The Best of the Worst: The History of Bad TV in 10 Shows

Countdown to the Start of the New TV Season: 3 days 

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/20/19 – ON THIS DAY Two long-running sitcoms premiered in 1984: “The Cosby Show” on NBC and “Who’s The Boss?” on ABC. Both aired for eight seasons…Also debuting: CBS sitcom “You’ll Never Get Rich” in 1955 (which was eventually re-titled “The Phil Silvers Show”), ABC variety hour “The Captain and Tennille” in 1976, and NBC science fiction drama “Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century”…The phrase “jump the shark” originated in 1977 when “Fonzie” (Henry Winkler) responds to a challenge and jumps over a shark (wearing swim trunks and his trademark leather jacket) in the conclusion of a three-part episode of ABC’s “Happy Days.” Although “jump the shark” is normally synonymous with the beginning of the end of any series, “Happy Days” actually survived for another six seasons…Celebrity Birthdays: Actress Sophia Loren is 85; season 11 “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips is 29.
 
Did You Know?:
Actor George Kennedy, who served in the US army, was a technical advisor for “The Phil Silvers Show.” He was also given a bit part, the first acting role of his screen career…”Who’s The Boss?” debuted in the same season as “Three’s Company” spin-off “Three’s a Crowd,“ starring John Ritter. Both were on the fence and ABC decided to only keep one of the two on the air past the freshman season. Since “Who’s The Boss” was the fresher concept, it got the vote of confidence.

Household Rating/Share
ABC: 3.0/ 6, CBS: 2.7/ 5, Fox: 2.0/ 4, NBC: 1.6/ 3, CW: 0.5/ 1

-Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
ABC and Fox: +67 each, CW: no change, CBS: -27, NBC: -16

Ratings Breakdown:
ABC won this third Thursday in September as a result of two-hour ABC News special, “The Last Days of Phil Hartman,” at a 3.0 rating/6 share in the household overnights from 9-11 p.m. ET. But tops for the night was the live CBS “Big Brother” eviction show at a 3.3/ 6 in the 9 p.m. hour. Note to all “Big Brother” fans: didn’t we all know that Cliff ended his game by not keeping Tommy in the house?

For the remainder of the overnight analysis for Thursday, September 19, click here

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Best of the Worst: The History of Bad TV in 10 Shows
A flying nun, a talking car, tone deaf cops, a man turned animal, and those singing and dancing Bradys. These fiascos — “The Flying Nine,” “My Mother the Car,” “Cop Rock,” “Manimal” and that first “Brady Bunch” spin-off — have rightly earned their reputations as some of the most idiotic shows in the history of television.

Then there was the sketch comedy “Turn On” that was turned off in the middle of the first episode. And, let’s face it, beloved “Gilligan’s Island” was not so brilliant either. But there are many more awful series worth remembering. My goal is to enlighten you (or make you scratch your head in wonder) with a sampling of 10 other really bizarre — or just plain bad — TV shows.

Brad Paisley to Be Featured in ABC Special
Country music star Brad Paisley is set to host and executive produce “Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special,” an hour-long prime-time special set to air on ABC later this season from Sony Pictures Television. The logline: the variety special will showcase the energy of Music City from Nashville’s iconic War Memorial Auditorium through a combination of Paisley’s signature humor, unexpected surprises, heartfelt field pieces and rousing musical performances.

Guests on the special will include Kelsea Ballerini, musical group Hootie & The
Blowfish, the Jonas Brothers, NFL legend Peyton Manning, Tim McGraw and
Darius Rucker, and Carrie Underwood.

Predict the Outcomes of the “Big Brother 21” Finale
You’ve followed ‘Big Brother 21’ all summer long and the Final 3 are officially set. Now it’s time to predict what will occur on the season finale, as well as your takes on the season as a whole. The deadline for predictions is when the season finale starts on Wednesday, September 25 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. To vote, click here

The Top 25 TV Shows of the 1970s, click here
TV Review: “Big Brother” on CBS Rebounds From The Early Season Bullying – Click here
Play the Primetime Emmy Awards Pick’Em Game 2019 – Click here
PI Podcast: Handicapping the Emmys – Click here

HBO Max Announces New Film “UNpregnant”
Upcoming streamer HBO Max has confirmed production of “UNpregnant,” adapted from the young adult HarperCollins novel authors Jenni Hendriks (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Ted Caplan. From PICTURESTART and Berlanti Productions, the film offers a mix of humor and grounded human emotion as it tackles complicated friendships and the difficult road to adulthood, all while in a stolen El Camino.

The logline: “UNpregnant” tells the story of seventeen-year-old Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson), who never thought she’d want to fail a test – that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with two solid pink lines. With a promising college-bound future now disappearing before her eyes, Veronica considers a decision she never imagined she’d have to make. This tough and never-taken-lightly decision leads her on a 900+ mile road trip to New Mexico over three days with her ex-best friend Bailey (Barbie Ferreira), where they discover that one of the most important factors in your life is who your friends are.

Rachel Lee Goldenberg (“Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis,” “The Mindy Project”) will direct.

2019 NFL Regular Season Week 3 TV and Announcer Schedule – Click here

The revival of game show “Cash Cab” will begin on Bravo on Monday, October 7 at 11:30 p.m. ET. Each episode (airing Sunday through Thursday) will feature two to three games, and much like the original series it will all start the second the contestant enters the Cash Cab. If the passenger can answer enough questions correctly before making it to their destination, they’ll win big bucks. However, three wrong answers and they’re kicked out of the Cash Cab and back on the street. Along the way they’ll get two shout-outs – one on social media and the other via a street shout out – where the contestant can pull over and ask a stranger for help. Passengers who successfully make it to their destination can simply walk away with their money or they can play a double or nothing video bonus round, either going home incredibly happy or with nothing at all.

“The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes” will debut on Oxygen on Saturday, October 12 at 7 pm ET with a 90-minute series premiere. Holes is best known as the retired cold case investigator whose work was instrumental in identifying a suspect in the Golden State Killer case. The series follows Holes as he dives into unsolved homicides by analyzing the physical and emotional “DNA” left behind during the violent interaction.

Documentary “Any One of Us,“ chronicling pro mountain biker Paul Basagoitia’s remarkable journey to recovery. The film marks the first-ever partnership between HBO Sports and Red Bull Films, telling a story that begins on October 16, 2015, the date of Basagoitia’s traumatic injury, and unfolding in real time through raw, intimate footage — much filmed by Paul himself — of the agonies of an unpredictable journey and uncertain future. It will also be available on HBO On Demand, HBO NOW, HBO GO and partners’ streaming platforms.

“The 74th Annual Tony Awards” will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Sunday, June 7, 2020 (from 8–11 p.m. ET) on CBS and CBS All Access. The Tony Awards, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been broadcast on the Eye net since 1978.