Retro TV Nights (Minus One)

Every so often I like to take a look at network viewing nights from the classic TV era that can be recreated through DVDs and streaming services.

The criterion was always that every show had to be accessible. But that restriction kept several interesting lineups from making the cut. So this time I’m going to feature viewing nights where every show but one is available – and then offer a suggestion that would make a fitting substitute for the series still out of circulation.

ABC: Thursday, 1969

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir

That Girl

Bewitched

This is Tom Jones

It Takes a Thief

Oh yes it’s ladies night…and the feeling’s right…

What a great start to a lineup with three classic, Emmy-winning, female-led sitcoms. Both The Ghost & Mrs. Muir and Bewitched feature supernatural stories, and while That Girl settles for stories with mere mortals, one has to wonder what special powers Donald Hollinger had for dating the delightful but very high-maintenance Ann Marie for five years. 

And before anyone asks, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir is available on DVD, just not in this country. If you have a region-free DVD player, you’re good to go. 

There has also been a This is Tom Jones release, but as with many variety shows it does not feature episodes in their entirety. So that’s the one we need to replace before getting to It Takes a Thief, featuring another TV heartthrob in Robert Wagner.

Since so few variety shows are available, we’ll need to go elsewhere for something that fits well in this lineup – how about Here Come the Brides, with Bobby Sherman and David Soul?

ABC: Tuesday, 1964

Combat

McHale’s Navy

The Tycoon

Peyton Place

The Fugitive

I wonder how well the switch from a serious military show to a silly one worked back in 1964. Perhaps it seemed like a relief, after an hour of mud-soaked combat, to enjoy some lighter moments with the crew of PT-75. 

McHale’s Navy was followed by another sitcom starring Walter Brennan as a cantankerous millionaire and Van Williams (the Green Hornet!) as his assistant and private pilot. With that cast how bad could it be? We’ll probably never know now, so let’s change that to F-Troop and keep the military theme going. Then, settle back for some high-class drama with Peyton Place and The Fugitive. 

CBS: Saturday, 1970

Mission: Impossible

My Three Sons

Arnie

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Mannix

This was quite the mix-and-match grab bag of shows for CBS at the start of a new decade. The bookends are fine with Mission: Impossible at the start and Mannix wrapping up the night. My Three Sons was running on fumes after ten seasons, while The Mary Tyler Moore Show was just beginning its celebrated seven-season run. 

In between was Arnie, a series about a blue-collar worker (Herschel Bernardi) promoted to a white-collar position, and how that change impacts his family and coworkers. 

Never saw it so I can’t tell you if it’s any good. But to take its place let’s go with Here’s Lucy, another old-school sitcom that would transition well out of My Three Sons.

ABC: Thursday, 1975

Barney Miller

On the Rocks

The Streets of San Francisco

Harry O

Two half-hour comedies followed by two hour-long dramas was a familiar programming pattern, and here we’ve got a pretty good variety with just the lone weak link in On the Rocks. A comedy set in a prison was always going to be a tough sell, even with a cast of stalwart comic talents like Rick Hurst, Tom Poston, Hal Williams and Mel Stewart. 

Barney Miller is a great show that doesn’t get enough attention now, including in this blog. I’ll try to rectify that. After that, pop in an episode of Soap in place of On the Rocks. Soap actually did follow Barney Miller on ABC’s 1978 schedule, and both shows had an absurdist streak that makes them a good match.

And when it’s time to get serious, viewers are in good hands with Karl Malden and Michael Douglas in Streets, and David Janssen as Harry O. 

CBS: Friday, 1977

Wonder Woman

The Incredible Hulk

Flying High

Two-thirds of this lineup makes sense, with shows based on comic book superheroes. Wonder Woman was the more breezy and colorful series, while The Incredible Hulk offered a more somber treatment of Dr. David Banner’s search for a cure to his unique condition. Both characters have since appeared in films that rendered the limited special effects possible on the TV shows even more regrettable. But taken on their own terms they are still fun to watch. 

And to round out the night, we’ve got…stewardesses? Flying High was CBS’s attempt to recreate the success of Charlie’s Angels with the lovely trio of Pat Klous, Connie Sellecca and Katrhyn Witt. Every week brought a different set of travelers, including all the usual ‘70s suspects – Charo, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Dennis Cole, Dick Gauthier, Barbi Benton – so yeah, I’d pick it up. 

But since one-season flops from 1977 rarely hit DVD, let’s substitute The Amazing Spider-Man, another cheesy comic-inspired show that also debuted on CBS that year. 

ABC: Wednesday 1986

Perfect Strangers

Head of the Class

Dynasty

Hotel

Music rights is probably the reason Head of the Class remains unavailable on DVD, since almost all of ABC’s other TGIF-era series have been released, including the awful Step by Step. As I’ve always been a fan of shows set in schools it would be a first-day purchase for me. Whatever did happen to Khrystyne Haje? 

But since we must, let’s slot in another show with great school scenes, Boy Meets World, to complete that first hour. After that it’s two hours of escapist romance, luxury and intrigue with Dynasty and Hotel.