This country and the world first got to know Michael Jackson on the radio and on television, as part of the Jackson 5. They made their TV debut, as so many performers did, on CBS' "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Just how popular were they? ABC put a Saturday morning cartoon on the air for them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbC8Jx2WLpk
Farrah Fawcett (Then Farrah Fawcett-Majors) had made commercials and had appeared in numerous television shows when Aaron Spelling tapped her for "Charlie's Angels." Here's the introduction to the pilot episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW_daBHfjag
Finally, Ed McMahon, whose job was to make the leader - whether Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show," Jerry Lewis on the Labor Day telethon or any of the current notables who came from "Star Search" - look good. He looked pretty good himself. YouTube has a treat: An eight-part interview with McMahon for the Archive of American Television. It is television history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkdbCDB1KRk
Now, they all belong to the ages.
See you next week.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Week of June 19: Rabbit Ears' Top 10 Episodes
Rabbit Ears Top 10 Television Episodes of All Time
Last week, this site mentioned TV Guide’s selection of its Top 100 television episodes of all time. That triggered this list, which is in chronological order.
1. I Love Lucy, “Lucy Goes To the Hospital”: Any number of episodes of the greatest series of all time could qualify. But this one goes because the mayhem is so natural – Ricky, Fred and Ethel waiting on eggshells for Lucy to have the baby. The rehearsal. Then, the hilarious chaos when the real thing doesn’t go as planned. Ricky’s Babalu mask. Finally, the news from the taken-aback nurse: “Mr. Ricardo, they’re bringing your….little boy to the window.” Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley were at the top of their game. Number 1 in every way.
2. Bewitched, “The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara”: At its heart, this ABC comedy was about fighting prejudice through its funny look at witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) and her marriage to mortal Darrin (Dick York in this episode). This episode tackles ageism through the attempts of Samantha’s mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead), and company to put Aunt Clara out to pasture because her witchcraft is getting rusty. Samantha tries to help her favorite aunt. Who doesn’t cheer when Aunt Clara – played with charm by Marion Lorne – helps herself when she sees Darrin walk in the door?
3. Hawaii Five-O, “Once Upon a Time”: At its best, the CBS police series that ran 12 years took a personal look at its detectives. Few episodes got more personal than this two-parter, in which Five-O head Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) fought a medical faith-healer/quack (Joanne Linville) who bled his sister (Nancy Malone) financially and emotionally to treat her leukemia-stricken child. Series creator Leonard Freeman, who was battling heart disease, had some strong messages about medical care in the United States – delivered in an emotional scene with McGarrett and Five-O second-in-command Danny Williams (James MacArthur) near the end of Part 1. Five-O’s chief would never seem quite so vulnerable again.
4. Maude, “Maude’s Dilemma”: The two-parter in which Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) decides to have an abortion came just 10 episodes into the long-running series. It looks like a stage play, with stellar performances and no coyness from any of the cast members.
5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Chuckles Bites the Dust”: The only episode on which TV Guide and Rabbit Ears agree. Comedy gets a twist during the funeral scene, in which Mary Richards' laugh rivals Garbo in Ninotchka.
6. M*A*S*H, “Life Time”: Choosing an episode from this series is like choosing among many diamonds. But this one – the doctors and staff of the 4077 have 20 minutes to conduct an arterial transplant to save a leg – truly shows the genius in script, cast and direction. Everyone gets to shine. Showing the clock in the corner of the screen adds to the drama.
7. Quincy, M.E., “Scream To the Skies”: This series, the first to focus on a medical examiner (played by Jack Klugman) as a primary character, doesn’t get a lot of attention, though it was a popular, long-running series for NBC. But this episode is a great example of the ultimate in advocacy. A plane crash near Santa Barbara not only tells Quincy how the passengers died, but also the flaws in airplane safety procedures – flaws that have yet to be corrected almost 30 years later. It’s impossible to keep your eyes off the scene in which he prompts a Congressional committee to put on the life vests within a fixed time. Most can’t do so.
8. The Cosby Show, “A Shirt Story”: “No 13-year-old boy should be wearing a $75 shirt unless he’s on stage, singing with his five brothers,” said Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby). This episode pokes fun at teenagers’ obsession with high fashion through Denise Huxtable’s (Lisa Bonet) attempts to make brother Theo (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) the shirt of his dreams. His reaction when his dream shirt turns into a nightmare is hilarious.
9. Designing Women, “The Rowdy Girls”: From a very funny series with often-serious overtones, “Guiding Light’s” Kim Zimmer guests stars as a friend of Charlene (Jean Smart), whom Charlene is trying to persuade to leave an abusive husband. The subplot – the girls playing the Supremes, with the always non-PC Suzanne (Delta Burke) in blackface – touches the funnybone. The mix works well, with an ending guaranteed to leave viewers cheering.
10. The West Wing, “Take this Sabbath Day”: If an entire season could be put into this list, Season 1 of this series would qualify; all the episodes were excellent. In this one, President Jed Bartlett (Martin Sheen) has to decide whether to allow a federal prisoner to be executed. Counseling him, besides his staff, is a priest played by Karl Malden.
Eight of the episodes are available on DVD; the "Quincy" and "Designing Women" episodes are not - those seasons have yet to be released.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Last week, this site mentioned TV Guide’s selection of its Top 100 television episodes of all time. That triggered this list, which is in chronological order.
1. I Love Lucy, “Lucy Goes To the Hospital”: Any number of episodes of the greatest series of all time could qualify. But this one goes because the mayhem is so natural – Ricky, Fred and Ethel waiting on eggshells for Lucy to have the baby. The rehearsal. Then, the hilarious chaos when the real thing doesn’t go as planned. Ricky’s Babalu mask. Finally, the news from the taken-aback nurse: “Mr. Ricardo, they’re bringing your….little boy to the window.” Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley were at the top of their game. Number 1 in every way.
2. Bewitched, “The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara”: At its heart, this ABC comedy was about fighting prejudice through its funny look at witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) and her marriage to mortal Darrin (Dick York in this episode). This episode tackles ageism through the attempts of Samantha’s mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead), and company to put Aunt Clara out to pasture because her witchcraft is getting rusty. Samantha tries to help her favorite aunt. Who doesn’t cheer when Aunt Clara – played with charm by Marion Lorne – helps herself when she sees Darrin walk in the door?
3. Hawaii Five-O, “Once Upon a Time”: At its best, the CBS police series that ran 12 years took a personal look at its detectives. Few episodes got more personal than this two-parter, in which Five-O head Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) fought a medical faith-healer/quack (Joanne Linville) who bled his sister (Nancy Malone) financially and emotionally to treat her leukemia-stricken child. Series creator Leonard Freeman, who was battling heart disease, had some strong messages about medical care in the United States – delivered in an emotional scene with McGarrett and Five-O second-in-command Danny Williams (James MacArthur) near the end of Part 1. Five-O’s chief would never seem quite so vulnerable again.
4. Maude, “Maude’s Dilemma”: The two-parter in which Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) decides to have an abortion came just 10 episodes into the long-running series. It looks like a stage play, with stellar performances and no coyness from any of the cast members.
5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Chuckles Bites the Dust”: The only episode on which TV Guide and Rabbit Ears agree. Comedy gets a twist during the funeral scene, in which Mary Richards' laugh rivals Garbo in Ninotchka.
6. M*A*S*H, “Life Time”: Choosing an episode from this series is like choosing among many diamonds. But this one – the doctors and staff of the 4077 have 20 minutes to conduct an arterial transplant to save a leg – truly shows the genius in script, cast and direction. Everyone gets to shine. Showing the clock in the corner of the screen adds to the drama.
7. Quincy, M.E., “Scream To the Skies”: This series, the first to focus on a medical examiner (played by Jack Klugman) as a primary character, doesn’t get a lot of attention, though it was a popular, long-running series for NBC. But this episode is a great example of the ultimate in advocacy. A plane crash near Santa Barbara not only tells Quincy how the passengers died, but also the flaws in airplane safety procedures – flaws that have yet to be corrected almost 30 years later. It’s impossible to keep your eyes off the scene in which he prompts a Congressional committee to put on the life vests within a fixed time. Most can’t do so.
8. The Cosby Show, “A Shirt Story”: “No 13-year-old boy should be wearing a $75 shirt unless he’s on stage, singing with his five brothers,” said Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby). This episode pokes fun at teenagers’ obsession with high fashion through Denise Huxtable’s (Lisa Bonet) attempts to make brother Theo (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) the shirt of his dreams. His reaction when his dream shirt turns into a nightmare is hilarious.
9. Designing Women, “The Rowdy Girls”: From a very funny series with often-serious overtones, “Guiding Light’s” Kim Zimmer guests stars as a friend of Charlene (Jean Smart), whom Charlene is trying to persuade to leave an abusive husband. The subplot – the girls playing the Supremes, with the always non-PC Suzanne (Delta Burke) in blackface – touches the funnybone. The mix works well, with an ending guaranteed to leave viewers cheering.
10. The West Wing, “Take this Sabbath Day”: If an entire season could be put into this list, Season 1 of this series would qualify; all the episodes were excellent. In this one, President Jed Bartlett (Martin Sheen) has to decide whether to allow a federal prisoner to be executed. Counseling him, besides his staff, is a priest played by Karl Malden.
Eight of the episodes are available on DVD; the "Quincy" and "Designing Women" episodes are not - those seasons have yet to be released.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Week of June 12: The Last Conversion
This from the Christian Science Monitor:
Eight million owners of television sets want to know if their sets are obsolete. Many more millions of potential owners, facing a new 10 percent federal tax starting Nov. 1, want to know if they should buy now.
That isn't a recent article about analog vs. digital television sets. That sentence was from a 1950 article, when the talk was about television going from black-and-white to color.
On this day when analog television says goodbye, it's good to think back to a time when another television conversion was taking place. It actually took about 15 years from the time that article was published for a complete conversion on the three American television networks.
NBC was actually the first to start broadcasting in color, with specials during the 1950s. Dancer Fred Astaire filmed a couple of specials for the network in color. Of course, the famous NBC Peacock came about to show viewers that "The following program is brought to you in living color." (Comedian Bob Hope, who spent more than half a century with the network, later joked that "the peacock was hatched from an egg I laid.")
CBS would go to a full-color schedule in the fall of 1966. As an experiment, during the 1965-66 season, the network had all of its programs air an episode in color, including the long-running "Perry Mason." The show that starred Raymond Burr as the celebrated lawyer was actually cancelled after that season, but the episode, an Oliver Twist-takeoff called "The Tale of the Twice Told Twist," is available on the special DVD that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the series. (Check local stores or online.)
ABC would also go full-color during the mid-1960s. Well, almost. As late as the early 1970s, newscasts on the then-third-place network were still in black-and-white.
Here's a link to an interesting page with information and videos on the black-and-white to color transition:
http://www.ev1.pair.com/colorTV/colorTVlogos.html
Hope your digital transition is going smoothly!
*****************************
TV Guide has come out with its list of the 100 greatest television episodes, guaranteed to generate more than 100 arguments (including a few from this corner). So tune in next week for Rabbit Ears' Top 10 Television Episodes of all time.
Until then, Happy Viewing!
Eight million owners of television sets want to know if their sets are obsolete. Many more millions of potential owners, facing a new 10 percent federal tax starting Nov. 1, want to know if they should buy now.
That isn't a recent article about analog vs. digital television sets. That sentence was from a 1950 article, when the talk was about television going from black-and-white to color.
On this day when analog television says goodbye, it's good to think back to a time when another television conversion was taking place. It actually took about 15 years from the time that article was published for a complete conversion on the three American television networks.
NBC was actually the first to start broadcasting in color, with specials during the 1950s. Dancer Fred Astaire filmed a couple of specials for the network in color. Of course, the famous NBC Peacock came about to show viewers that "The following program is brought to you in living color." (Comedian Bob Hope, who spent more than half a century with the network, later joked that "the peacock was hatched from an egg I laid.")
CBS would go to a full-color schedule in the fall of 1966. As an experiment, during the 1965-66 season, the network had all of its programs air an episode in color, including the long-running "Perry Mason." The show that starred Raymond Burr as the celebrated lawyer was actually cancelled after that season, but the episode, an Oliver Twist-takeoff called "The Tale of the Twice Told Twist," is available on the special DVD that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the series. (Check local stores or online.)
ABC would also go full-color during the mid-1960s. Well, almost. As late as the early 1970s, newscasts on the then-third-place network were still in black-and-white.
Here's a link to an interesting page with information and videos on the black-and-white to color transition:
http://www.ev1.pair.com/colorTV/colorTVlogos.html
Hope your digital transition is going smoothly!
*****************************
TV Guide has come out with its list of the 100 greatest television episodes, guaranteed to generate more than 100 arguments (including a few from this corner). So tune in next week for Rabbit Ears' Top 10 Television Episodes of all time.
Until then, Happy Viewing!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Week of June 5: Land of the Lost, the series
The productions of Sid and Marty Kroft are remembered as tools of the 1970s and Saturday mornings. One of them, "Land of the Lost," has been made into a feature film with Will Ferrell.
The television series ran from 1974-77 on NBC. It was about a family, a park ranger and his two children, who were caught up in an earthquake and wound up in a land with dinosaurs. The cast never really became famous (The most famous person was Bill Laimbeer, the basketball player.). And a look at the introduction shows how far television hadn't yet come with special effects.
But the show became a cult classic, and has been released on DVD. The movie will be in theaters this week.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
The television series ran from 1974-77 on NBC. It was about a family, a park ranger and his two children, who were caught up in an earthquake and wound up in a land with dinosaurs. The cast never really became famous (The most famous person was Bill Laimbeer, the basketball player.). And a look at the introduction shows how far television hadn't yet come with special effects.
But the show became a cult classic, and has been released on DVD. The movie will be in theaters this week.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Week of May 29: "I Bid You a Very Heartfelt Good Night"
Jay Leno's imminent departure from NBC's "The Tonight Show" to a five-night-a-week slot at 10 p.m. recalls another "Tonight Show" departure, 17 years ago last Friday: Johnny Carson's.
There was a big and justifiable buildup: Carson had reigned as the king of late-night television for 30 years. With his guests (including a poetry-reading Jimmy Stewart, the potato-chip lady, the accordion lady and many more), his skits (Aunt Blabby, Floyd R. Turbo, parodies of newsmakers including Walter Cronkite and Presidents Carter and Reagan), his experiences with animals and his monologues, he set the standard.
His emotional last two shows - May 21 and 22, 1992 - set ratings records, as well as standards. The May 21 show featured Bette Midler and Robin Williams. The May 22 show featured Carson in an unconventional pose - sitting on a stool - through the monologue and the end, when he told the audience, "I bid you a very heartfelt good night."
Carson had hoped to come back to entertain in a different manner. He was seen sporadically - a 1993 Bob Hope birthday special on NBC; as one of the Kennedy Center honorees, also in 1993, and on a couple of editions of CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" - before his death in 2005.
There is an official site for Carson/Tonight Show clips, DVDs and a good guide to who was on and what they talked about. Heeeeere's Johnny:
http://www.johnnycarson.com/carson/home.jsp
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
There was a big and justifiable buildup: Carson had reigned as the king of late-night television for 30 years. With his guests (including a poetry-reading Jimmy Stewart, the potato-chip lady, the accordion lady and many more), his skits (Aunt Blabby, Floyd R. Turbo, parodies of newsmakers including Walter Cronkite and Presidents Carter and Reagan), his experiences with animals and his monologues, he set the standard.
His emotional last two shows - May 21 and 22, 1992 - set ratings records, as well as standards. The May 21 show featured Bette Midler and Robin Williams. The May 22 show featured Carson in an unconventional pose - sitting on a stool - through the monologue and the end, when he told the audience, "I bid you a very heartfelt good night."
Carson had hoped to come back to entertain in a different manner. He was seen sporadically - a 1993 Bob Hope birthday special on NBC; as one of the Kennedy Center honorees, also in 1993, and on a couple of editions of CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" - before his death in 2005.
There is an official site for Carson/Tonight Show clips, DVDs and a good guide to who was on and what they talked about. Heeeeere's Johnny:
http://www.johnnycarson.com/carson/home.jsp
See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Week of May 22: Being Upfront About Upfronts
This week, the television networks had the upfronts - the unveiling of their fall schedule. Critics and viewers have looked over the schedules and decided what new shows might get a look-see next fall.
Here are some blasts from the past:
Dick Kleiner, 1963:
"The Fugitive is another different idea. David Janssen stars as a fugitive from justice - innocent, of course - and for 13 weeks, Barry Morse will try to capture him while he in turn tries to capture the genuinely guilty parties."
"The Fugitive" went way past 13 weeks - more like four seasons, with the last episode one of the highest rated programs in television history. It also spawned a hit movie starring Harrison Ford.
Dick Kleiner, same column:
"A spinoff from The Beverly Hillbillies called Petticoat Junction. Yuch."
Viewers didn't complain. Petticoat Junction was a hit for CBS through the end of the 1960s.
Ronald Boyd, St. Petersburg Times, 1981 (article about Fred Silverman):
"Then there's Hill Street Blues. Silverman's pet, it has the potential of making TV history."
It certainly did, with standards for television excellence and honors. It eventually became one of the keys to NBC's 1980s turnaround. Silverman got back on top, too, producing series like "Matlock."
Steve Sonsky, Miami Herald, 1989:
"ABC would seem to have the most to offer next fall; one other new show may be worth mentioning: If it opts for true feelings over saccharine melodrama, the new Sunday 7 p.m. entry, Life Goes On, starring Patti LuPone in the story of a working- class family of five inspired by the indomitability of their Down's syndrome middle child, could be a ground-breaker."
The show ran until 1993, and Chris Burke became an inspiration to those with Down's syndrome and their families. Burke would later have a recurring role on CBS' "Touched By An Angel."
Sonsky, 1984
"For better or worse, Miami is either going to influence, or be a footnote to, a little piece of television history. For better or worse, there has never been a show on television quite like Miami Vice. It is a show that is certain to be talked about. It is a show that contains flashes of brilliance with its cinematic and scoring innovation, but that, at times, can be disturbing in its brutality in the name of realism."
Miami Vice would run on NBC until 1989; the show that Brandon Tartikoff conceived of with the expression "MTV Cops" would also contribute to NBC's rebirth - as well as Miami's.
Janis Froelich, St. Petersburg Times, 1988:
ABC's Roseanne will be a hit, scheduled Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9 p.m. I didn't like it very much, but I can spot mass appeal when I see it.
I didn't like it very much, either, but many viewers did; it ran until 1997.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Upfront Viewing!
Here are some blasts from the past:
Dick Kleiner, 1963:
"The Fugitive is another different idea. David Janssen stars as a fugitive from justice - innocent, of course - and for 13 weeks, Barry Morse will try to capture him while he in turn tries to capture the genuinely guilty parties."
"The Fugitive" went way past 13 weeks - more like four seasons, with the last episode one of the highest rated programs in television history. It also spawned a hit movie starring Harrison Ford.
Dick Kleiner, same column:
"A spinoff from The Beverly Hillbillies called Petticoat Junction. Yuch."
Viewers didn't complain. Petticoat Junction was a hit for CBS through the end of the 1960s.
Ronald Boyd, St. Petersburg Times, 1981 (article about Fred Silverman):
"Then there's Hill Street Blues. Silverman's pet, it has the potential of making TV history."
It certainly did, with standards for television excellence and honors. It eventually became one of the keys to NBC's 1980s turnaround. Silverman got back on top, too, producing series like "Matlock."
Steve Sonsky, Miami Herald, 1989:
"ABC would seem to have the most to offer next fall; one other new show may be worth mentioning: If it opts for true feelings over saccharine melodrama, the new Sunday 7 p.m. entry, Life Goes On, starring Patti LuPone in the story of a working- class family of five inspired by the indomitability of their Down's syndrome middle child, could be a ground-breaker."
The show ran until 1993, and Chris Burke became an inspiration to those with Down's syndrome and their families. Burke would later have a recurring role on CBS' "Touched By An Angel."
Sonsky, 1984
"For better or worse, Miami is either going to influence, or be a footnote to, a little piece of television history. For better or worse, there has never been a show on television quite like Miami Vice. It is a show that is certain to be talked about. It is a show that contains flashes of brilliance with its cinematic and scoring innovation, but that, at times, can be disturbing in its brutality in the name of realism."
Miami Vice would run on NBC until 1989; the show that Brandon Tartikoff conceived of with the expression "MTV Cops" would also contribute to NBC's rebirth - as well as Miami's.
Janis Froelich, St. Petersburg Times, 1988:
ABC's Roseanne will be a hit, scheduled Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9 p.m. I didn't like it very much, but I can spot mass appeal when I see it.
I didn't like it very much, either, but many viewers did; it ran until 1997.
See you next week. Until then, Happy Upfront Viewing!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Week of May 15: Cliffhangers - Tune In Next Season.....
The Web site Mr. Pop History says that the first television cliffhanger came in a 1951 episode of "Superman," but the first one that's remembered came at the end of the 1977-78 season of the ABC series "Soap." Seems logical. "Soap" was a spoof of soap operas.
But the cliffhanger was rare through television's first 30 years or so. Formula dramas like "Perry Mason" and "Hawaii Five-O" never had them. Neither did comedies.
Of course, the first cliffhanger just about everyone remembers came in 1980, when J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was shot on the season finale of "Dallas." It took five months and an actors' strike until viewers worldwide found out the shooter was his sister-in-law, Kristen (Mary Crosby).
Since then, many dramas and comedies have had cliffhangers. It's become a cottage industry to predict what's going to happen in the cliffhanger....Never mind what will happen next season! (Well, at least until after the cliffhanger.)
Some of the best cliffhangers.....
*Season 1, "The West Wing," "What Kind of Day Has It Been": An assassination attempt on President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) as he came out of a town-hall meeting. "Who's been hit?" was the operative question. Answer: Bartlet (not seriously, but the coverup of his multiple sclerosis started in earnest) and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), who was seriously injured. The shooting was done by a white supremacist going after the president's aide, Charlie (Dule Hill), who was dating Bartlet's daughter, Zoe (Elisabeth Moss).
*"Friends," "The One With Ross' Wedding": While I confess I never watched this show, it takes some imagination to have Ross (David Schwimmer) say Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston's) name while he's marrying someone else.
*Season 7, "Frasier," "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue, Part 2": Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) do a "Graduate" and run away together after confessing their true feelings to each other.
*Anything produced by the Bellisarios: "Magnum, P.I.," "JAG" and now "NCIS" get kudos for cliffhangers that drive you crazy, but make you watch.
Best of the bunch: The end of Seasons 7 and 8 for "Magnum."
Season 7's "Limbo," saw Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) get shot. He recovered, but only after angry fans feared the series might end with him killed off.
The series finale, Season 8's "Resolutions," ended with one never resolved (by design): Did Rick Wright (Larry Manetti) say "I Do" to Cleo?
*"Las Vegas" also gets kudos for most of its cliffhangers. But NBC gets a "Boo" for cancelling the show with some storylines unresolved (not by design).
See you next week. Until then, Happy Cliffhanger Viewing!
But the cliffhanger was rare through television's first 30 years or so. Formula dramas like "Perry Mason" and "Hawaii Five-O" never had them. Neither did comedies.
Of course, the first cliffhanger just about everyone remembers came in 1980, when J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was shot on the season finale of "Dallas." It took five months and an actors' strike until viewers worldwide found out the shooter was his sister-in-law, Kristen (Mary Crosby).
Since then, many dramas and comedies have had cliffhangers. It's become a cottage industry to predict what's going to happen in the cliffhanger....Never mind what will happen next season! (Well, at least until after the cliffhanger.)
Some of the best cliffhangers.....
*Season 1, "The West Wing," "What Kind of Day Has It Been": An assassination attempt on President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) as he came out of a town-hall meeting. "Who's been hit?" was the operative question. Answer: Bartlet (not seriously, but the coverup of his multiple sclerosis started in earnest) and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), who was seriously injured. The shooting was done by a white supremacist going after the president's aide, Charlie (Dule Hill), who was dating Bartlet's daughter, Zoe (Elisabeth Moss).
*"Friends," "The One With Ross' Wedding": While I confess I never watched this show, it takes some imagination to have Ross (David Schwimmer) say Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston's) name while he's marrying someone else.
*Season 7, "Frasier," "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue, Part 2": Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) do a "Graduate" and run away together after confessing their true feelings to each other.
*Anything produced by the Bellisarios: "Magnum, P.I.," "JAG" and now "NCIS" get kudos for cliffhangers that drive you crazy, but make you watch.
Best of the bunch: The end of Seasons 7 and 8 for "Magnum."
Season 7's "Limbo," saw Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) get shot. He recovered, but only after angry fans feared the series might end with him killed off.
The series finale, Season 8's "Resolutions," ended with one never resolved (by design): Did Rick Wright (Larry Manetti) say "I Do" to Cleo?
*"Las Vegas" also gets kudos for most of its cliffhangers. But NBC gets a "Boo" for cancelling the show with some storylines unresolved (not by design).
See you next week. Until then, Happy Cliffhanger Viewing!
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