I never got to see Vendetta, but I did hear about it around the time I started high school. I was reading an article in some YA magazine, and a British girl listed it as one of her favorite shows (“All about the Mafia!”) along with Dick van Dyke.
When it comes to flops, these two shows definitely qualify. The second one was replaced with a nighttime version of The Dating Game. Episodes of both are on YouTube.
I have to add this show, which I found hilariously funny when I was in sixth grade:
I remember that show, vaguely. Karl Malden played the hard workin’ blue collar dad. There was one episode about KM’s erectile dysfunction (which I didn’t-couldn’t watch, but eww)
Here’s one: 1966, Peter Duel and Judy Carne, meet-cute, newlyweds in NY, “Love On A Rooftop”. It played one season and disappeared, but thought to have influenced ‘Dharma and Greg’
A Year at the Top with Paul Shaffer and Greg Evigan - two musicians who make a deal with the devil to become superstars - a summer premiere, cancelled in 5 episodes by September (1977) (I watched all five)
I remember this. It was part of ABC’s Thursday night’s lineup, which included Bewitched and That Girl. I remember Judy’s asshole father, but I had forgotten about Rich Little and the goofy character he played.
All of these were on the 1966 schedule, but none of them did too well. I really liked Blue Light, which later had the first few episodes combined to produce a full-length movie. I wanted to watch Jericho, but it was on opposite Batman. I kept wishing CBS would move it to a different time slot, but they cancelled it instead.
Eric Braeden (aka Hans Gudegast) pretty much made a career out of playing a Nazi on different shows. Jericho is also notable for having had young Walter (“Ensign Chekov”) Koenig as a guest star.
Episodes of most of these are on YouTube.
I have to add this show, which was really good but suffered an unusual fate:
The full two-minute-long version of this jazzy theme is also on YouTube:
The networks used to run promos like this before the start of each new season. I recommend watching it at twice the normal speed. Make sure you catch the end.
Holy technology! Dig that Bat-microview TV cartridge! Is this the first time a home VCR was featured in a scripted television show?
One of the first and only sitcoms I’ve ever gotten into was Caroline in the City, which was on NBC starting in 1995, between Seinfeld and ER. I don’t remember much about it, but it had a romance storyline that I liked.
Oh, definitely Brimstone (1998). John Glover was great as The Devil. Strangely, in spite of being only a little over 20 years old, nobody I mention it to seems to remember anything at all about it. Since it was produced, many TV shows and movies have borrowed heavily from it.
The series features Parks as the protagonist, James “Jim” Bronson, a newspaperman who becomes disillusioned after the suicide of his best friend Nick (Martin Sheen), and with “working for The Man” after a heated argument with his editor.
In order to renew his soul Bronson becomes a vagabond searching for the meaning of life and seeking experiences that life has to offer (as revealed in the series pilot). During his travels, he shares his values with the people he meets along the way and to whom he lends a helping hand when possible. Bronson rides a Harley-Davidson Sportstermotorcycle and, as such, he was viewed by some as a modern version of the solitary cowboy wandering the American west. The motorcycle had previously been sold to Nick by Bronson. After it is left at the scene of the suicide by his friend, Bronson buys it back from the widow.
Though the opening promises a journey of self-discovery, the premise of each episode is that Bronson enters someone else’s life at a crucial point and acts as a catalyst for change.
I often cite this as my secret dream and influence on how I treat friendships. Be there to be an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on, then move on.
Easy Rider trailers were shown on TV at the time and I’ve always associated them with the series. Even at 9 years old, I related to the idea of traveling across America. Oddly, living in Hawaii means flying anywhere and I hate flying and traveling of any kind.
So, is anyone surprised that I held a flirtatious email conversation with his daughter? (embarrassed ) It was a great job! I was making my best dough with internet access and time to spare.
) It was a great job! I was making my best dough with internet access and time to spare.