A List Of Short Lasting or Obscure Shows Not Yet on DVD (2 Viewers)

[Brett*H]

whoops, almost forgot:

The Magician(w/Bill Bixby)-1973-24 episodes

James At 15(w/Lance Kerwin)-1977-21 episodes

The Feather and Father Gang(w/Stefanie Powers)-1977-14 episodes

Sword of Justice(about a modern day Zorro type w/Dack Rambo)-1978-13 episodes

Paradise(western w/Lee Horsley)-1988-56 episodes

 

[Bonnie*F]

George Kaplan-

"I remember very little except the basic premise. It's about a group of people who live in a (I think relatively primative) society, and they end up going on an adventure and discover they're actually on board a spaceship. That's it, all I remember, but I'd love to be able to put a name to this show. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated."

I think you're thinking of "The Starlost". It was a Canadian show that aired from 1973-1974 (16 episodes). It starred Keir Dullea (After his role as David Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey) as Devon, Gay Rowen as Rachel and Robin Ward as Garth. Walter Koenig actually made a guest appearance. This was actually written by Cordwainer Bird - translation Harlan Ellison didn't like the way it had been changed from his stories to the screen. Supposedly, other renounded science fiction writers wrote some of the scripts, also under pseudonyms.
The basic premise was that this huge generation ship had left a destroyed earth "centuries ago" with each biodome a separate individual culture with no contact with the technicians running the ship nor the other domes. The technicians were killed in a meteor collision and these three are attempting to find the controls (or someone with a clue)to save the ship from falling into a sun.
Can you tell, I watched it too. It's on my list of series I'd like to see on DVD but is really unlikely to see.

 

[Bonnie*F]

George Kaplan-

"I remember very little except the basic premise. It's about a group of people who live in a (I think relatively primative) society, and they end up going on an adventure and discover they're actually on board a spaceship. That's it, all I remember, but I'd love to be able to put a name to this show. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated."

I think you're thinking of "The Starlost". It was a Canadian show that aired from 1973-1974 (16 episodes). It starred Keir Dullea (After his role as David Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey) as Devon, Gay Rowen as Rachel and Robin Ward as Garth. Walter Koenig actually made a guest appearance. This was actually written by Cordwainer Bird - translation Harlan Ellison didn't like the way it had been changed from his stories to the screen. Supposedly, other renounded science fiction writers wrote some of the scripts, also under pseudonyms.
The basic premise was that this huge generation ship had left a destroyed earth "centuries ago" with each biodome a separate individual culture with no contact with the technicians running the ship nor the other domes. The technicians were killed in a meteor collision and these three are attempting to find the controls (or someone with a clue)to save the ship from falling into a sun.
Can you tell, I watched it too. It's on my list of series I'd like to see on DVD but is really unlikely to see.

 

[Bonnie*F]

Sorry about the double post:b :b :b

 

[george kaplan]

Bonnie,

Thanks. That's it. I don't remember much about the show, but I was obviously very struck by the premise, given it's short run and the fact that I still remember it 32 years later.

 

[JohnS]

would G.L.O.W.(gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) count?

I would love to see this on dvd

 

[Brian Himes]

Well, here's a handful of 70s shows that lasted 2 seasons or less.

Phyliss
Shaft
Quark
The Swiss Family Robinson (a very young Hellen Hunt)
Lucan
1040 Robert (Mark Harmon & Joanna Cassidy)
Makin' It (The sitcom based on Saturday Night Fever)
The Fantastic Journey
Sanford Arms

 

[Brett*H]

The Ghost and Mrs.Muir-1968(Hope Lange series based on the classic movie)-50 episodes

Nanny and the Professor-1970(w/Juliet Mills as a magical/mysterious nanny)-54 episodes

The Girl With Something Extra-1973(w/Sally Field and John Davidson.Sally is a newlywed w/ESP)-22 episodes.

 

[Linda Thompson]

Brett*H:

Totally off topic, but related to one of the shows on your list (Nanny And The Professor)...thought you might enjoy reading it:

http://tinyurl.com/crcmy

 

[Brett*H]

Thanks Linda. That was a fun read! Cool to see "Nanny and the Professor" mentioned as I am actually old enough (*cough*cough*)to remember watching NATP when it was on prime-time television.

I can remember watching all of the shows on my lists first-run on television except "Honey West".(I was way too young to remember that one )

Thanks,again,for the link.

 

[David Rain]

Being a fan of TV's funny ladies I'll throw these suggestions into the ring:

Filthy Rich (Dixie Carter, Delta Burke)
Amanda's (Bea Arthur)
Delta (Delta Burke)
The Powers That Be (Holland Taylor, John Forsythe)
Bagdad Cafe (Whoopi Goldberg, Jean Stapleton)
It's A Living (Ann Jillian, Sheryl Lee Ralph)
Princesses (Fran Drescher, Julie Haggerty)
Women Of The House (Delta Burke, Patricia Heaton)
Five Mrs. Buchanans (Judith Ivey, Eileen Heckart)
Royal Family (Redd Foxx, Della Reese)
Lenny (Lenny Clarke)
American Dreamer (Robert Urich, Carol Kane)

 

[Elizabeth S]

If you mean the anthology series with James Gandolfini and others, it's already on DVD.

The 2 shows whose early cancellation really angered me were:

EZ Streets: Created by Paul Haggis, who is now a big name with "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash", this series was DARK, gritty and movie-quality with a great cast of Ken Olin, Joe Pantoliano, Jason Gedrick and Debrah Farentino.

Haunted: Matthew Fox's show about a private eye who acquires some extraordinary abilities after a near-death experience. Dark and intriguing show with such promise. Perhaps it was just poor promotion or bad timing, as now the premise seems popular, with "Medium" and the upcoming "Ghost Whisperer".

While part of me would love to see the episodes preserved on DVD, I highly doubt it would happen since they were both left totally hanging plotwise. It would only re-anger fans and frustrate new viewers. A shame, since the Haggis and Fox names would help sell them now. (And I believe there are a couple of episodes of "Haunted" which never aired.)

 

[Linda Thompson]

Another short-lived one which I wouldn't mind seeing hit DVD is USA's "Touching Evil", which served as one of the interim between-season replacements in MONK's timeslot, and then stayed on for a short while afterwards...

 

[Harry-N]

I can't believe no-one's mentioned AfterMASH. Though it was perceived as a poor sequel to M*A*S*H, it had some decent episodes along the way.

 

[John*P]

It's Your Move - Starring Jason Bateman and David Garrison. 1984-85 cult sitcom from the creators of Married with Children. Aired on NBC.

Square Pegs

Just the Ten of Us

Small Wonder

Out of this World

My Two Dads

Caitlin's Way - Nickelodeon show from 2000-2002

Space Cases - Nickelodeon show from 1996-98

Learning the Ropes - Very short-lived pro wrestling sitcom from 1988

It's a Living - Ha! David Rain, I thought I was the only one who remembered this show around here.

Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension

Maniac Mansion

Day by Day

Dear John

Ann Jillian

Hi Honey I'm Home!

Salute Your Shorts

 

[george kaplan]

Another I'd like to see is Ellery Queen. Fairly short-lived (I think it only lasted one season), and obscure enough that no one else has mentioned it. Which doesn't bode well for it's chances. :frowning:

 

[Tory]

Does anyone remember Grand, it had Bonnie Hunt, Sarah Rue, and Michael McKean in it, kind of a sitcom soap class war thing, the whole cast sang the theme, If you're gonna do it do it grand. That should be on DVD.

Day by Day, already mentioned, was pretty good, it had Crystal Bernard and Julia Louis Dreyfus as the two best friends of the teenage son of a couple that ran a daycare center out of their own home played by the Greg Brady from the Brady Bunch films of the 90's who wore a robe all throughout the series. Oddly enough he had an obsession with classic TV and dreamed he was a new sibling on the Brady Bunch with special guest appearances by many from the cast. He went on to play Greg in Crystal Bernard's Brady Bunch dream on Wings.

I seem to remember a decent sitcom in the 90's about a fictitious Presidential family.

 

[TonyD]

that wasnt crystal bernard.
it was Linda kelsey from lou grant and doug sheehan (general hospital) as the stars
courtney thorne smith was also on the show, supporting role.
christopher danial barnes was also the voice of spider-man in the 90's version animated series.

oh and thora birch was on the show too.

 

[Linda Thompson]

Reread Tory's post; it is correct. (As you are correct about the stars of "Day By Day".)

Christopher Daniel Barnes, who played teenage son Ross on "Day By Day", and who once dreamed (on that show) that he was a Brady (Chuck), also played Greg Brady in the BB movies.

Also, there was an episode of Wings on which Crystal Bernard's character (Helen) had a Brady Bunch-themed dream. It was a cross-promotion for one of the BB movies, and it included many of the actors from the movie, playing the Brady siblings...including Christopher Daniel Barnes as Greg.

 

[TonyD]

linda, i'm not sure what you mean,
bernard wasnt on day by day, that was the part of tory's post i was referring to.

"Day by Day, already mentioned, was pretty good, it had Crystal Bernard and Julia Louis Dreyfus as the two best friends"