2012
Jun
18
1992: DEBUT OF CBS'S 'BODIES OF EVIDENCE' By Christy Slewinski
 
 
This day in 1992 marked the debut of CBS's Bodies of Evidence. The police drama, which focused as much on the personal lives of the cops as it did on the cases they solved, starred former Matt Houstonstar Lee Horsley as a veteran homicide detective. His second banana was played by future breakout star George Clooney. Only 16 episodes of Bodies of Evidence were produced. After the show's cancellation, Horsley went on to do a string of TV movies and the short-lived series Hawkeye, a syndicated
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
17
1993: 'EYE TO EYE WITH CONNIE CHUNG' PREMIERES By Christy Slewinski
 
 
On this day in 1993, Just two weeks after joining Dan Rather as co-anchor of The CBS Evening News, Connie Chung's one-hour newsmagazine show, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung, made its debut. Produced by CBS News' Andrew Heyward, the Thursday night program also featured regular reports by Bernard Goldberg, Edie Magnus and Russ Mitchell.Chung became caught up in a media firestorm following her January 5, 1995 Eye to Eye interview with Kathleen Gingrich — mother of then-Speaker of th
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
16
1961: DAVE GARROWAY'S LAST DAY ON 'TODAY' By Christy Slewinski
 
 
This day in 1961 marked the final appearance of Dave Garroway on the Todayshow, one of television's most enduring programs. A World War II vet and seasoned radio reporter, Garroway became one of television's first TV personalities as host of an experimental variety show, Garroway at Large, broadcast from Chicago. In 1952, Garroway began hosting the newly-created morning show, Today, the brainchild of NBC president and television pioneer Sylvester "Pat" Weaver. Nicknamed "The Communicator" fo
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
15
1969: 'HEE HAW' MAKES ITS CBS DEBUT By Christy Slewinski
 
 
On this day in 1969, CBS introduced the cornball variety show, Hee Haw, as a summer replacement for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Hee Haw was patterned after the competing NBC series, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, but with a decidedly rural/country theme. Country music stars Buck Owens and Roy Clark hosted the show, which featured a stable of regulars, including the beloved Louis M. "Grandpa" Jones. The show consisted of comedy skits and musical performances by some of the day's biggest co
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
14
1997: LAST TELECAST OF 'LOIS & CLARK' ON ABC By Christy Slewinski
 
 
This day in 1997 marked the final telecast of the light-hearted ABC drama, Lois & Clark — The New Adventures of Superman. The series starred Dean Cain as the Man of Steel and his alter ego, Clark Kent, and Desperate Housewives' Teri Hatcher as his career-obsessed colleague-turned-love, Lois Lane. Unlike many comic-inspired shows, Lois & Clark put less emphasis on action-adventure and focused primarily on the relationship between the two main characters. That said, it was a r
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
13
1995: 'SOMETHING WILDER' ENDS ITS RUN ON NBC By Christy Slewinski
 
 
This day in 1995 marked the last telecast of Something Wilder, an NBC situation comedy starring Gene Wilder.Wilder played Gene Bergman, the fifty-something co-owner of a small-town Massachusetts advertising company who had become a father (to two precocious fraternal twins) late in life. Much of the show focused on Gene's love for his two boys and the enjoyment he got over spending time with them, and the angst he experienced over the generational age gap.Wilder's on-screen wife was played by
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
12
1963: 'THE PERRY COMO SHOW' GOES MONTHLY By Christy Slewinski
 
 
On this day in 1963, TV showman Perry Como's The Perry Como Show ceased its weekly airings on NBC and became a series of monthly shows, alternating with Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Andy Williams Show and The Road West. The weekly Como show continued on for the next four seasons.Perry Como was one of television's earliest stars. The barber-turned-singer already had numerous hit records to his credit when, in 1948, NBC decided to bring cameras into the radio studio and simulcast Como's radio s
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
11
2002: 'AMERICAN IDOL' MAKES ITS DEBUT By Christy Slewinski
 
 
This day in 2002 marked the debut of American Idol: The Search for a Superstar, which recently completed its eleventh season on Fox (with the since shortened title, American Idol). The singing competition show, based on Simon Fuller's UK show, Pop Idol, became an immediate television sensation. As pretty much everyone knows, aspiring singers perform at open auditions nationwide to compete on the live, televised program. Once the field is narrowed to a select group of hopefuls, the show moves t
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
10
1989: 'TALES FROM THE CRYPT' DEBUTS ON HBO By Christy Slewinski
 
 
On this day in 1989, HBO debuted the horror anthology, Tales of the Crypt. The majority of the show's stories were adapted from a series of EC comics from the 1950s.Each episode featured a campy intro and conclusion by the skeletal Crypt Keeper, a puppet voiced by John Kassir and puppeteer Van Snowden (who also gave life to characters ranging from H.R. Pufnstuf to Child's Play's demon doll, Chucky).The show, which ran seven seasons, was executive produced by Hollywood heavyweights Richard Donn
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Jun
9
2006: MEREDITH VIEIRA LEAVES 'THE VIEW' By Christy Slewinski
 
 
This day in 2006 marked Meredith Vieira's final day with the ABC daytime talk show, The View. One of the daytime program's original hosts (along with Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulous, Barbara Walters and Joy Behar, who initially alternated hosting duties with Walters before becoming a full-time host) Vieira left the popular talk show to replace Katie Couric on NBC's Today show - a role her View co-host, Barbara Walters, held in the 1970s.On Vieira's final day, The View hosts Walters, Behar, Jo
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Day in TV History

1957: Julie Andrews Stars in 'Cinderella'
By TV WW