack Chertok, who enlisted John L. Greene to oversee the design of the basic structure and the development of all of the characters. The first two seasons contained a total of seventy-five episodes, while the third season had thirty-two episodes, indicating that the show was shown during a time when networks were airing significantly more episodes per season.

My Favorite Martian

Bourbon Street Beat

Starring: Richard Long, Andrew Duggan, Arlene Howell, Van Williams
First Aired: October 5, 1959
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Viewers have always responded positively to gloomy private-eye shows; just look at the long-running success of shows such as Columbo and Murder, She Wrote. Unfortunately, Bourbon Street Beat lacked the perfect combination of elements to sustain itself on the air for more than one season. During the 1950s, fast-food franchises such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Denny’s weren’t the only ones gaining their start. Bourbon Street Beat was one of the first major television shows to feature a private detective service, and it continues to be one of the most popular. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Studios, but although having a similar format to the previous shows, it was not as successful as the others.

Bourbon Street Beat

Tales of Tomorrow

Starring: Lon Chaney, Jr., Thomas Mitchell
First Aired: August 3, 1951
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000* per episode with inflation

Despite the fact that American Horror Story has re-established the anthology genre in recent years, series like Twilight Zone were the original advocates of the genre several years ago. Tales of Tomorrow, which starred Lon Chaney, Jr., and Thomas Mitchell in a variety of roles, served as a major inspiration for the aforementioned series. When compared to Netflix’s American Horror Story, Tales of Tomorrow’s episodes were significantly shorter, lasting only twenty-five minutes per episode. There were a total of eighty-five episodes in the series. Stories such as Frankenstein and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea were just a few of the classics that were reimagined and preserved in the visually arresting black and white television series.

Tales Of Tomorrow

Shotgun Slade

Starring: Scott Brady
First Aired: October 24, 1959
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $52,000* per episode with inflation

It was the 1950s, and Western television series and movies were enormously popular, to the point where people had grown tired of them by the time the decade came to a conclusion. Shotgun Slade was a hit because viewers wanted something new from the traditional formula, which is why it was so successful. This genre-blending Western mystery (which you can still rent on Amazon) included cameo appearances from some of the biggest names in the industry at the time, including Jeanne Cooper, Walter Coy, Frank Ferguson, Ernie Kovacs, Brett King, Brad Johnson, and many other notable actors. One of the many innovations of this event was the use of a modern jazz score, which was in stark contrast to the Western music that was normally presented.

Shotgun Slade

Flying High

Starring: Kathryn Witt, Connie Sellecca, Pat Klous, Howard Platt
First Aired: August 28, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

While male-led television series dominated the 1950s and 1960s, the 1970s saw a rise in the number of female-led shows ascending through the ranks of the entertainment industry. One of them was Flying High, a tongue-in-cheek comedy-drama about three beautiful air hostesses that aired on the Disney Channel last year. Production went out and found models to appear on the show in the hopes that their appearances would draw in viewers. Harvey Shephard, who was then the head of CBS’s sales department, was one of the primary reasons the show was created in the first place. “We need this show,” he said to the network’s president after seeing the three models on the elevator after the pitch. Although the network had great hopes for the series, it ultimately lacked substance and didn’t strike the right chord with the audience. Due to poor ratings and unfavorable parallels to the wildly successful Charlie’s Angels, Flying High was canceled after 18 episodes in part because of harsh reviews.

Flying High

The Hathaways

Starring: Peggy Cass, Jack Weston, Marcy Grace Canfield, Harvey Lembeck, Barbara Perry
First Aired: October 6, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

ABC didn’t get the notice when they commissioned The Hathaways since they were working with children and animals, which is against the rules. It was an odd-ball comedy starring Peggy Cass and Jack Weston as loving parents who lived out in the suburbs, but there was a twist to the story. The children were dressed like chimpanzees. This show, which was sponsored in part by General Mills competitor Ralston Purina, was one of the first sitcoms to feature animals on television and was one of the first to showcase animals on television. Despite the fact that the sitcom was not particularly economically successful, The Hathaways did produce a semi-spinoff in the form of a comic book series depicting the show’s renowned chimps, which was published in 1962. It was a complete and utter fiasco from the start, resulting in a massive financial loss for the network.

The Hathaways

Peck’s Bad Girl

Starring: Wendell Corey, Marsha Hunt, Patty McCormick, Ray Ferrell
First Aired: 1959
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $45,000* per episode with inflation

The major difficulty with Peck’s Bad Girl, which was released in 1959, was that audiences simply didn’t comprehend it. A time when white picket fences and Lucille Ball reigned supreme, parodies were either misunderstood or viewed with disapproval. The concept behind the family sitcom was to take the tales so far afield that it could be used to poke fun at other shows. It was actually a silent film, Peck’s Bad Girl, that was first released in 1918 that inspired the film. Earle Foxe, Corinne Baker, Riley Hatch, Eddie Sturgis, and Edward M. Favor had cameo cameos in the film, which was directed by Earle Foxe. There were also star guests on the CBS broadcast, though it was a less successful venture than the fifty-minute MGM picture in terms of audience response. Many have claimed that viewers at the time may not have realized it was a comedy because it was narrated by little Patty McCormick in the role of Torey Peck. Almost as soon as it was broadcast, the show was pulled from the air, never to be seen again.

Peck’s Bad Girl

Broadside

Starring: Edward Andrews, Dick Sargent, Sheila James, Kathleen Nolan, Joan Staley
First Aired: September 20, 1964
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $65,000* per episode with inflation

As a result of the overwhelming number of war dramas that center on the masculine perspective, it was a welcome break when Broadside premiered in 1964. The musical was about the ladies of the Navy during World War II, and Kathleen Nolan had a prominent role in the production. The show’s ratings remained strong throughout its existence, which is why its cancellation came as such a surprise. Most military-themed television episodes (particularly Navy shows) have the appearance of being advertising for Huntington Ingalls or Boeing, but Broadside was an exception. It was the creative ideas, excellent direction, and enthusiastic cast that made the show a hit on the big screen. In a fun tidbit, the entire ensemble was given honorary Teamsters memberships, which allowed them to legally drive the show’s cars and trucks. After 32 episodes, the production company realized that they didn’t have enough area to utilize the tropical exteriors of the set, and so they opted to stop the show altogether.

Broadside

Convoy

Starring: John Gavin
First Aired: September 17, 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $12 million*

The broadside wasn’t the only war-themed television show to be canceled in the mid-60s. Commander Dan Talbot (John Gavin) and his crew on a cargo ship were the subjects of NBC’s Convoy, which followed them as they helped supply troops with food and other supplies during World War II. One of the most significant challenges for the show was that it was shot in black and white to enable the usage of archival combat footage. Audiences were more interested at the time in fresh, thrilling technicolor presentations than in older shows. Before he became an actor, John Gavin worked as a naval officer in the United States Navy. He stated that he, too, had concerns about the way NBC depicted naval life on Convoy in its first broadcast. NBC was reportedly concerned that women would not enjoy the show until it was pointed out to them that women traveled in convoys during World War II. The show’s ratings were low from the beginning since it couldn’t compete with other programs that were airing at the same time. Instead of becoming the breakout dramatic smash that the network hoped it would be, Convoy fell to the ocean’s depths like a heavyweight, despite the network’s best efforts.

Convoy

Holmes & Yo-Yo

Starring: Jack Sher, Lee Hewitt
First Aired: September 25, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000* per episode with inflation

Every network understands how crucial it is to have a terrific combination appear on TV. Take, for example, Starsky & Hutch or Cagney & Lacey. If done well, it has the potential to go down in history. Sadly, Holmes & Yo-Yo did not live up to the great expectations placed on them by the broadcast network. As a departure from the traditional detective comedy, the network thought that making YoYo an android would prove to be a popular choice. Holmes & Yoyo was a far cry from the high-tech smash shows like Netflix detective series and Sherlock-based shows of today; it was a little less cutting-edge, but no less ambitious. A former staff writer for the television show Get Smart, the producer created the Yoyo character, which was based on Stymie. The character Stymie served as Yoyo’s forerunner in many aspects. The series was immediately dismissed as a catastrophic failure, but it did leave an impression…albeit not the one that ABC had hoped for. A list of the 50 worst television shows of all time has been compiled by TV Guide, and Holmes & Yo-Yo has been included.

Holmes & Yo Yo

The Brothers Brannagan

Starring: Stephen Dunne, Mark Roberts, Barney Phillips
First Aired: September 24, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

In terms of production value, The Brothers Brannagan fared quite well, especially considering how low-budget the show was. The plot revolved around two brothers, Mike and Bob, who used their detective skills to investigate crimes that came their way. Mike and Bob were the protagonists. It was by no means a novel premise, which ultimately contributed to the show’s brief lifespan. However, despite the fact that The Brothers Brannagan did not have the same budget as big CBS or NBC sitcoms at the time, the cast was nonetheless enthusiastic. Several well-known actors and actresses appeared on the show, including Ann McCrea, Christopher Dark, Sterling Holloway, Flip Mark, Ron Hagerthy, and Burt Reynolds, to name just a few. Stephen Dunne and Mark Roberts starred in the show, which was shown over the course of a few months in the early 1960s. Stephen Dunne and Mark Roberts shot 39 episodes of the show. Despite the fact that it did not garner widespread attention, it was a conventional piece of television drama that might have easily survived for a few more episodes if the production costs had been stretched even further.

The Brothers Brannagan

Coronado 9

Starring: Rod Cameron
First Aired: September 6, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $60,000* per episode with inflation

Considering Rod Cameron was a well-known figure in the 1950s and 1960s, it was hoped that his casting in Coronado 9 would help the series get off to a strong start in its early seasons. The series followed Dan Adams (Cameron), a private investigator who used his US Navy background to solve cases while working as a private detective. Several clips from the show, which was created by Revue Studios, are available for free viewing on YouTube. Despite the fact that the show only lasted one season and thirty-nine episodes, it featured guest appearances by celebrities such as Beverly Garland and Doug McClure. In December of 2010, Timeless Media released a DVD of the entire series. Despite a great deal of excitement around its premiere, the show was a failure, and production was suspended after 39 episodes.

Coronado 9

Diver Dan

Starring: Allen Swift, Frank D. Freda, Suzanne Turner
First Aired: January 4, 1960
Number of Seasons: N/A
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Children in the 1960s were a lot easier to please than today’s generation of teenagers. Smartphones did not exist at the time, and the only sources of entertainment were the imagination and non-computerized toy collections. Diver Dan, as well as cartoons in general, were enormously popular. Diver Dan was not produced by a major television network such as Disney or CBS. Instead, Brian Cartoons produced the show, which was then released by ITC Entertainment. Later, it would be syndicated to NBC affiliates, and local stations would re-edit the segments into half-hour blocks for broadcast. It was created by John Ferlaine, who also served as executive producer. He is a cartoonist himself, and he got the concept for this from a comic strip he did called Fish Tales.

Diver Dan

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

Sea Hunt

Starring: Lloyd Bridges
First Aired: January 4, 1958
Number of Seasons: 4
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000* per episode with inflation

It can be difficult to direct and even more difficult to raise the necessary funds for underwater adventures, yet something about Sea Hunt seemed to connect. Even now, the action-adventure television series is regarded as a great testimony to the genre’s achievements. Lloyd Bridges played the starring role of Mike Nelson, a former Navy frogman, in the film. During his tenure as an independent scuba diver, Nelson is called upon to lend a hand when things go wrong. It was a combination of stock footage of underwater settings and post-production work that created the breathtaking backdrop for this MGM drama. Many of the scenes for Sea Hunt were shot in some of the most beautiful locales on the planet, including Grand Bahama Island and Paradise Cove. The dramatic and engaging series drew in viewers from the start, and the show’s ratings remained above water for the whole four-season duration of the show. Despite its widespread success, Sea Hunt came to an early end when complications with syndication arose, thereby eliminating any hope of further episodes being broadcast.

Sea Hunt

David Cassidy: Man Undercover

Starring: David Cassidy, Simon Oakland, Wendy Rastatter
First Aired: November 2, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $90,000* per episode with inflation

David Cassidy was at the height of his celebrity in the 1970s, thanks to his role in the television series The Partridge Family. He was a teen idol and a hugely popular young guy in his day and age. Following the conclusion of that show, David was cast in Man Undercover as undercover detective Dan Shay. Sadly, David was unable to salvage the series from its doom. On David Cassidy: Man Undercover, Dee Wallace was originally cast as Cassidy’s character’s wife; however, for reasons that were never revealed, NBC recast the part with Wendy Rastatter, a lesser-known actress. After Man Undercover, Columbia Pictures’ final series, during the show’s opening credits, a copyright notice appeared beneath the show’s emblem, indicating that the show had been copied. Each episode portrayed the story of Shay going undercover in a specific case and eventually getting to the heart of the crime, but it wasn’t enough to keep fans interested throughout the season. Only ten episodes of Man Undercover were produced before the show was canceled.

David Cassidy Man Undercover

It’s a Man’s World

Starring: Glenn Corbett, Michael Burns, Ted Bussell, Randy Boone
First Aired: September 17, 1962
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $85,000* per episode with inflation

Comedy dramas about a group of friends living together in an apartment are nothing new, but what about four guys living together on a houseboat? It’s a Man’s World had a fascinating mix of individuals that came together, including recently orphaned brothers Wes (Corbett) and Howie (Corbett) (Burns). Dawn Wells, Joan Tewkesbury, Hope Summers, and Med Flory were among the high-profile guests who appeared on It’s a Man’s World. Since there were no other programs on at the time, the NBC show didn’t have much competition from ABC or CBS for the 7:30ET Monday time slot. The only other programs on were Cheyenne (ABC) and two CBS quiz shows. Despite the show’s rich origins and compelling plotlines, NBC decided to terminate it midway through the season. There have been many praises for It’s a Man’s World, praising it for being ahead of its time in terms of subjects such as feminism and the ever-increasing dissatisfaction between different generations during a time of rapid change. Glenn Corbett went on to star in Route 66, which was a show that was similar to but more established.

It’s A Man’s World

Supertrain

Starring: Edward Andrews, Nita Talbot, Harrison Page, Robert Alda, Patrick Collins, Charlie Ball
First Aired: February 7, 1979
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Over $1 million* per episode

Consider the following scenario: a luxurious vessel with swimming pools, magnificent retail malls, fully-equipped gyms, and even a nightclub for when the mood strikes. However, it was a hypothetical nuclear-powered super train that was constructed for television, not a perfect cruise holiday. However, there was a cost associated with each episode, which concentrated on the complicated lives and activities of individuals onboard. Supertrain, as you may recall, cost NBC a fortune. The network paid $10 million (equivalent to $35.85 million in today’s money) for the three trains required for the set, which was a sum that was practically unheard of at the time. To make up for its losses, NBC spent even more money to market the show strongly in the hopes that viewers would tune in and help the network recover its losses. While the show only had nine episodes, the production of it was extremely expensive, making it the most expensive television series ever aired at the time of its debut. A massive amount of advertising for the series was done before it was released in an attempt to secure a return on investment, however it failed miserably.

Supertrain

Another Day

Starring: David Groh, Joan Hackett, Hope Summers, Lisa Lindgren, Al Eisenmann
First Aired: April 8, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $62.8 million*

The cast of Another Day was overjoyed when the pilot episode was picked up for a full season in 1978, but they were unaware that the show would only be on the air for a few short weeks. It would be canceled in the same month that it made its debut on television. The plot, which revolved around family man Don Gardner’s determination to maintain his family solely on his earnings at the time, was fairly out of date for its time. This CBS sitcom was created by James Komack, who served as the show’s producer. With David Groh in the lead role, it was a hit television show. Ginny Gardner was played by Joan Hackett in the film. Olive was played by Hope Summers, Kelly was played by Lisa Lindgren, and Mark was played by Al Eisenmann. The sitcom aired only four episodes in the month of April before it was canceled for the last time. Another Day was regarded as dull, unfounded, and lacking in the excitement in order to keep up with the fast-changing times in which we live.

Another Day

Doc Elliott

Starring: James Franciscus
First Aired: May 1, 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Dr. Benjamin R. Elliot, also known as Doc Elliot on the show, relocated from the large city to a little hamlet in the rural part of Colorado to pursue his medical career. After becoming dissatisfied with his regular routine, the titular figure went out into the community and got his hands dirty, making house calls and mending up his patients. In contrast to the complicated and disturbed characters that we would later see on medical dramas such as Nurse Jackie and NBC’s House, Doc Elliot was a lighthearted and entertaining television show. Dr. Elliot, played by James Franciscus, was a gentle soul. Neva Patterson (Mags Brimble), Bo Hopkins (Eldred McCoy), and Noah Beery (Neil McCoy) were among the series’ secondary characters (Barney Weeks). Unfortunately, the Doc didn’t get to live out his fantasy for much more than 14 episodes because the show’s ratings were dismal from the beginning.

Doc Elliott

Gemini Man

Starring: Ben Murphy, William Sylvester, Katherine Crawford
First Aired: September 23, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Ben Murphy exuded a unique Marlon Brando feel, which made him the ideal option to portray secret agent bad boy Sam Casey in this film. After being exposed to some form of radiation, Casey finds himself rendered invisible. The story was based on the novel The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, and it was the third television adaptation of the story. Not to be mistaken with the modern thriller of the same name, the Invisible Man’s fortunes were hampered by the studio’s reluctance to spend money on better special effects, which hurt the film’s box office performance. In comparison, the next film adaptation of The Invisible Man, which will be released in 2020, is wonderful. There were eleven episodes produced, but only five were broadcast in the United States because the series was mostly unpopular with viewers who had grown tired of the storyline. As the complete season of Gemini Man was released in the United Kingdom, the show’s performance improved marginally, but it was still not enough to warrant a second season’s production.

Gemini Man

The Blue Angels

Starring: Dennis Cross, Don Gordon, Morgan Jones, Warner Jones, Michael Galloway, Robert Knapp, Ross Elliott
First Aired: September 26, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

As Commander Arthur Richards in The Blue Angels, Dennis Cross was known for taking names and kicking buttocks. The show took a critical stance toward the United States Navy, turning fictional circumstances into a dramatic drama. Chuck Corman was played twice by the legendary actor Burt Reynolds, who appeared in the film on both occasions. The Blue Angels were far from being a glorified advertisement for Boeing or Lockheed Martin when it came to the equipment that they used on their missions. In reality, the Blue Angels receive $37 million each year from the Department of Defense’s annual budget. Although less well-funded, the television show of the same name was less exciting as a result. Despite the fact that the show was well-liked by enthusiasts of the genre, it remained under the radar and was unable to draw in the audiences it required to survive. After 39 episodes and one season on the air, the Blue Angels were no longer in production.

The Blue Angels

Death Valley Days

Starring: Stanley Andrews, Ronald Reagan, Rosemary DeCamp, Robert Taylor, Dale Roberton
First Aired: March 1, 1952
Number of Seasons: 18
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000*

The Death Valley Days television series, in contrast to some of the other short-lived shows we’ve discussed, was one of the longest-running programs of its period. The historical anthology series, which premiered in 1952 and ran for 18 seasons and 452 episodes, came to an end in 1970 after 452 episodes. In 1955, NBC broadcasted a similar anthology called Frontier, which included this Western (which is currently available to watch on Hulu for those who have a premium subscription). The Western series, presented by Walter Coy in 1955, was nominated for an Emmy award despite the fact that it only lasted for one season on television. The majority of the episodes of Death Valley Days were filmed in Los Angeles, with a few episodes being filmed in Kanab, Utah.

Death Valley Days

The Everglades

Starring: Gordon Casell, Ron Hayes
First Aired: October 9, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $300 for the land*

While the precise budget of this crime/nature adventure show is unknown, it was rumored that The Everglades was operating on an extremely tight operating budget. In order to produce this play, the land at the center of it, an acre in the Everglades National Park, was purchased for $300. Additionally, the episode was filmed at additional locales like Coopertown, Sweetwater, and Frog City, as well as Forty Mile Bend, which is located on the Tamiami Trail. The premise of this show, which featured Ron Hayes and Gordon Casell, revolved around Hayes’ character, Lincoln Vail, a police officer who journeyed across the Everglades by airboat, responding to pleas for aid and putting an end to criminal activity.

The Everglades

The Jim Backus Show

Starring: Jim Backus, Nita Talbot, Bobs Watson, George Ives
First Aired: 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000*

You might be familiar with The Jim Backus Show under its previous moniker, Hot Off the Wire. Mike O’Toole, played by Jim Backus, was the star of this half-hour sitcom. O’Toole was the owner of a wire service that was fighting to stay afloat in the current economic climate. Nita Talbot, who portrayed Dora Miles, and Bobs Watson, who played Sidney, were among the other actors who appeared on the show. In 1960 and 1961, the show was syndicated nationally. The Jim Backus Show had some big-name guest stars stop by to try to boost the show’s lagging ratings, including George Ives, Alan Carney, Milton Frome, Vivi Janiss, and Olan Soule, among others, in an effort to boost the show’s ratings.

The Jim Backus Show

The Virginian

Starring: James Drury, Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, Roberta Shore
First Aired: September 19, 1961
Number of Seasons: 9
Estimated Production Cost: $330,000 per episode*

The Virginian was one of the most popular Westerns of its time, and it continues to be so now. In the last season, the show has renamed The Men from Shiloh to better reflect its setting. The ranch foremen played by Lee J. Cobb, Doug McClure, and James Drury were the stars of the show. Those who enjoy Western books may recognize the premise of this drama, which is set in the West. The program was partially based on Owen Wister’s novel The Virginian, A Horseman of the Plains, which was published in 1902. The show was filmed in a number of different sites in California, including the Iverson Movie Ranch, Bronson Canyon, and Lone Pine, among others. The show Laredo was a spin-off of the original series.

The Virginian

The Time Tunnel

Starring: Robert Colbert, James Darren, Lee Meriwether
First Aired: September 9, 1966
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $500,000 pilot episode*

In addition to being one of the most expensive concerts ever produced, The Time Tunnel was also one of the most elaborate. The pilot episode of the show, which had a total of thirty episodes, had a $500,000 production cost, which was covered by the production companies Irwin Allen and Kent. The Time Tunnel was a time-traveling television program that was one of the first science fiction shows to be broadcast in color. This particular episode aired in 1966 and was shown on ABC. Fox stepped in later to cover the cost of the production, but the second season was never shown. If you want to learn more about The Time Tunnel, you should read Martin Grams Jr.’s biography of the show.

The Time Tunnel

Ripcord

Starring: Larry Pennell, Ken Curtis, Shug Fisher, Paul Comi, Allison Hayes
First Aired: June 3, 1961
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $200,000 per episode*

The television series Ripcord was about a skydiving firm and its adventures, as you could have guessed from the name of the show. The show was syndicated, and it aired for seventy-six episodes from 1961 to 1963, with a total of seventy-six episodes. Larry Pennell played Theo McKeever in Ripcord, which was created by Jim Hall and Harry Redmond Jr., and starred in the film. Kenneth McKeever and his friends (Ken Curtis, Paul Comi, and Shug Fisher) had a private Cessna airplane, which they used whenever they were ordered to do so by the authorities. They were involved in perilous criminal pursuits and dangerous, if not slightly weird, rescue missions. As a new activity at the time, skydiving injected even more thrill into the series’ already high level of excitement.

Ripcord

My Mother the Car

Starring: Jerry Van Dyke, Ann Sothern, Cindy Eilbacher, Maggie Pierce
First Aired: September 14, 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000 per episode*
Those who have seen Arrested Development may be familiar with this title, as one of the episodes of the contemporary sitcom spoofs the television show My Mother the Car. My Mother the Car was a show that was a little far-fetched. Undoubtedly, it had an original premise. The plot of the play revolved around a 1928 Porter vehicle, which turns out to be the reincarnation of the purchaser’s mother. A radio broadcast featuring the voice of the deceased mother (Ann Sothern) leads the purchaser, played by Jerry Van Dyke, to believe that it is his deceased mother who is being sold. When she speaks, the lights in the room flicker on and off. The zany show only lasted one season, but it was a memorable one.

My Mother The Car

Mister Ed

Starring: Alan Young, Connie Hines, Allan Lane, Bamboo Harvester
First Aired: January 5, 1961
Number of Seasons: 6
Estimated Production Cost: $70,000 pilot*

Another bizarre program on this list (though there aren’t many that can compete with My Mother the Car) is Mister Ed, which followed the antics of a talking horse, voiced by Allan Lane, and was one of the most popular series on television. The show was syndicated and consisted of 143 episodes, all of which were shot in black and white (though later remastered in color). Mister Ed was based on a series of short books written by Walter Brooks, which were adapted for the screen. The horse on the show was a gelding whose real name was Bamboo Harvester, and he appeared to be a gelding. It has been reported that comedian George Burns read the script first, before anyone else. He was so taken with the concept that he self-funded the $70,000 test project.

Mister Ed

Gibbsville

Starring: Biff McGuire, Gig Young, Johnny Savage, Peggy McCay
First Aired: November 11, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $140,000 per episode*

Despite the fact that Gibbsville is a small town in Wisconsin, the television show Gibbsville was set in a small Pennsylvania town during the 1940s. Two newspaper reporters played by Gig Young and John Savage were the stars of the drama. It was broadcast on television for about a month and a half in 1976. There were thirteen episodes in total, but only seven of them were shown. There was also a pilot for a movie that was never produced. Columbia Television produced the show, which featured Biff McGuire, Peggy McCay, and Bert Remsen as well as other notable actors. Columbia Television produced the show. It was the story of a senior reporter who is recovering from alcoholism while working alongside a young, idealistic journalist in the fictional town of Gibbsville.

Gibbsville

Mr. T. and Tina

Starring: Pat Morita, Susan Blanchard, Ted Lange, Jerry Fujikawa
First Aired: September 25, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown (several episodes unaired)

Mr. T and Tina was actually a spin-off of Mr. T and Tina. It was adapted from the television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, in which Pat Morita starred. In addition to being the first show to have a largely Asian-American cast, Mr. T and Tina was groundbreaking because it was the first show to do so. The show’s narrative revolved around a family of Asian-American origin in the Chicago area. The show aired from September 25, 1976, to October 30, 1976, and was only on for a single season. Despite the fact that the pilot, named The Ogallala Connection, was not broadcast on a major network, it was created by the Komack Company and did not air. Despite the fact that the show wasn’t a huge hit, it did a lot to make Asian-Americans more visible on major television networks.

Mr. T. And Tina

All That Glitters

Starring: Barbara Baxley, Lois Nettleton, Vanessa Brown, Jessica Walter
First Aired: April 18, 1977
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000 per episode*

Eileen Brennan and Jessica Walter were among the notable celebrities who appeared in All That Glitters. Despite the fact that the show was ahead of its time, it was met with disapproval, most likely due to its socially progressive nature. The sitcom featured one of the first transsexual characters to appear on a major network, and it was a critical success. Linda Gray appeared on the show as the transgender character Linda Murkland, who worked as a fashion model. The show was also ahead of its time in terms of how it flipped the traditional patriarchal relationship on its head. Women were all breadwinners, and the men were either stay-at-home dads, househusbands, or secretaries in the households depicted in the episode. Wes Parker, a former Major League Baseball player, was the show’s lone male voice.

All That Glitters

Hee Haw Honeys

Starring: Misty Rowe, Lulu Roman, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kenny Price
First Aired: September 12, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000 per episode*

The Hee Haw Honeys starred Kathie Lee Gifford, who would later go on to become well-known as the host of The Today Show, as well as Hoda Kotb, who was also a member of the cast. In this sitcom, which was a spinoff of Hee Haw, Gifford appeared alongside Misty Rowe, Lulu Roman, Kenny Price, and Gailard Sartain, among others. During the time period covered by Hee Haw Honeys, the family ran a truck stop (Lulu’s Truck Stop, which was featured on the show Hee Haw). There was a bandstand at the restaurant, and country stars frequently performed there. The show was a cross between a musical and a Western in terms of style and content. In the end, TV Guide rated the spinoff as one of the “worst shows ever,” which was sad.

Hee Haw Honeys

Co-Ed Fever

Starring: Alexa Kenin, Heather Thomas, David Keith, Hamilton Camp
First Aired: February 4, 1979
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown (most episodes unaired)

Co-Ed Fever was a college-oriented sitcom that featured a frat house as one of its central elements. Due to low ratings following the pilot episode, it was the third of three similar comedic shows to be canceled after the first. Despite the fact that it was meant to air on a Monday night, the show’s ratings never managed to push it past a “special peek” on Sunday night. The show was a parody of the National Lampoon’s Animal House television series in certain ways. It hoped to cash in on the success of the 1978 film by releasing a sequel. Co-Ed Fever featured a total of six episodes, and the five that were not broadcast were immediately released on DVD.

Co Ed Fever

Hello, Larry

Starring: Kim Richards, McLean Stevenson, Joanna Gleason, Krista Errickson
First Aired: January 26, 1979
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $250,000 in total*

Hello, Larry was created by Dick Benfield and Perry Grant, who also served as the show’s executive producers and head writers. The show ran for two seasons and thirty-eight episodes, and it aired on Friday nights during its first season, which was a rarity at the time. The show was much anticipated because Benfield and Grant were both writers for popular television shows such as The Andy Griffith Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and One Day at a Time, among others. The show’s narrative revolved around McLean Stevenson’s character, Larry Alder, who divorces his wife and relocates with his teenage children from Los Angeles to Portland in order to pursue a job as a radio DJ on a local station.

Hello, Larry

The Ropers

Starring: Audra Lindley, Norman Fell, Patty McCormack, Jeffrey Tambor, Evan Cohen
First Aired: March 13, 1979
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $30,000 per episode*

The Ropers is a comedy that aired on ABC from 1979 to 1980. It was a spin-off of the very popular sitcom Three’s Company, and it was a spin-off of that show. Besides that, Three’s Company was largely based on a British television comedy called George and Mildred, which was a spinoff of the show from which Three’s Company took its inspiration. The show was filmed entirely in Los Angeles. It was the characters of Norman Fell and Audra Linley, a middle-aged couple who were the landlords to Janet, Chrissy, and Jack on Three’s Company, that provided the plot of the show. A high-class enclave called Cheviot Hills is the setting for the drama, which portrays the landlords as an “odd pair.”

The Ropers

Bearcats

Starring: Dennis Cole, Rod Taylor, Roy Jenson, Edward Faulkner
First Aired: September 16, 1971
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $8,000 for the cars on the show*

Bearcats was produced by Filmways, Inc., a New York-based production company. Filmways was also the big-name production company behind hit television shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Addams Family, and Green Acres, so it was on a winning streak. Dennis Cole and Rod Taylor were two of the Bearcats’ most prominent players. It was a historical show that took place just before World War I. Cole and Taylor took on the role of troubleshooters. Because it was extremely expensive, the concert was unique in that respect. It had elements of a Western feel to it, yet it made use of props that you wouldn’t generally see in such films, such as M1911 handguns, airplanes, machine guns, a World War I-era tank, and a variety of vintage automobiles that were popular in the early twentieth century.

Bearcats

Chopper One

Starring: Jim McMullan, Ted Hartley, Dirk Benedict, Lou Frizzell
First Aired: January 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1.2 million in total*

There was a procedural drama called Chopper One, and it was about two police officers who were in charge of operating a helicopter for searches and criminal apprehensions. The show was shown on ABC on Thursday evenings, which was a highly sought-after time period. Sony was in charge of distribution. There were only thirteen episodes of the show. It was the police side of the drama/thriller series Firehouse, which was set in a Los Angeles fire station and followed the lives of the firefighters who worked there. Neither program was able to maintain its momentum for very long. In contrast to Chopper One, which ended only a month after its counterpart was canceled, Firehouse finished only one month after its counterpart was canceled. The pilot episode of the show aired in 1974.

Chopper One

Get Christie Love

Starring: Teresa Graves, Charles Cioffi, Andy Romano, Jack Kelly, Harry Guardino
First Aired: January 22, 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*

Get Christie Love! was a police procedural that was extremely influential on popular culture. Teresa Graves was a brilliant actress who acted as a Black female police officer on the ABC television drama, which aired from 1974 to 1975. She was the second Black woman to play the lead role in a network drama at the time (next to Diahann Carroll in the show Julia). The Ledger, a crime novel written by Dorothy Uhnak, served as the inspiration for the show. Graves had previously appeared on the comedy series Laugh-In, and some of her former co-stars from that show, including Jo Anne Worley, Arte Johnson, and Judy Carne, made cameo cameos on Get Christie Love!

Get Christie Love

Wagon Train

Starring: Robert Horton, Ward Bond, Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson, John McIntire
First Aired: September 18, 1957
Number of Seasons: 8
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*

Wagon Train was one of the most expensive television programs on the air at the time it aired. It first ran on NBC from 1957 to 1962, and then on ABC from 1962 to 1965, when it was canceled. The show gained the number one slot in the Nielsen ratings, which allowed it to maintain its massive budget (which appears insignificant when compared to modern shows like the $15 million per episode Game of Thrones), which allowed it to continue running. The experience of early pioneers traveling through the Rocky Mountains in a wagon train was the inspiration for the television series Wagon Train. The train began its journey in Missouri and was destined for the California Gold Rush.

Wagon Train

Land of the Giants

Starring: Deanna Lund, Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Don Marshall, Heather Young
First Aired: September 22, 1968
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $250,000 per episode*

It is likely that sci-fi aficionados will know this one because it was produced by sci-fi creator Irwin Allen, who had previously made four other programs that centered around science fiction notions prior to Land of the Giants. Land of the Giants even developed its own media property in the form of novels, which is still in production. Three of the books based on the series were written by Murray Leinster, a well-known science-fiction author, and the other two were written by other authors. Among those who appeared in Land of the Giants was Kurt Kasznar as a special guest and Gary Conway as the main character. Several characters were trapped on a planet where everything is twelve times the size of Earth after being caught in the magnetic field of an interplanetary space storm.

Land Of The Giants

Mack & Myer for Hire

Starring: Mickey Deems, Joey Faye
First Aired: 1963
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1,000 per episode (unable to hire guest actors)*

It is likely that sci-fi aficionados will know this one because it was produced by sci-fi creator Irwin Allen, who had previously made four other programs that centred around science fiction notions prior to Land of the Giants. Land of the Giants even developed its own media property in the form of novels, which is still in production. Three of the books based on the series were written by Murray Leinster, a well-known science-fiction author, and the other two were written by other authors. It starred Kurt Kasznar as a special guest and Gary Conway as the main protagonist in Land of the Giants. Several characters were trapped on a planet where everything is twelve times the size of Earth after being caught in the magnetic field of an interplanetary space storm.

Mack & Myer For Hire

Miami Undercover

Starring: Lee Bowman, Rocky Graziano
First Aired: January 23, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $10,000 per episode*

You’ve probably heard of Miami Vice and CSI: Miami, but you might not have heard of Miami Undercover, which was a one-season television series that aired in 1961 and served as a sort of prequel to those shows (and thirty-eight episodes). Miami Undercover was a crime drama in which Lee Bowman played as Jeff Thompson, a private investigator who works in Miami. In the film, Thompson and his partner (played by retired boxer Rocky Graziano) are paid by local business owners to keep the area surrounding their establishment clean and free of criminal activity. Despite the fact that the show was broadcast in black and white and shot with a single camera, it appeared to be shot in the 1950s.

Miami Undercover

Planet of the Apes

Starring: Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper, James Naughton, Mark Lenard
First Aired: September 13, 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $250,000 per episode*

Disney Studios owns a portion of the Planet of the Apes media empire, which includes the film franchise and television series. The French television show La Planete des singes, which aired in 1963, was the inspiration for the film Planet of the Apes. The franchise has inspired a slew of comic books, novels, movies, and remakes and reboots since it was discovered by American filmmakers. The television series Planet of the Apes was one of the first television entries into this media empire, which would go on to make more than $2 billion in worldwide box office revenue with its films. CBS broadcasted this live-action series as part of its 1974 autumn television lineup. Unfortunately, the show’s low ratings proved to be its downfall.

Planet Of The Apes

The Saint

Starring: Roger Moore, Geoffrey Keen, Arnold Diamond, Aubrey Morris, Lois Maxwell
First Aired: February 9, 1969
Number of Seasons: 6
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*

In 1920, Leslie Charteris invented the character of Simon Templar, a Batman-like superhero who assists police officers in solving criminal cases. The Templars have served as the inspiration for a variety of television episodes, novels, and films, with The Saint being one of those shows. The American television network NBC broadcasted the British spy thriller series as part of their summer lineup. It filled the hole left by another show earlier in the evening. The Saint turned out to be an extremely profitable venture for ITC. It ran for 120 episodes and brought in $450 million (adjusted for inflation) for the network in its first season. The majority of the episodes of the show were shot in black and white because color television was only a few years away at the time.

The Saint

Thunderbirds

Starring: Sylvia Anderson, David Holliday, David Graham, Matt Zimmerman
First Aired: September 30, 1965
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $962,000 per episode (adjusted for inflation)
Thunderbirds were yet another popular British television show. Sylvia and Gerry Anderson, the owners of the production business AP Films, were responsible for the creation of this science fiction series. The ITC program had a massive budget of about $1 million per show, which made it the most expensive show ever. This was due to the use of special effects in the presentation, which did not feature any human actors. Thunderbirds made use of “supermarionation,” which is a type of electric marionette puppetry that is quite advanced. Scale models were used to create the special effects segments for the film. It only lasted two seasons since it couldn’t be sustained on a commercial basis. Following the rejection of the show by American networks, despite the efforts of Anderson’s funder, Lew Grade, the show was canceled.

Thunderbirds

The Ernie Kovacs Show

Starring: Ernie Kovacs, Edie Adams, Jolene Brand, Boris Karloff, Bill Wendell
First Aired: April 1953
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $15 per week (for props)*

The Ernie Kovacs show starred not only Ernie Kovacs, but also Boris Karloff, Bill Wendell, Jolene Brand and Edie Adams. This show is part of an elite group of shows that were broadcast on all four U.S. networks during TV’s golden age. It appeared in various formats in several time slots. The show was in the format of a late-night talk show, combined with Saturday Night Live. This show was insanely popular; people even sent in homemade props! Reportedly, the prop budget was a lowly $15 a week as a consequence.

The Ernie Kovacs Show

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In

Starring: Dan Rowan, Ruth Buzzi, Dick Martin, Arte Johnson, Goldie Hawn
First Aired: September 9, 1967
Number of Seasons: 6
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode* This show came about during a volatile period, and provided some much-needed comic relief. The idea of a ‘Laugh-In’ was to spoof a sit-in or die-in, a couple of forms of protest during the Vietnam era. It featured comedy bits, recurring sketches and pre-taped segments. Starring Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, it pumped out 140 episodes across six seasons. Each show ran for between 45-48 minutes and had a very recognizable theme tune.

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In

Gigglesnort Hotel

Starring: Bill Jackson
First Aired: 1975
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown – described by Jackson as “not a whole lot” A creative, popular children’s program that aired from 1975 to 1978; Gigglesnort Hotel was broadcast on WLS-TV. The host was Bill Jackson, the host of other popular kids’ shows like The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show and Clown Alley. The show featured Jackson as the hotel clerk, checking in various puppet guests. Upon conclusion of the show, Jackson donated all of his puppets to the Chicago Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Gigglesnort Hotel

The !!!! Beat

Starring: Hoss Allen, Gatemouth Brown
First Aired: January 31, 1966
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

A show that featured DJ Hoss Allen and his backup house band, led by Gatemouth Brown. The !!!! Beat aired in 1966 and was one of the first shows to be recorded in color, rather than black and white. It aired at WFAA, an ABC affiliate in Texas and took full advantage of ABC’s budget to acquire color facilities, something Nashville stations couldn’t offer. The show was a variety series and had many famous guests, such as Freddie King, Etta James and Otis Redding.

The !!!! Beat

Mystery Theater

Starring: Himan Brown, E.G. Marshall
First Aired: January 6, 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1,000 per episode* Mystery Theater was a long-running popular radio show that may have lasted only one season, but had 1,399 original episodes. If you were to include reruns, there was a total of 2969 broadcasts of this show over an eight year period (1974-1982). The show was read by Himan Brown, who told horror, mystery and ghost stories to listeners.

Mystery Theater

Mona McCluskey

Starring: Juliet Prowse, Denny Miller, Herbert Rudley, Robert Strauss, Bartlett Robinson
First Aired: September 16, 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $15,000 per episode*

Often referred to as Meet Mona McCluskey, the show aired from 1965 to 1966, having a sole season with twenty-six episodes. The sitcom centered around Mona, a hopeful actress who attempts to break into the industry while maintaining her marriage with Mike, an unsupportive husband. Guest appearances occurred from actors like Herbert Rudley, Barry Kelley and Sal Mineo.

Mona McCluskey

Heaven for Betsy

Starring: Cynthia Stone, Jack Lemmon
First Aired: December 23, 1952
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $2,500 per episode*
Heaven for Betsy didn’t last a super long time, only broadcasting from September to December 1952. However, it did take up that fall lineup slot on major broadcaster CBS. The two stars, Stone and Lemmon, were married on the show, but also in real life! It was based on The Frances Langford/Don Ameche Show sketch called The Couple Next Door, something that the star couple often appeared in.

Heaven For Betsy

The Starlost

Starring: Gay Rowan, Robin Ward, Keir DeLuca
First Aired: September 22, 1973
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $569,560 per episode (with inflation)*

The Starlost was a sci-fi show that was first broadcast in 1973. It is notorious for being one of the most expensive shows for it’s time and lasted only one season (16 episodes). The show featured a group of colonists that crewed a huge colony spacecraft, The Earthship Ark. Having gone off course, the show revolved around attempting to keep the true nature of Earthship secret.

The Starlost

He & She

Starring: Paula Prentiss, Richard Benjamin, Jack Cassidy, Hamilton Camp, Kenneth Mars
First Aired: September 6, 1967
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

The show aired on CBS and was a part of its late sixties lineup. The show starred another real-life married couple, coming across as a couple in the attempts to get along despite their differences. It featured a sophisticated humor that was considered ahead of its time.

He & She

Car 54, Where Are You?

Starring: Joe E. Ross, Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Paul Reed, Hank Garrett
First Aired: September 17, 1961
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $15 million for the movie* This show was an extremely popular sitcom that centered around the misadventures of a pair of police officers in NYC. The show’s title came from the show itself, where they worked for the 53rd precinct, and their patrol car was number 54. Filmed in black and white, the show was filmed on location in the Bronx.

Car 54, Where Are You

Salvage 1

Starring: Trish Stewart, Andy Griffith, Joel Higgins, Richard Jaeckel, Heather McAdam
First Aired: January 20, 1979
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode* Salvage 1 centered on Andy Griffith’s character, Harry, a man who decided that he wanted to visit the moon with the idea that he could salvage things to sell back down on Earth. The sci-fi show featured a spaceship built from salvaged parts and powered by mono-hydrazine, a chemical that the show made up to suit its purposes. The spaceship used on the show was actually repurposed from an old tanker truck from Texaco.

Salvage 1

Occasional Wife

Starring: Michael Callan, Patricia Harty, Bryan O’Byrne
First Aired: September 13, 1966
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $150,000 per episode* This sitcom starred Peter Christopher as a bachelor loving the single life, but struggling at work as a result. Christopher’s boss is a strong fan of monogamy and marriage and as a result, Christopher convinces a girl that he meets to act as his wife. The show pumped out 30 episodes and guest starred Bryan O’Byrne.

Occasional Wife

Dante

Starring: Howard Duff, Tom D’Andrea, Mort Mills, Alan Mowbray
First Aired: October 3, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode* NBC Drama, Dante, starred Willie Dante, the operator of a nightclub in San Francisco. Dante was no longer a hardened criminal and followed him in his attempts to stay clear of trouble. In one season and twenty-six half-hour episodes, we were able to enjoy Dante’s attempts to live a straight life.

Dante

Bus Stop

Starring: Marilyn Maxwell, Rhodes Reason, Richard Anderson, Joan Freeman, Buddy Ebsen
First Aired: October 1, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode* A drama that aired for twenty-six episodes, Bus Stop was set in the fictional town of Sunrise, near the Rocky Mountains. Bus Stop was initially a play (written by William Inge), and was then adapted into a television series. It featured various travelers entering and leaving a bus station and a nearby diner. Despite having a promising, popular premise, the show struggled to find new guest stars for every week.

Bus Stop

Frontier Circus

Starring: Chill Wills, Pat O’Malley, Richard Jaeckel
First Aired: October 5, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $225,000 per episode*
Frontier Circus was a part of the Western genre, although it featured a traveling circus. The show’s plot revolved around a circus in the West in the 1880s. It aired on CBS for a solitary 4 weeks in the fall of 1962. It was produced by Revue Productions and was written by Frank Price and Sam Peeples. Despite high hopes, Frontier Circus ran for just one season, and it had twenty-six episodes. In attempts to make the show more popular, they relied on calling in guest stars weekly.

Frontier Circus

Operation Petticoat

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, John Astin
First Aired: September 17, 1977
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $400,000 per episode* This series was actually inspired by a movie of the same name, with the adapted series airing from 1977 to 1979. The show unfortunately stunted after two seasons as a result of a large portion of the cast being replaced. This hasty action led to lower ratings and an eventual cancellation from the network. The show lasted only thirty-two episodes but features a young Jamie Lee Curtis.

Operation Petticoat

Ghost Story

Starring: Billy Goldenberg, Robert Prince, William Castle
First Aired: March 17, 1972
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode* Nowadays, you may have heard of a show called American Horror Story. However, it has been said that it was inspired from this very show. Ghost Story followed a very similar format, featuring recurring actors and actresses, as well as various supernatural characters. It ran for one season, producing twenty-two episodes before ratings got so low that they had no choice but to take it off the air.

Ghost Story

Branded

Starring: Chuck Connors, Anna Morrell
First Aired: January 24, 1965
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*
Branded was a Western show sponsored by Procter & Gamble. It took hold of a Sunday night slot airing at prime time 8.30 PM EST. It was set in the Wild West post-civil war, a time of actual cowboy presence. Connors starred as US Army Captain Jim McCord. This character was court-martialed and ejected from the army because of unfair accusations of cowardice. The show followed McCord in his exploits and ran for two seasons, forty-eight episodes.

Branded

Destry

Starring: John Gavin, Med Flory, Ron Hayes, Roger Mobley
First Aired: February 14, 1964
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000 per episode*

Destry is an example of another Western show that we just have to revisit. The show was actually rushed into production to accommodate star John Gavin, who wasn’t so available. It was actually based on a Western film called Destry Rides Again from 1939. The show features a cop who is somewhat of a marksman with guns but harbors anti-violence beliefs.

Destry

My Living Doll

Starring: Bob Cummings, Julie Newmar, Jack Mullaney, Doris Dowling
First Aired: September 27, 1964
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $500/week* My Living Doll was a unique sci-fi sitcom that kicked off in an unusual way. Most of the time, a major network show has a pilot request, but this wasn’t the case for My Living Doll. The show revoles around Dr. McDonald while he tries to help an Amazonian robot fit into regular society. They spend a lot of time evading the US military.

My Living Doll

Me and the Chimp

Starring: Ted Bessell, Anita Gillette, Scott Kolden, Kami Cotler
First Aired: January 13, 1972
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1 million* per episode

CBS learned very little from the Hathaways about how not to behave on television. Instead, they chose not to learn from the mistakes of others and instead produced a similar show in the 1970s called Me and the Chimp, which was a hit at the time. Starring Ted Bessell as dentist Mike Russell, the show followed a typical American family as they lived with Buttons, a former space chimp who had returned to Earth. The chimpanzee that starred in this CBS sitcom was actually owned by Lou Schumacher, an experienced animal expert who worked on the show. Thomas L. Miller and Garry Marshall came up with the idea for Me and the Chimp. It would be Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days that Marshall and Miller would become most known for, as they were significantly more successful and better written than their previous work on the show. As you might guess, Buttons was the cause of much mayhem in and around the Russell household, but the notion didn’t resonate with the intended audience. Instead, Buttons returned to his trainer, and Bessell went back to making television movies before directing The Tracey Ullman Show in 1989.

Me And The Chimp

Do You Remember These Shows From The 50’s, 60’s, And 70’s

My Favorite Martian

Starring: Ray Walston, Bill Bixby, Alan Hewitt, Pamela Britton
First Aired: September 29, 1963
Number of Seasons: 3
Estimated Production Cost: $70,000* per episode with inflation

My Favorite Martian

Bourbon Street Beat

Starring: Richard Long, Andrew Duggan, Arlene Howell, Van Williams
First Aired: October 5, 1959
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Bourbon Street Beat

Tales of Tomorrow

Starring: Lon Chaney, Jr., Thomas Mitchell
First Aired: August 3, 1951
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000* per episode with inflation

Tales Of Tomorrow

Shotgun Slade

Starring: Scott Brady
First Aired: October 24, 1959
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $52,000* per episode with inflation

Shotgun Slade

Flying High

Starring: Kathryn Witt, Connie Sellecca, Pat Klous, Howard Platt
First Aired: August 28, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Flying High

The Hathaways

Starring: Peggy Cass, Jack Weston, Marcy Grace Canfield, Harvey Lembeck, Barbara Perry
First Aired: October 6, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

The Hathaways

Peck’s Bad Girl

Starring: Wendell Corey, Marsha Hunt, Patty McCormick, Ray Ferrell
First Aired: 1959
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $45,000* per episode with inflation

Peck’s Bad Girl

Broadside

Convoy

Starring: John Gavin
First Aired: September 17, 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $12 million*

Convoy

Holmes & Yo-Yo

Starring: Jack Sher, Lee Hewitt
First Aired: September 25, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000* per episode with inflation

Holmes & Yo Yo

The Brothers Brannagan

Starring: Stephen Dunne, Mark Roberts, Barney Phillips
First Aired: September 24, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

The Brothers Brannagan

Coronado 9

Starring: Rod Cameron
First Aired: September 6, 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $60,000* per episode with inflation

Coronado 9

Diver Dan

Starring: Allen Swift, Frank D. Freda, Suzanne Turner
First Aired: January 4, 1960
Number of Seasons: N/A
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Diver Dan

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

Johnny Midnight

Sea Hunt

Starring: Lloyd Bridges
First Aired: January 4, 1958
Number of Seasons: 4
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000* per episode with inflation

Sea Hunt

David Cassidy: Man Undercover

Starring: David Cassidy, Simon Oakland, Wendy Rastatter
First Aired: November 2, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $90,000* per episode with inflation

David Cassidy Man Undercover

It’s a Man’s World

Starring: Glenn Corbett, Michael Burns, Ted Bussell, Randy Boone
First Aired: September 17, 1962
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $85,000* per episode with inflation

It’s A Man’s World

Supertrain

Another Day

Starring: David Groh, Joan Hackett, Hope Summers, Lisa Lindgren, Al Eisenmann
First Aired: April 8, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $62.8 million*

Another Day

Doc Elliott

Starring: James Franciscus
First Aired: May 1, 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Doc Elliott

Gemini Man

Starring: Ben Murphy, William Sylvester, Katherine Crawford
First Aired: September 23, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

Gemini Man

The Blue Angels

Death Valley Days

Starring: Stanley Andrews, Ronald Reagan, Rosemary DeCamp, Robert Taylor, Dale Roberton
First Aired: March 1, 1952
Number of Seasons: 18
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000*

Death Valley Days

The Everglades

Starring: Gordon Casell, Ron Hayes
First Aired: October 9, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $300 for the land*

The Everglades

The Jim Backus Show

Starring: Jim Backus, Nita Talbot, Bobs Watson, George Ives
First Aired: 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000*

The Jim Backus Show

The Virginian

Starring: James Drury, Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, Roberta Shore
First Aired: September 19, 1961
Number of Seasons: 9
Estimated Production Cost: $330,000 per episode*

The Virginian

The Time Tunnel

Starring: Robert Colbert, James Darren, Lee Meriwether
First Aired: September 9, 1966
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $500,000 pilot episode*

The Time Tunnel

Ripcord

Starring: Larry Pennell, Ken Curtis, Shug Fisher, Paul Comi, Allison Hayes
First Aired: June 3, 1961
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $200,000 per episode*

Ripcord

My Mother the Car

My Mother The Car

Mister Ed

Starring: Alan Young, Connie Hines, Allan Lane, Bamboo Harvester
First Aired: January 5, 1961
Number of Seasons: 6
Estimated Production Cost: $70,000 pilot*

Mister Ed

Gibbsville

Starring: Biff McGuire, Gig Young, Johnny Savage, Peggy McCay
First Aired: November 11, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $140,000 per episode*

Gibbsville

Mr. T. and Tina

Starring: Pat Morita, Susan Blanchard, Ted Lange, Jerry Fujikawa
First Aired: September 25, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown (several episodes unaired)

Mr. T. And Tina

All That Glitters

Starring: Barbara Baxley, Lois Nettleton, Vanessa Brown, Jessica Walter
First Aired: April 18, 1977
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000 per episode*

All That Glitters

Hee Haw Honeys

Starring: Misty Rowe, Lulu Roman, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kenny Price
First Aired: September 12, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $40,000 per episode*

Hee Haw Honeys

Co-Ed Fever

Starring: Alexa Kenin, Heather Thomas, David Keith, Hamilton Camp
First Aired: February 4, 1979
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown (most episodes unaired)

Co Ed Fever

Hello, Larry

Starring: Kim Richards, McLean Stevenson, Joanna Gleason, Krista Errickson
First Aired: January 26, 1979
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $250,000 in total*

Hello, Larry

The Ropers

Starring: Audra Lindley, Norman Fell, Patty McCormack, Jeffrey Tambor, Evan Cohen
First Aired: March 13, 1979
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $30,000 per episode*

The Ropers

Bearcats

Starring: Dennis Cole, Rod Taylor, Roy Jenson, Edward Faulkner
First Aired: September 16, 1971
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $8,000 for the cars on the show*

Bearcats

Chopper One

Starring: Jim McMullan, Ted Hartley, Dirk Benedict, Lou Frizzell
First Aired: January 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1.2 million in total*

Chopper One

Get Christie Love

Starring: Teresa Graves, Charles Cioffi, Andy Romano, Jack Kelly, Harry Guardino
First Aired: January 22, 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*

Get Christie Love

Wagon Train

Starring: Robert Horton, Ward Bond, Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson, John McIntire
First Aired: September 18, 1957
Number of Seasons: 8
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*

Wagon Train

Land of the Giants

Starring: Deanna Lund, Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Don Marshall, Heather Young
First Aired: September 22, 1968
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $250,000 per episode*

Land Of The Giants

Mack & Myer for Hire

Starring: Mickey Deems, Joey Faye
First Aired: 1963
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1,000 per episode (unable to hire guest actors)*

Mack & Myer For Hire

Miami Undercover

Starring: Lee Bowman, Rocky Graziano
First Aired: January 23, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $10,000 per episode*

Miami Undercover

Planet of the Apes

Starring: Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper, James Naughton, Mark Lenard
First Aired: September 13, 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $250,000 per episode*

Planet Of The Apes

The Saint

Starring: Roger Moore, Geoffrey Keen, Arnold Diamond, Aubrey Morris, Lois Maxwell
First Aired: February 9, 1969
Number of Seasons: 6
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*

The Saint

Thunderbirds

The Ernie Kovacs Show

Starring: Ernie Kovacs, Edie Adams, Jolene Brand, Boris Karloff, Bill Wendell
First Aired: April 1953
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $15 per week (for props)*

The Ernie Kovacs Show

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In

Gigglesnort Hotel

The !!!! Beat

Starring: Hoss Allen, Gatemouth Brown
First Aired: January 31, 1966
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

The !!!! Beat

Mystery Theater

Mona McCluskey

Heaven for Betsy

Heaven For Betsy

The Starlost

Starring: Gay Rowan, Robin Ward, Keir DeLuca
First Aired: September 22, 1973
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $569,560 per episode (with inflation)*

The Starlost

He & She

Starring: Paula Prentiss, Richard Benjamin, Jack Cassidy, Hamilton Camp, Kenneth Mars
First Aired: September 6, 1967
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown

He & She

Car 54, Where Are You?

Car 54, Where Are You

Salvage 1

Occasional Wife

Dante

Bus Stop

Frontier Circus

Operation Petticoat

Ghost Story

Branded

Destry

Starring: John Gavin, Med Flory, Ron Hayes, Roger Mobley
First Aired: February 14, 1964
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000 per episode*

Destry

My Living Doll

Me and the Chimp

Starring: Ted Bessell, Anita Gillette, Scott Kolden, Kami Cotler
First Aired: January 13, 1972
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1 million* per episode

Me And The Chimp

Cain’s Hundred

Starring: Peter Mark Richman, Carol Rossen
First Aired: September 19, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $150,000 per episode*

Cain’s Hundred is a crime drama with a plot that is unlike many other crime dramas from the time period. Peter Mark Richman starred in the show, which had over twenty writers on board. Richman portrayed a former Mafia member who married and wanted to “go straight” after his marriage. The Mafia took exception to this and placed a hit on Richman. Richman wanted vengeance and teamed up with the FBI to take down one-hundred of the mob’s deadliest members when the gunman inadvertently shot his fiancée. The show lasted for one season and thirty episodes.

Cain’s Hundred

Darkroom

Starring: Helen Hunt, Billy Crystal, Claude Akins, June Lockhart, Brian Dennehy, Richard Anderson, Carole Cook, Lawrence Pressman
First Aired: November 7, 1981
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $300,000 per episode*

Darkroom, which aired from November 27, 1981 to January 15, 1982, appears to have been a source of inspiration for AHS. Darkroom is a thriller that aired on ABC and was produced by Universal. It contained anthological storylines. Each episode had two horror/thriller plots. James Coburn hosted the wraparound for the episode. Each story in Darkroom included new performers (different than AHS). There were seven episodes and sixteen segments in the show. Helen Hunt, Billy Crystal, Claude Akins, June Lockhart, Brian Dennehy, Richard Anderson, Carole Cook, Lawrence Pressman, and a slew of other notable actors starred on Darkroom.

Darkroom

Ben Jerrod

Starring: Michael M. Ryan, Anderson Richards, Lyle Talbot, Isabel Randolph
First Aired: April 1, 1963
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: ?

In the spring/early summer of 1963, the serial Ben Jerrod ran for a few months. It was a landmark show since it was the first daytime drama to be shown in color. It aired on April 1, 1963, the same day as The Doctors and General Hospital. The show lasted one season and consisted of 65 half-hour episodes. The show aired on NBC and had a relatively brief run when compared to other daytime dramas. Two months on the air is extremely brief in the world of soap operas. Michael Ryan, who later went on to work on the soap Another World, starred in the show.

Ben Jerrod

Way Out

Starring: Roald Dahl, Martin Balsam, Michael Conrad, Murray Hamilton, Henry Jones
First Aired: March 31, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $225,000 per episode*

This spooky horror/fantasy/sci-fi series was hosted by legendary novelist Roald Dahl. Way Out, which premiered in 1961, had thirty-minute horrific presentations that began with Dahl in a hall of mirrors. The show, like AHS, dealt with odd issues. For example, in one of the series, a rival lover was murdered with ground tiger whiskers. One of Dahl’s stories, “William and Mary,” was incorporated in another theatrical plot. The plot revolved around a wife seeking vengeance on her recently deceased husband, whose disembodied brain she kept alive in a bowl of water. There were fourteen episodes in one season of this entertaining show.

Way Out

The Fantastic Journey

Starring: Jared Martin, Ike Eisenmann, Carl Franklin, Katie Saylor, Roddy McDowall
First Aired: February 3, 1977
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $400,000 per episode*

The Fantastic Journey was a one-season science fiction programme. It aired nine episodes, with thirteen of them serving as a mid-season replacement for another series. Low ratings doomed The Fantastic Journey, and two months after its cancellation, NBC aired a tenth episode. Jared Martin, Ike Eisenmann, and Carl Franklin starred in the program. The plot revolved around the Bermuda Triangle. In the show, a family embarked on a trip and ended up in the Triangle, where they were transferred to another universe. The show’s producer, D.C. Fontana, later said that she didn’t have enough time to make it, which contributed to the show’s critical acclaim.

The Fantastic Journey

A Year At The Top

Starring: Greg Evigan, Paul Shaffer, Gabriel Dell, Julie Cobb
First Aired: August 5, 1977
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $175,000 per episode*

A Year at the Top was a 1970s sitcom that aired on CBS for only five episodes. Two struggling musicians were highlighted on the broadcast. The musicians make a one-year bargain with the devil’s son in order to achieve success. Greg Evigan and Paul Shaffer played the two brothers in A Year at the Top. TAT Communications Co. produced the sitcom, with Norman Lear and Don Kirshner serving as showrunners. Heywood Kling was the show’s originator. The show lasted a half-hour and was distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

A Year At The Top

Paris Precinct

Starring: Claude Dauphin, Louis Jordan
First Aired: April 3, 1955
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000 per episode*

The film Paris Precinct was an attempt to create a French police procedural drama. The show had one season and starred Louis Jourdan and Claude Dauphin. The show had a thirty-minute run length and broadcast on ABC. It premiered in 1955 and was canceled after only a few episodes due to low viewership figures. Because it was based on data from the Surete, which is the French equivalent of detectives and police, Paris Precinct was set in France. Andre Hakim was the director of photography. The show was also known as World Crime Hunt for a short time, a tribute to its international focus.

Paris Precinct

Our Man Higgins

Starring: Stanley Holloway, Audrey Totter, Frank Maxwell, Ricky Kelman, K.C. Butts
First Aired: October 3, 1962
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $100,000 per episode*

From October 3, 1962, to May 17, 1973, the show Our Man Higgins aired for one season and thirty-four episodes. Higgins, an English butler portrayed by Stanley Holloway, was the focus of the episode. A suburban American family inherits the butler, resulting in a big cultural conflict. The parents of the suburban family are played by Frank Maxwell and Audrey Totter. Ricky Kelman, Regina Groves, and K.C. Butts play the three youngsters. The show began as a radio comedy series in the early 1950s, but it was converted for comedic television by ABC.

Our Man Higgins

Everglades!

Starring: Ron Hayes, Gordon Casell
First Aired: October 9, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $2 million per season*

Everglades was another police procedural show. Everglades! was a one-season television show created by Albert Wilmore that blended outdoor adventure and law enforcement. It aired in the early 1960s. It was a syndicated show with a total of 38 episodes. Constable Lincoln Vail, played by Ron Hayes, was a constable with the Everglades County Patrol. In an airboat, Vail assisted in the investigation of a crime in the Florida Everglades. Hayes was a passionate outdoorsman in real life, so the role was ideal for him. He was also a staunch environmentalist. Jack Herzberg, John Floria, and Franklin Adreon directed the majority of the episodes.

Everglades!

Adam-12

Starring: Martin Milner, Kent McCord
First Aired: September 21, 1968
Number of Seasons: 7
Estimated Production Cost: $300,000 per episode*

Adam-12 was a police drama that portrayed the exploits of the Los Angeles Police Department. Martin Milner and Kent McCord featured as Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, two LAPD cops. Jack Webb and Robert Cinader, the former of whom produced the popular show Dragnet, devised the show. The show, which aired from 1968 to 1975, is credited with popularizing the concept of a police procedural and introducing the public to police lingo and procedures. Mark VII Limited and Universal Television produced the show, which MCA TV distributed in half-hour blocks.

Adam 12

Arrest and Trial

Starring: Ben Gazzara, Roger Perry, Chuck Connors, John Larch
First Aired: September 15, 1963
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $150,000 per episode*

Ben Gazzara agreed to star as the lead detective in Arrest and Trial, a crime/legal drama that ran for ninety minutes on ABC, as long as the show avoided casting police in stereotypical roles. After he was shown a script that portrayed him as a “thinking man’s cop,” he agreed to sign onto the show. Arrest and Trial ran for one season and thirty episodes, and it also starred Roger Perry, Chuck Connors, and John Larch. The episodes were the early inspiration for the massive Law & Order franchise that would sweep TV. The premise would be adopted by those creators decades in the future.

Arrest And Trial

Combat!

Starring: Vic Morrow, Rick Jason, Pierre Jalbert, Dick Peabody, Jack Hogan
First Aired: October 2, 1962
Number of Seasons: 5
Estimated Production Cost: $183,000 per episode* Several Emmys were nominated and won for this show, including one for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. From October 2, 1962, through March 14, 1967, Combat! aired for five seasons. It followed the exploits of an American platoon battling its way across Western Europe during WWII. The show depicted battle in a realistic manner. It was adamant about not glorifying the conflict or the soldiers. Its focus was not on transforming the soldiers into sanitized heroes, but on demonstrating how they tried to maintain their humanity in the darkest hours of the war, while being on the right side.

Combat!