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.
