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THE 20 DEFINING PROGRAMMES OF NBC
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Peacock's Finest Plumage.
- 11. "NBC Saturday Night At The Movies" (1961-1978): For many years, movies were seen as programmeming limited only to local television stations-mostly black and white features made before 1948. But on September 22 1961, the comedy "How To Marry A Millionaire" with Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable made its debut on NBC's new showcase for feature films. "Saturday Night At The Movies" quickly gained a following for two major reasons. First, the films were recent box office hits. Second, most of them were in colour-a potent weapon at a time when NBC was pushing colour programmeming. "Saturday Night At The Movies" also helped usher in bidding wars for the latest Hollywood blockbusters and led to the cheaper made-for-television film. Today, cable and home video are the outlets of choice for the newest theatrical releases. But for a time, millions of Americans were content to watch a recent movie in prime time, for just the cost of some popcorn-and the commercials that interrupted the film every 15 minutes or so.
- 12. "I Spy" (1965-1968): Until "I Spy," African-Americans were seldom seen as regulars on US television series-aside from roles as maids or other stereotypical jobs. "I Spy" changed all that. Hiring black comic Bill Cosby to play opposite Robert Culp as a fellow spy was a big risk at the time. But NBC stood by producer Sheldon Leonard's decision, and "Spy" gained a strong and loyal following, helped by the easygoing relationship between Cosby and Culp. It was a partnership that lasted far longer than "I Spy's" three-year run. Although some NBC stations in the segregated South refused to air the programme, they eventually caved in-and Bill Cosby won three Emmys for his "I Spy" role. The times were indeed a-changin.'
- 13. "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1968-1973): In 1968, the world was going topsy-turvy with protests over the Vietnam war, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Junior and Bobby Kennedy, and opposition to just about everything that signified the status quo. One of the things that went right in '68 was this groundbreaking variety series (which first aired as a one-shot special in September 1967). Producer George Schlatter put the competent team of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin together with such fresh comic faces as Goldie Hawn, Artie Johnson, Jo Anne Worley, Henry Gibson, and Lilly Tomlin. He then had writers come up with hundreds of one-liners that kept Americans glued to their sets. With its quick-fire delivery, topical humour and catch phrases such as "Sock it to me" and "Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls," "Laugh-In" became the top-rated series on television from 1968 until 1970. The show ended in 1973 as the best talent moved on to other projects. Schlatter tried again in the late 1970's with a new version, which gave a young comic named Robin Williams national exposure. But it didn't work. "Laugh-In" was truly a child of the 60's.
- 14. "The Midnight Special" (1973-1981): American television really didn't have much use for rock and roll music (with the notable exceptions of "American Bandstand" and the short-lived prime-time series "Shindig" and "Hullabaloo" in the mid-1960's). "Midnight Special" proved to the networks there was an audience for the latest rock acts-although the show didn't start until 1 AM, after the Friday instalment of "The Tonight Show." Even though it relied mostly on mainstream pop and rock artists (Helen Reddy was
the show's first and last permanent host), it captured a small, devoted
following that kept watching until it went off the air in 1981--just months before a new cable television network called MTV made its debut. In those pre-video days, "The Midnight Special" was one of the few homes for rock music on US television.
- 15. "Saturday Night Live" (1975-present): NBC needed a replacement for reruns of Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" on Saturday nights. What they got, for better or worse, was an American television institution. There was no doubt creator Lorne Michaels and his original "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" were inspired by Britain's Monty Python. Eventually, the cast and writers began to find their own voices and came up with classic humour in the late 1970's. SNL has had its rough spots, but along the way, it has made stars of everyone from Chevy Chase and John Belushi, to Eddie Murphy, Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey and the late, beloved Gilda Radner. (It was also home to some of the best music performances from artists who were considered too radical or uncommercial for prime time.) Commercials, mainstream TV and even politics were fair game for SNL. During the 2000 presidential campaign, Darrell Hammond's Al Gore and Will Ferrell's George W. Bush were so dead-on, the real Gore and Bush (and their campaign staffers) watched the SNL parodies very carefully. After nearly 30 years, SNL remains true to its mission-still "live from New York".
- 16. "Hill Street Blues" (1981-1987): By 1981, NBC was far behind rivals CBS and ABC in prime time, with few hits and no clear direction under the leadership of its beleaguered president Fred Silverman. Maybe Silverman could relate to Captain Frank Furillo, who tried to keep order in a troubled police precinct. Whatever the reason, it was Silverman who ignored test results and let producers Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll have their way with "Hill Street Blues." Every once in a while, a series becomes the gold standard for a genre; "Hill Street" was just that. With its documentary-style feel, high-calibre acting, strong writing and direction, and a refusal to follow the clichés of past cop shows, "Hill Street" won the respect of critics and a sizable number of fans. It was never a smash hit, but the fact that NBC allowed "Hill Street" to stay on the air and build an audience helped turn the network's fortunes around, as top producers began bringing their best projects to NBC. Four years after "Hill Street's" debut, NBC became the
beneficiary of that creative freedom-and so did American television viewers.
- 17. "SCTV" (1981-1983): In the early 1980's, the best sketch and parody comedy came from Canada. "Second City Television" was a fringe success in the late 1970's, when it was sold to local TV stations. NBC took notice and brought a weekly 90-minute "SCTV" to late Friday nights. The talented cast remained (John Candy, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty and Catherine O'Hara), and so did their dead-on aim at overplayed television clichés. And every week, a talented musical act would be included in the "SCTV" machine. "SCTV" skewered everything from overplayed commercials for records, to "entertainers" famous for just being famous. But while the critics loved "SCTV," not a lot of people watched. NBC ended the show two years later. It still holds up beautifully today.
- 18. "Late Night With David Letterman": A standup comic and former regular of a short-lived variety series starring Mary Tyler Moore, Letterman flopped when NBC gave him a daytime talk show in 1980. Two years later, the same act that failed in the morning worked like a charm when Letterman was slotted at 12:30 PM five days a week. "Late Night" made Letterman a household name and the favourite of college students everywhere, because he was everything a talk show host was not supposed to be. "Time" magazine once called Letterman "an insecure, driven, angst-ridden performer with a pathological fear of failure." But that was (and is) his charm. He is the anti-Johnny Carson, who needled and teased his NBC bosses on the air. That disrespect may have been one reason why Jay Leno was named to replace Carson on "Tonight" and Letterman wasn't. But it was NBC's loss; even though Leno draws more viewers than Letterman's rival show on CBS, Dave is still the favourite of critics-and his performance after September 11th (while Leno and others were still trying to find their comic voice) proves he's still the best at what he does-bless his insecure, driven, angst-ridden soul.
- 19. "Cheers": Not many US sitcoms could be called "adult" in the sense that they were more intelligent than their audience. "Cheers" was just that. It proved once and for all that a comedy could succeed by assuming that its audience was intelligent. "Cheers" stuck to the basics-a likable cast, breezy scripts, top-notch production values. But "Cheers" added more to the mix. It was one of the first sitcoms to make a romance between its leading characters a regular storyline; and even its supporting cast was well-rounded, not in for a quick joke or two. Despite very low ratings at the beginning of its run, NBC stuck with the show. That loyalty paid off with dozens of Emmy awards and a growing audience; by 1990, "Cheers" was the number-one show in America. No wonder the final episode was one of the most-watched in US television history. When the decision was made to spin off "Cheers" regular Dr. Frasier Crane, the producers learned their lessons well; "Frasier" is probably the most successful television spin-off ever. After all, you're bound to get noticed at a place where everybody knows your name.
- 20. "The Cosby Show": Nearly twenty years after his groundbreaking role in "I Spy," Bill Cosby changed from globe-trotting private eye to upper-middle-class doctor and family man. And the audience willingly went along for the ride. "The Cosby Show" not only revived the situation comedy format in the US at a time when the genre seemed to be on its last legs, it also helped boost NBC's fortunes. One year after its debut, "Cosby" helped NBC become the leader in prime time for the second half of the 1980's. (NBC's improved ratings-and profits-led General Electric to buy its parent, RCA, and start a new chapter in the network's history.) What should not be lost is the fact that "Cosby" was a very good comedy with credible, likable characters and situations that viewers could relate to. It wasn't a "black comedy." It was a good comedy, period.
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Article: Mike Spadoni, January 2002
http://www.teletronic.co.uk
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