# TV shows that lasted one episode **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121 "2005-07-25T22:15:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/1 "2005-07-25T22:15:32Z")
Are there any TV shows that lasted only one episode? I did a search of this forum and a Google search, too. It seems only two programs got yanked the same hour they premiered…one was called “Party Wagon” and the other was an ABC variety show called “Turn On.” Would this be correct? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/2 "2005-07-25T22:17:00Z")
Jackie Gleason hosted a quiz show called _You’re in the Picture_\*. Technically it lasted two episodes, however, Gleason spent the entire second show apologizing for how bad the first one was. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/3 "2005-07-25T22:21:12Z")
Glen Frey was in a stinker called “South of Sunset”. When it aired on its original network, CBS, only the pilot was shown before it was cancelled. The other episode was eventually shown on VH1. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/4 "2005-07-25T22:21:13Z")
How about the Paul McGann Doctor Who? it could be considered a different show than the rest of DW (I suppose) There probably some TV movies that were going to be pilots for TV shows but the shows never followed. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/5 "2005-07-25T22:25:30Z")
According to Wiki and other sources, the show _Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos_ was cancelled **in the middle** of its only episode. > [@](#): > > Nine Network owner Kerry Packer purportedly personally telephoned the station, telling them to “Get that shit off the air”. After a commercial break, a re-run of a Cheers episode was aired instead. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/6 "2005-07-25T22:26:14Z")
I believe that The Paula Poundstone show lasted only one episode. I also recall seeing an episode of a show called Act II with Sandy Duncan. I don’t think there was ever a second episode of that aired either. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/7 "2005-07-25T22:29:57Z")
So Act II never got past act I, and Turn On was turned off. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/8 "2005-07-25T22:45:03Z")
> [@Doug Bowe](#): > > Are there any TV shows that lasted only one episode? I did a search of this forum and a Google search, too. > It seems only two programs got yanked the same hour they premiered…one was called “Party Wagon” and the other was an ABC variety show called “Turn On.” > > Would this be correct? I never saw it but I think ABC did end up airing all of that one episode of “Turn On” before yanking it for good. However, I believe a few of ABC’s affiliates did bail out halfway through the episode. Back in 1979, all three of the networks came up with\*\* Animal House\*\*-influenced (or, in the case of ABC’s, directly spun-off by the movie) sitcoms about rowdy frathouses. All flopped but none so notably than CBS’s “Co-Ed Fever.” To guarantee strong ratings, CBS scheduled the premiere episode immediately following the first network showing of **Rocky**. Unfortunately, there was such a precipitous drop in the network’s ratings during the time “Co-Ed Fever” aired that CBS immediately canceled the show. So, that one airing turned out to be “Co-Ed Fever’s” debut and series finale`. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/9 "2005-07-25T22:58:04Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > I believe that The Paula Poundstone show lasted only one episode. [Uh-oh](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=6312579). ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/10 "2005-07-25T22:59:29Z")
On the NTN trivia this afternoon this exact question (with 5 possible answers) came up, and the answer was, “The Will”, which was on CBS. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/11 "2005-07-25T23:09:03Z")
\Sucker Free City\ was intended to be a series, but only the pilot aired, in a I-guess-we’ll-call-it-a-movie situation. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/12 "2005-07-26T01:04:32Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Jackie Gleason hosted a quiz show called **You’re in the Picture**. Technically it lasted two episodes, however, Gleason spent the entire second show apologizing for how bad the first one was. (fixed coding) I’ve heard this show mentioned a few times when we have threads about bad shows, and I want to know: What was so bad about it? From the name, it almost sounds like they somehow put people in the picture, like a rudimentary blue screen. Is this accurate? I mean…how badly can you screw up a gameshow? And con sidering the utter CRAP gameshows that seemed to have been on in the 50’s, was it really that bad in comparison? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/13 "2005-07-26T01:11:50Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > What was so bad about it? From the book, “Bad TV” by Craig Nelson: Celebrities would stick their head through the cutout holes of a carnival painting and, by asking host Jackie Gleason questions (a la What’s My Line?), try to guess what the painting was. The show was supposed to focus on Gleason’s impromtu jokes and comments (like You Bet Your Life), but the first broadcast was so teduous and amateurish that The Great One (on a bare stage with a bottle of whiskey) spent the first fifteen minutes of the second broadcast apologizing. Sounds good, no? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/14 "2005-07-26T01:13:45Z")
From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > The show consisted of a four-member celebrity panel sticking their heads into a life-sized illustration of a famous scene or song lyric. Each panelist would then take turns asking yes/no questions of Gleason to try and figure out what scene they were a part of. If they were able to figure out the scene, 100 care packages were donated in their name; if they were stumped, the packages were donated in Gleason’s name. It doesn’t sound that bad, especially when one considers, say, _Beat the Clock_. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/15 "2005-07-26T01:24:03Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Celebrities would stick their head through the cutout holes of a carnival painting and, by asking host Jackie Gleason questions (a la What’s My Line?), try to guess what the painting was. The show was supposed to focus on Gleason’s impromtu jokes and comments (like You Bet Your Life), but the first broadcast was so teduous and amateurish that The Great One (on a bare stage with a bottle of whiskey) spent the first fifteen minutes of the second broadcast apologizing. The basic problems were: 1)It was hopelessly difficult for the celebrity guests to guess the pictures from Gleason’s joking hints and 2)The audience saw the answer up front, and thus didn’t have the fun (such as it was) of trying to guess it themselves. As a result, the show was an exercise in watching people flounder around aimlessly. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/16 "2005-07-26T01:30:22Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > The basic problems were: 1)It was hopelessly difficult for the celebrity guests to guess the pictures from Gleason’s joking hints and 2)The audience saw the answer up front, and thus didn’t have the fun (such as it was) of trying to guess it themselves. As a result, the show was an exercise in watching people flounder around aimlessly. This is where _What’s My Line?_ suceeds. Everybody except the celebrity panel knows the “answer” and the fun is watching the celebs choke and sputter and ask unintentionally funny questions. Example: One lady’s line was “repairs zippers”. The panel had surmised that the lady worked with a machine of some sort. Steve Allen asked the question “Is this a machine that a well-trained secretary knows how to operate?” The audience was rolling with laughter. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/17 "2005-07-26T01:39:49Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Jackie Gleason hosted a quiz show called **You’re in the Picture**. Technically it lasted two episodes, however, Gleason spent the entire second show apologizing for how bad the first one was. Making Jackie Gleason the host of a game show makes about as much sense as making Dick Martin the host of a game show. Which he was in the 1970s. And the show was called _The Cheap Show_. And it lasted about as long as _You’re in the Picture_ did. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/18 "2005-07-26T03:10:13Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > And the show was called _The Cheap Show_. And it lasted about as long as _You’re in the Picture_ did. It lasted a year. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/19 "2005-07-26T06:23:08Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_shows_canceled_after_one_episode) lists twelve shows that were canceled after one episode: Australia’s Funniest Home Videos Co-Ed Fever Dot Comedy Lawless The Oblongs (in Australia; it ran for a whole season in the US) OTT South of Sunset Transformers: Zone Turn-On The Will Who’s Your Daddy You’re in the Picture No mention of Party Wagon. Too new? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121/20 "2005-07-26T06:24:20Z")
Er, that’s “Australia’s _Naughtiest_ Home Videos”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-lasted-one-episode/314121.md?page=2)