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