There was also McGoohan’s previous series, Danger Man, known over here as Secret Agent. Like The Prisoner, it was broadcast on CBS.
Also, up through the 1970s anyway, some independent UHF stations in the U.S. were broadcasting syndicated British shows. I remember seeing Dave Allen and The Two Ronnies on channel 18 in Milwaukee, for example. There might have been others.
You’re not the only one baffled by this. Perhaps there’s a mysterious base of fans, or perhaps PBS is just getting the series really cheap. I suspect the second reason more.
For me, Served is worse than mediocre. In fact it has what Dave Barry calls “anti-humor”: it actually damages my ability to enjoy all other humor. When I do catch a few minutes of Served — and it’s only by bad luck that this ever happens — I might as well turn off the TV for the rest of the night. I might as well cancel my cable subscription the next morning, and donate my TV to the Goodwill. I am not fond of this television series, is the message I’m trying to get across here.
And then PBS torments us by showing something good — like One Foot in the Grave, or Murder Most Horrid — for a few months, and then never showing it again. Why can’t they repeat those shows over and over?
Because we’re not buying enough of their coffee mugs and tote bags, apparently.