Det. Sgt. Kate Hudson	Brenda Vaccaro
Prof. Richard Weyland	Arlen Dean Snyder
Det. Brock	Michael McRae
Det. Clay	John Dennis Johnston
Det. Chuck Morris	Jack Ging
Det. Schwartz	Ron Silver
Mrs. Hudson	Lesley Woods
Lisa	Jet Yardum
Capt. Gorcey	M. Emmet Walsh

Kate Hudson juggled three roles—policewoman, lover, and mother—in this short-lived series. Det. Sgt. Hudson was a dedicated professional, who also happened to be in love with Prof. Richard Weyland, a teacher of English literature at U.C.L.A. The fact that she was always “on call” complicated their relationship, as did his distinct lack of enthusiasm for the police and their methods. Kate was also saddled with the responsibility of raising young Lisa, her daughter from a dissolved marriage.

DEAR JOHN (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: October 6, 1988

LAST TELECAST: July 22, 1992

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1988 , NBC Thu 9:00-9:30

Oct 1988-Jan 1990 , NBC Thu 9:30-10:00

Jan 1990—Mar 1990 , NBC Wed 9:30-10:00

May 1990-Oct 1990 , NBC Wed 9:30-10:00

Oct 1990—Dec 1990 , NBC Wed 9:00-9:30

Dec 1990-Mar 1991 , NBC Sat 10:30-11:00

Mar 1991—Jun 1991 , NBC Wed 9:30-10:00

Jul 1991 , NBC Sat 10:00-10:30

Augl991-Sep 1991 , NBC Sat 9:30-10:00

Sep 1991-Oct 1991 , NBC Fri 9:00-9:30

Oct 1991-Jan 1992 , NBC Fri 9:30-10:00

Apr 1992 , NBC Wed 9:30-10:00

Jul 1992 , NBC Wed 9:30-10:00

CAST:

John Lacey	Judd Hirsch
Louise Mercer	Jane Carr
Kirk Morris	Jere Burns
Ralph Drang (1988-1991)	Harry Groener
Kate McCarron	Isabella Hofmann
Mrs. Margie Philhert	Billie Bird
Mary Beth Sutton (1990-1992)	Susan Walters
Tom	Tom Willett
Denise (1990-1991)	Olivia Brown
*Matthew Lacey (1988-1990)	Ben Savage
*Matthew Lacey (1990)	Billy Cohen
*Wendy Lacey (1988-1989)	Carlene Watkins
*Wendy Lacey (1990-1991)	Deborah Harmon
Ben (1991-1992)	William O'Leary
Annie Marino (1991-1992)	Marietta DePrima
* Occasional

THEME:

“Dear John,” by John Sullivan, sung by Wendy Talbot

Character comedy can work in almost any setting, as evidenced by the success of this popular series based on the unfunny subject of divorce. John Lacey was an easygoing high school English teacher from New Rochelle, New York, who came home one day to discover that his wife had dumped him for his best friend. Her note began, “Dear John…”

Wendy got the house, their son Matthew, and everything else that mattered, so John moved into an apartment in Queens and joined the “One-Two-One Club,” a singles support group at the Rego Park Community Center, whose offbeat members seemed guaranteed to cheer anybody up. Kirk was the swaggering ladies' man who was oblivious to his own boorishness; Ralph, the shy, owlish toll collector; Kate, the compassionate but somewhat out-of-touch beauty; Mrs. Philbert, the daft, chattering retiree; and Tom (her boyfriend), the older man who hardly ever said anything. Mary Beth, a sexy but naive Southerner, and Denise, who was in the weight control group across the hall, surfaced later, as did maintenance man Ben. The group leader was Louise, a bubbly, sex-obsessed Englishwoman. Most of them had lost spouses in one hilarious manner or another, and they helped each other fumble through the endless trials of readjustment.

A surprising development in the third season occurred when Wendy decided to have another child by unwilling John. First she tried to withdraw his deposit at a sperm bank, then she handcuffed him to a bed and made love!

Based on the English television series of the same name.

DEAR PHOEBE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 10, 1954

LAST TELECAST: September 11, 1956

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1954-Sep 1955 , NBC Fri 9:30-10:00

Jun 1956-Sep 1956 , NBC Tue 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Bill Hastings	Peter Lawford
Mickey Riley	Marcia Henderson
Mr. Fosdick	Charles Lane
Humphrey Humpsteader	Joe Corey

In this comedy, a college instructor gave up teaching to become the writer of the advice-to-the-lovelorn column in the Los Angeles Daily Blade. Bill Hastings, who wrote under the name Phoebe Goodheart, had a lovelorn admirer of his own in the person of the paper's female sportswriter, Mickey Riley. Mickey tried to hide her affection by being extremely competitive with Bill for choice assignments from Mr. Fosdick, the flinty old managing editor. Bill made no secret of his love for Mickey, however, and many of the episodes developed around their rocky romance. Humphrey Humpsteader was the typical copyboy trying to make it in the newspaper game. The 1956 edition of Dear Phoebe was composed entirely of reruns.

DEATH VALLEY DAYS (Western Anthology)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

30 minutes

Produced: 1952—1975 (558 episodes)

Released: Fall 1952

HOST:

Stanley Andrews (“The Old Ranger”) (1952-1965)

Ronald Reagan (1965-1966)

Robert Taylor (1966-1968)

Dale Robertson (1968-1972)

Merle Haggard (1975)

This modestly produced but very popular anthology was one of the longest-running series in the history of television—and of radio. It began on radio in 1930, as a means of promoting the products of sponsor 20 Mule Team Borax. The stories were all based in fact, and revolved around the legends and lore of Death Valley, California, where borax was mined. Mostly they tended to be human-interest stories, sometimes little more than vignettes, from the days when miners and homesteaders first fanned across the western United States in search of a better life. There were both gentle comedy and drama, for example the story of the Bennett-Arcane party trapped in the sweltering, arid valley in 1849; that of a prospector who bought a white hearse believing that it was a pleasure vehicle; and that of Tiger Lil, the queen of Virginia City in gold-rush days. Hundreds of actors appeared in the series, most of them not big names; the emphasis was clearly on the story.

The only regular, in fact, was the host and narrator, originally Stanley Andrews as “The Old Ranger.” When Andrews left the series in the mid-1960s he was succeeded by a number of hosts, including Ronald Reagan, who dropped out after he was elected governor of California in 1966. Other familiar aspects of the show were the opening bugle call, the scenes of the 20-mule team hauling the borax wagons out of the desert, and Rosemary DeCamp doing the homey commercials for the product. Nearly 600 episodes were filmed, most of them on location in Death Valley.

Death Valley Days was created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, a New York advertising-agency scriptwriter who had never seen the place. After the series went on the air she became fascinated with the area, and made many trips there to gather lore and ideas for stories. She even found a real “old ranger,” a grizzled old desert rat named Wash Cahill, who seemed to know everybody and everything in the valley, and who served as her guide on many of the trips. For Mrs. Woodman, Death Valley Days became a career, and she wrote scripts throughout its long radio run (1930-1945) and when it began on TV as well. In 1960 she claimed that there had never been a script without a solid basis in fact. When asked about the show's extraordinary durability, she remarked, “Sometimes it seems it will go on forever.”

Death Valley Days has been seen in reruns under a variety of titles and with various hosts, including Call of the West (John Payne), Frontier Adventure (Dale Robertson), The Pioneers (Will Rogers, Jr.), Trails West (Ray Milland), and Western Star Theatre (Rory Calhoun).

DEBBIE REYNOLDS SHOW, THE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 16, 1969

LAST TELECAST: September 1, 1970

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1969-Sep 1970 , NBC Tue 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Debbie Thompson	Debbie Reynolds
Jim Thompson	Don Chastain
Charlotte Landers	Patricia Smith
Bob Landers	Tom Bosley
Bruce Landers	Bobby Riha

Debbie Reynolds made her series television debut in this comedy about the unpredictable wife of a successful sports columnist for the Los Angeles Sun. Debbie's efforts to create more excitement for herself than her life in the suburbs offered got her into all sorts of strange situations, much to the consternation of her husband Jim. Debbie's schemes, which were in some ways reminiscent of Lucille Ball's screwball exploits in the old I Love Lucy series, were often helped along by her sister Charlotte. The long-suffering members of Charlotte's family were her husband Bob and their son Bruce.

DEBT (Quiz)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Lifetime

30 minutes

Produced: 1996—1998

Premiered: June 3, 1996

HOST:

Wink Martindale

An early evening game show, with an unusual twist. Contestants began with a negative total reflecting their real-life debt (up to $10,000), and then competed to reduce their totals by answering pop culture questions. A bonus round at the end allowed a contestant to have all his debt paid off, and even go home with money in the pocket—or lose it all and be right back in the hole.

DECEMBER BRIDE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: October 4, 1954

LAST TELECAST: April 20, 1961

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1954-Jun 1958 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00 (OS)

Oct 1958-Sep 1959 , CBS Thu 8:00-8:30

Jul 1960-Sep 1960 , CBS Fri 9:30-10:00

Apr 1961 , CBS Thu 7:30-8:00

CAST:

Lily Ruskin	Spring Byington
Ruth Henshaw	Frances Rafferty
Matt Henshaw	Dean Miller
Hilda Crocker	Verna Felton
Pete Porter	Harry Morgan

Lily Ruskin was that truly rare individual, a mother-in-law who could live with and be loved by her son-in-law. An attractive widow who was very popular with the older set—hence her potential as a “December bride”—Lily's social life revolved around her family as well. Her daughter Ruth and son-in-law Matt were always looking for suitable marriage prospects for Lily, as was her friend and peer, Hilda Crocker. Pete Porter, the next-door neighbor who couldn't stand his mother-in-law, was often seen around the Henshaw household, and he became so popular that he eventually got his own series, Pete and Gladys , after December Bride went off the air. Pete complained constantly about his wife, Gladys, but she was never seen on December Bride —only heard. Reruns of this series were aired in prime time during 1960 and 1961 and had been part of the CBS weekday morning lineup from October 1959 to March 1961.

DECISION (Dramatic Anthology)

FIRST TELECAST: July 6, 1958

LAST TELECAST: September 28, 1958

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jul 1958-Sep 1958 , NBC Sun 10:00-10:30

This series of filmed dramas was the 1958 summer replacement for The Loretta Young Show. Half the shows were reruns of episodes from other dramatic-anthology series; the remainder were pilots for proposed series. One of the latter was a short version of The Virginian starring James Drury, who played the same role when the show became a series in the fall of 1962.

DECISION ‘80 (News)

FIRST TELECAST: September 14, 1980

LAST TELECAST: November 2, 1980

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1980—Nov 1980 , NBC Sun 11:30-12:00

ANCHORMAN:

Robert Abernethy

NBC News presented this series of campaign reports leading up to the 1980 Presidential election. There were also discussions of other important races, and each week a special report centered on voter attitudes in a different key state.

DEFENDERS, THE (Courtroom Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: September 16, 1961

LAST TELECAST: September 9, 1965

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1961-Sep 1963 , CBS Sat 8:30-9:30

Sep 1963—Nov 1963 , CBS Sat 9:00-10:00

Nov 1963-Sep 1964 , CBS Sat 8:30-9:30

Sep 1964-Sep 1965 , CBS Thu 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Lawrence Preston	E. G. Marshall
Kenneth Preston	Robert Reed
Helen Donaldson (1961-1962)	Polly Rowles
Joan Miller (1961-1962)	Joan Hackett

The law firm of Preston & Preston was composed of a father and son, two lawyers involved in a weekly courtroom drama. Lawrence, the father, was a knowledgeable, seasoned attorney with more than 20 years of experience at the bar. Kenneth, the son, was a recent law school graduate. The learning process he went through as his father's partner was an integral part of this series. During the first season the firm's secretary, Helen Donaldson, and Kenneth's girlfriend, Joan Miller, had regular featured roles.

At a time when most TV entertainment series avoided any hint of controversy or topicality, The Defenders occasionally addressed such real-life issues as abortion, mercy killing, and the U.S. government's restriction of its citizens' right to travel to unfriendly countries. A January 1964 episode entitled “Blacklist” was TV's first hard look at its own practice of political blacklisting, and won actor Jack Klugman and writer Ernest Kinoy Emmy awards.

The Defenders was based on an original story by Reginald Rose, which was first telecast as a two-part episode of Studio One in February-March, 1957. That presentation was titled “The Defender,” and starred Ralph Bellamy and William Shatner as the father and son attorneys, with Steve McQueen as a young defendant accused of murder.

DELL O'DELL SHOW (Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: September 14, 1951

LAST TELECAST: December 14, 1951

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1951—Dec 1951 , ABC Fri 10:00-10:30

EMCEE:

Dell O'Dell

Lady magician Dell O'Dell performed on this shortlived variety program, which included audience participation in the stunts as well as special guests. Wonder if she sawed any men in half?

DELLAVENTURA (Detective Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: September 23, 1997

LAST TELECAST: January 13, 1998

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1997-Jan 1998 , CBS Tue 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Anthony Dellaventura	Danny Aiello
Teddy Naples	Ricky Aiello
Jonas Deeds	Byron Keith Minns
Geri Zarias	Anne Ramsay
Frankie Bongiorno	Himself

Anthony Dellaventura was a tough guy with style and swagger. A former N.Y.P.D. detective who had become a highly successful private detective, he and his staff took on cases that the police couldn't or wouldn't handle. Many of his clients came to him because the legal system had either failed them or didn't seem interested in their problems. Dellaventura didn't come cheap; for customers who could afford it, his rate was $100 per hour per associate. He may have come across as arrogant, but he did have a heart. Most episodes included subplots in which he helped out people, sometimes without charge—working with a landlord to get drug dealers out of his building, finding out the identity of an apparently homeless man, exposing an auto mechanic who made expensive unneeded repairs, and aiding an accountant trying to track down the mystery woman of his dreams. Dellaventura's associates were Teddy (played by the series star's son), a smart ex-cop who wasn't above using a little muscle; Jonas, skilled in electronics surveillance; and Geri, a tough recent arrival in New York who used her beauty and sex appeal to her advantage, particularly on undercover assignments. When they needed to unwind, they hung out at Dellaventura's favorite restaurant, Trattoria Spaghetto, owned by his good friend, Frankie.

Filmed on location in New York.

DELORA BUENO (Music)

FIRST TELECAST: March 10, 1949

LAST TELECAST: May 5, 1949

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Mar 1949-May 1949 , DUM Thu 7:00-7:15

HOSTESS:

Delora Bueno

Songs and piano stylings were performed by Delora Bueno, a Latin beauty born in Dubuque, Iowa. (She was raised, however, in Brazil.)

DELPHI BUREAU, THE (Spy Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1972

LAST TELECAST: September 1, 1973

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1972—Jan 1973 , ABC Thu 9:00-10:00

Mar 1973-Sep 1973 , ABC Sat 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Glenn Garth Gregory	Laurence Luckinbill
Sybil Van Loween	Anne Jeffreys

The Delphi Bureau was an obscure government agency ostensibly intended to do research for the President of the United States; in fact it carried out super-secret missions to protect and defend the security of the nation against various foes. Its office was a moving limousine, and its chief operative, Glenn Gregory, a most reluctant hero. Gregory's only contact at the Delphi Bureau was Sybil Van Loween, a delightful but slightly mysterious Washington hostess. Secret ciphers, hidden islands, and bizarre international operators showed up regularly in the plots.

Celeste Holm was originally announced to play the role of Sybil, but she never appeared in the series, being replaced by Anne Jeffreys. The Delphi Bureau was one of three rotating elements of The Men.

DELTA (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 15, 1992

LAST TELECAST: August 25, 1993

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1992 , ABC Tue 9:30-10:00

Sep 1992—Dec 1992 , ABC Thu 8:00-8:30

Apr 1993 , ABC Tue 9:30-10:00

Jul 1993-Aug 1993 , ABC Wed 9:30-10:00

CAST:

Delta Bishop	Delta Burke
Lavonne Overton	Gigi Rice
Buck Overton	Bill Engvall
Darden Towe	Earl Holliman
Thelma Wainwright	Beth Grant
Connie Morris	Nancy Giles

Delta Bishop was a hefty woman with a hefty dream— to make it in the glittering world of country music like her idol, the late Patsy Cline. When her no-good husband, Charlie, proved no help she dumped him, quit her job at Mona's House of Hair, and set out on her own. While working for her big break she waited tables in a Nashville bar run by understanding Darden and stayed with her cousin and biggest fan, Lavonne. Friends and co-workers Thelma and Connie offered encouragement, but Lavonne's husband, Buck, who spent most of his time eating Cocoa Puffs, had little use for her dreams. Men!

DELTA HOUSE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: January 18, 1979

LAST TELECAST: April 28, 1979

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jan 1979 , ABC Thu 8:30-9:00

Jan 1979—Mar 1979 , ABC Sat 8:00-8:30

Mar 1979-Apr 1979 , ABC Sat 8:30-9:00

CAST:

Dean Vernon Wormer	John Vernon*
Kent “Flounder” Dorfman	Stephen Furst*
Daniel Simpson Day (“D-Day”)	Bruce McGill*
Robert Hoover	James Widdoes*
Jim “Blotto” Blutarsky	Josh Mostel
Eric Stratton (“Otter”)	Peter Fox
Doug Neidermayer	Gary Cookson
Larry Kroger (“Pinto”)	Richard Seer
Mandy Pepperidge	Susanna Dalton
Muffy	Wendy Goldman
Greg Marmalard	Brian Patrick Clarke
Einswine	Lee Wilkof
Prof. Dave Jennings	Peter Kastner
The Bombshell	Michelle Pfeiffer
* Played same role in the movie

Following the enormous success of the movie Animal House , all three networks rushed imitations onto the small screen. ABC had a leg up on the competition, however, as it had acquired the production team responsible for the movie as well as rights to the story— everything except the title itself. So Delta House was Animal House brought to TV.

The setting was the same, Faber College in the early 1960s, where the riotous members of Delta House fraternity pulled pranks on Dean Wormer (who was constantly trying to get them kicked off campus) and his allies, the stuffy, rich brothers of Omega House. The series opened with the arrival of Blotto, younger brother of the legendary Bluto Blutarsky (John Belushi's unforgettable character in the film). Belushi wasn't available for the TV series, so the role was played by Josh Mostel, Zero Mostel's son. The other Deltas included portly Flounder, greasy, mustachioed D-Day, and Hoover. Doug Neidermayer and Greg Marmalard represented Omega House, and there were assorted girlfriends and faculty (although nobody studied much).

It all was a pretty pale imitation without Belushi, and it lasted only about three months. That was longer than NBC's Brothers and Sisters (two and a half months) or CBS' Co-Ed Fever (one telecast)!

DELVECCHIO (Police Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: September 9, 1976

LAST TELECAST: July 17, 1977

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1976 , CBS Thu 9:00-10:00

Sep 1976-Jul 1977 , CBS Sun 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Sgt. Dominick Delvecchio	Judd Hirsch
Sgt. Paul Shonski	Charles Haid
Lt. Macavan	Michael Conrad
Tomaso Delvecchio	Mario Gallo
Sgt. Pavera	Jay Varela
Asst. D.A. Dorfman	George Wyner

Delvecchio was the story of a tough, independent big-city police detective fighting crime in Los Angeles. Delvecchio and his partner Shonski were assigned cases that ranged from narcotics investigations to murders to auto thefts. His boss, and the man who assigned most of his cases, was Lt. Macavan. Also seen regularly was Delvecchio's father, Tomaso, an Old World type who ran a small barbershop and was constantly perplexed about why his stubborn, determined son had become a cop. The series was shot on location in Los Angeles.

DEMPSEY & MAKEPEACE (Police Drama)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

60 minutes

Produced: 1985 (19 episodes)

Released: September 1985

CAST:

Lt. James Dempsey.	Michael Brandon
Det. Sgt. Harriet Makepeace (Harry)	Glynis Barber
Chief Superintendent Gordon Spikings	Ray Smith
Det. Sgt. Charles Jarvis (Chas)	Tony Osoba

Produced in England, Dempsey & Makepeace chronicled the exploits of two members of SI-10, a special undercover group working out of London's Scotland Yard. Jim Dempsey was a New York City cop who had discovered corruption in the New York City police force and had been sent to England for his own protection. He was brash, impetuous, occasionally obnoxious, and much quicker to use his gun than the British. His reluctant partner was Lady Harriet Makepeace, a member of the nobility who, for reasons never clearly explained on the show, had decided to make a career out of police work. Her connections with those in high places often proved handy when they were looking for information or assistance on various cases. Although a grudging mutual respect developed between them, and there was a certain sexual tension, a social relationship never materialized. Spikings was the blustery head of SI-10 and Chas was one of the other members of the team.

DENNIS DAY SHOW, THE , see RCA Victor Show, The

DENNIS MILLER SHOW, THE (Talk)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

60 minutes

Produced: 1992

Released: January 1992

REGULARS:

Dennis Miller

Nick Bakay

Andy Summers

David Goldblatt

Cynical comedian and Saturday Night Live alumnus Dennis Miller hosted his own relatively short-lived talk show in 1992. Unlike most of his competitors, Miller rarely opened the show with the traditional opening monologue. Instead he would do a variation of Saturday Night Live's “Weekend Update”— which he had done when he was a regular on that show—making comments about stories and personalities in the news. The rest of the show was the usual mix of celebrity (usually second-tier) interviews and performances by young comics and music groups. Miller was popular with young people, who liked his hip, smart-alecky style, but he was unable to attract viewers from The Arsenio Hall Show , his principal competition. Six months after its premiere Miller's show went out of production, with reruns airing until September. Nick Bakay was the show's occasionally seen announcer and Andy Summers, former guitarist with The Police, led the house band. Barely a month after the show's premiere, Summers left and was replaced by keyboardist David Goldblatt.

DENNIS O'KEEFE SHOW, THE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 22, 1959

LAST TELECAST: June 7, 1960

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1959-Jun 1960 , CBS Tue 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Hal Towne	Dennis O'Keefe
Sarge	Hope Emerson
Randy Towne	Rickey Kelman
Karen Hadley	Eloise Hardt
Eliot	Eddie Ryder

This comedy starred Dennis O'Keefe as the syndicated columnist Hal Towne, one of TV's many widowers, with a precocious, friendly ten-year-old son named Randy. Helping Hal keep his home together while he was out getting material for his column was a housekeeper aptly named Sarge. Karen Hadley, an aggressive, career-oriented publicity agent, was Hal's regular girlfriend, but his work on his column, called “All Around Towne,” was constantly introducing Hal to some very attractive competition. The story was set in Los Angeles.

DENNIS PRAGER SHOW, THE (Discussion)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

30 minutes

Produced: 1994—1995 (195 episodes)

Released: September 1994

HOST:

Dennis Prager

Conservative Los Angeles radio talk-show host Dennis Prager, who had a religiously oriented common-sense approach to issues of personal or public concern, followed Rush Limbaugh into the TV wars in 1994. Each night he opened the show with a monologue reacting to topical stories in the news and then talked with people involved in the news or advocating a point of view on a specific issue. The show was taped in front of a small studio audience that asked questions after the initial discussion. Among his early guests were actor Gregory Alan-Williams, who had tried to help people being assaulted in Los Angeles during the riots following the Rodney King verdict, flight attendants talking about dealing with passengers, an animal rights advocate decrying the killing of animals for medical research, a group of prostitutes, and a panel on both sides of the welfare issue.

DENNIS THE MENACE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: October 4, 1959

LAST TELECAST: September 22, 1963

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1959-Sep 1963 , CBS Sun 7:30-8:00

CAST:

Dennis Mitchell	Jay North
Henry Mitchell	Herbert Anderson
Alice Mitchell	Gloria Henry
George Wilson (1959-1962)	Joseph Kearns
Martha Wilson (1959-1962)	Sylvia Field
Joey McDonald (1959-1960)	Gil Smith
Mrs. Lucy Elkins	Irene Tedrow
Tommy Anderson	Billy Booth
Margaret Wade	Jeannie Russell
Mr. Quigley	Willard Waterman
Miss Esther Cathcart (1959-1961)	Mary Wickes
Grandma Mitchell (1961)	Kathleen Mulqueen
Sgt. Theodore Mooney (1961-1963)	George Cisar
Seymour (1962-1963)	Robert John Pittman
John Wilson (1962-1963)	Gale Gordon
Eloise Wilson (1962-1963)	Sara Seeger

Cartoonist Hank Ketcham's mischievous imp was brought to television in 1959 in the person of Jay North. Dennis the Menace had been a comic-strip fixture for years, with its little boy who was always trying to help out but who usually managed to make everything worse. Dennis's long-suffering parents put up with him as best they could, which was more than could be said for Mr. Wilson, their next-door neighbor in suburban Hillsdale. If Mr. Wilson planted some fancy tulips, Dennis was sure to uproot them and plant some “prettier” potatoes in their place. If Dennis happened upon some of Mr. Wilson's rare coins, he was sure to donate them to the March of Dimes. Adding to the general confusion was Mr. Wilson's dog, Fremont.

Joseph Kearns, the first Mr. Wilson, died before filming was completed for the 1961-1962 season. He was replaced in May 1962 by Gale Gordon, who was initially introduced as Mr. Wilson's brother John, a houseguest of Mrs. Wilson. The next fall, John returned complete with a wife of his own, Eloise, as if he had always been the sole Mr. Wilson.

Reruns of Dennis the Menace aired Saturday mornings on NBC from October 1963 to September 1965. A quarter-century after the live-action Dennis the Menace left the air, CBS brought an animated version to its Saturday morning lineup in January 1988. The animated Dennis only lasted for nine months. A second animated series, The New Dennis the Menace , aired Saturday mornings on CBS during the 1993-1994 season.

DEPUTY, THE (Western)

FIRST TELECAST: September 12, 1959

LAST TELECAST: September 16, 1961

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1959-Sep 1961 , NBC Sat 9:00-9:30

CAST:

Marshal Simon Fry	Henry Fonda
Clay McCord	Allen Case
Marshal Herk Lamson (1959—1960)	Wallace Ford
Fran McCord (1959-1960)	Betty Lou Keim
Sgt. Hapgood Tasker (1960-1961)	Read Morgan

Set in the Arizona Territory in the early 1880s, The Deputy was built around the conflict in ideals between Chief Marshal Simon Fry, a dedicated lawman, and young storekeeper Clay McCord. Although an expert shot, Clay was opposed to the use of weapons because they contributed to the high level of violence on the frontier. Despite his pacifist feelings, however, Clay was frequently persuaded to serve as “the deputy” in Silver City to help the aging town marshal, Herk Lamson, defend the local populace when Marshal Fry was out of town. The basis for many of the stories was the ongoing conflict between the old-timers in Silver City and the younger townspeople, who wanted to see it settle down, grow, and prosper. Added to the cast at the start of the second season was “Sarge” Tasker, an army sergeant assigned to set up a supply office in Silver City. At the same time, Herk Lamson and Clay's younger sister Fran were dropped from the cast. Henry Fonda appeared as narrator in all episodes but was featured in the cast only when Marshal Fry was in town.

DES O'CONNOR SHOW, THE , see Kraft Music Hall Presents The Des O'Connor Show

DESIGNING WOMEN (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 29, 1986

LAST TELECAST: May 24, 1993

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1986-Novl986 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00

Dec 1986—Jan 1987 , CBS Thu 9:30-10:00

Feb 1987 , CBS Sun 9:00-9:30

Mar 1987—Feb 1988 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00

Feb 1988-Jun 1988 , CBS Mon 8:30-9:00

Jun 1988-Sep 1989 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00

Sep 1989-Oct 1989 , CBS Mon 10:00-10:30

Nov 1989—Jun 1992 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00

Aug 1992-Sep 1992 , CBS Mon 9:30-10:00

Sep 1992-May 1993 , CBS Fri 9:00-9:30

May 1993 , CBS Mon 9:00-10:00

CAST:

Suzanne Sugarbaker (1986-1991)	Delta Burke
Julia Sugarbaker	Dixie Carter
Charlene Frazier Stillfield (1986-1991)	Jean Smart
Mary Jo Shively	Annie Potts
Anthony Bouvier	Meshach Taylor
*Claudia Shively (1986-1990)	Priscilla Weems
*Quinton Shively (1986-1991)	Brian Lando
*Pieese Watson (1986-1989)	Hal Holbrook
*J. D. Shackleford (1986-1991)	Richard Gilliland
Bernice Clifton (1987-1993)	Alice Ghostley
*Bill Stillfield (1988-1991)	Doug Barr
*Rusty (l99l)	Michael Goldfinger
Allison Sugarbaker (1991-1992)	Julia Duffy
Carlene Frazier Dobber (1991-1993)	Jan Hooks
B. J. Poteet (1992-1993)	Judith Ivey
Etienne Toussant Bouvier (1992-1993)	Sheryl Lee Ralph
*Occasional

THEME:

“Georgia on My Mind,” performed by Doc Severin-sen (Ray Charles performed a vocal version during the 1991-1992 season)

Designing Women was the story of the four outspoken women who ran Sugarbakers, a recently opened interior decorating business in Atlanta, which they operated out of an attractive suburban home that served as both office and showplace for their work. The founder, guiding force, and most sharp-tongued of the four was widowed Julia Sugarbaker. She was bright, classy, and had great taste and good connections. Her younger sister Suzanne was sexy, flashy, and prone to use her physical charms to mask a limited knowledge of decorating. A former beauty contest winner, she flirted with any and all attractive, successful, and/or wealthy men—and was collecting alimony from three ex-husbands. Their two partners were Mary Jo, a recent divorcée with a teenaged daughter, Claudia, and a young son, Quinton; and Charlene, the firm's business manager who had never been married but was not averse to the prospect if the right man came along. There was plenty of good-natured bitchiness and, by the standards of network TV, a lot of sexual innuendo. Helping them with the heavy work was their deliveryman-handyman, Anthony, a cheerful, black ex-con. Reese (played by Ms. Carter's real-life husband, Hal Holbrook) was Julia's boyfriend and J.D. (played by Ms. Smart's husband Richard Gilliland—they had met on the Designing Women set) was dating Mary Jo.

The critics loved Designing Women , and so did its loyal audience. They howled when CBS moved the show all over the schedule following initial ratings success on Monday nights, and then canceled it in the spring of 1987. Viewer protests (encouraged by the network's own publicity) prompted the programmers to reconsider, and Designing Women was saved from the Nielsen axe.

Once it became firmly entrenched on Monday evenings that fall, Designing Women flourished as part of a strong CBS Monday comedy lineup. Additions to the cast were Bernice Clifton, a lovably eccentric older woman who became friendly with all the partners at Sugarbakers, and Air Force Captain Bill Stillfield, Charlene's new boyfriend. In April 1989 Charlene and Bill were married and, the following January, they had a baby girl, Olivia (Ms. Smart had a baby in real life). Suzanne's biggest crisis occurred when her pet pig, Noel, ran away in the fall of 1989. In the last original episode of the 1989-1990 season, Anthony, who had been going to night school, graduated from college and the following season he became a partner in Sugarbakers. In March of 1991 Julia suffered a major emotional trauma when her longtime boyfriend, Reese, died suddenly from a heart attack.

Although the ratings were fine, a behind-the-scenes situation created problems on the set of Designing Women. Star Delta Burke had, over the years, put on considerable weight, which the producers felt made it difficult for her to maintain her sexy on-screen image. They wanted her to lose weight and, when she didn't, an acrimonious feud developed, which was grist for the supermarket and TV tabloids. There were numerous attempts to patch things up but none succeeded, and she was dropped from the show at the end of the 1990-1991 season. In the story line, Suzanne moved to Japan and sold her share of the business to her cousin Allison, an obnoxious, pushy young woman who had failed to find success in New York and had returned to Atlanta. Also added to the cast was Charlene's naive, newly divorced kid sister, Carlene, who arrived to help care for Olivia and who stayed in Atlanta when Charlene moved to England where her husband was stationed.

When Allison pulled out her money to buy a Victoria's Secret franchise at the start of the 1992-1993 season, the financially strapped firm took in a new partner, eccentric wealthy widow B.J. Poteet. It was B.J.'s infusion of cash that kept Sugarbakers from going bankrupt. Later that fall Anthony, while on a trip to Las Vegas to forget his broken engagement, woke up in his hotel room to find out he had married beautiful Folies-Bergxsère showgirl Etienne Toussant.

CBS aired reruns of Designing Women on weekday mornings from May 1991-June 1992.

DESILU PLAYHOUSE , see Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

DESIRE (Serial Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: September 5, 2006

LAST TELECAST: December 5, 2006

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 2006-Dec 2006 , MNT Mon-Sat 8:00-9:00

CAST:

Louis Thomas	Nate Haden
Alex Thomas	Jack Silva
Andrea Zavatti	Michelle Belegrin
George Marston	Tomy Dunster
Victoria Marston	Sofia Milos
Cara Gamarra	Kelly Albanese
Joey Gamarra	Chris DeRose
Kate	Derika Abraham
Rita Thomas	Eliana Alexander
Suzy Edwards	Vivian Gray
Peter Evans	Al Bandiero
Cully Portero	Gregg Strouse
Erica	Fiona Hunter
Harold Zavatti	Ron Gilbert
Christoph	Xavier Tournaud
Jessica	Alexandria Schlereth
Vincent	Daniel Bernhardt
Daniel	Scott Elrod
Claudia	Kristen Kerr
Det. Hawkins	Will Rolland
Frank Spencer	Reggie DeMorton
Det. Amy Lin	Chjti Tij
Alistair	Michael Toland
Marco Manetti	Joe Tabb
Asher	Cyril O'Reilly

THEME:

“Always on Your Side” performed by Sheryl Crow

On the night two brothers, long-haired Alex and clean-cut Louis Thomas opened their small New Jersey restaurant Louis slept with Cara, who unbeknownst to him was the daughter of local mob boss Joey Gamarra. Caught in the act, Cara lied to her father that she had been raped. A vengeful Joey burned down the Thomas' home and restaurant and the brothers, along with their mother, Rita, fled to Los Angeles. Once there they found work at Zavatti, a fancy Beverly Hills restaurant and both fell in love with Andrea, the beautiful daughter of Zavatti owner Harold. This did not sit well with the restaurant's evil conniving manager, George, who planned to marry Andrea and take over the business. George and his greedy half sister, Victoria, were living beyond their means and needed the marriage to solve their financial problems. Others included Andrea's friends Kate, Suzy (who had affairs with both Louis and George) and Jessica (who fell in love with Alex); Cully and Vincent, the goons Gamarra sent to L.A. to find Louis; and Asher, another Jersey mob boss. Others working at Zavatti were Alex and Louis' father, Peter, the maître d'; Erica, the tough head waitress; Daniel, the blind pianist; and Christoph, the arrogant womanizing chef whose wife, Claudia, left him for Daniel.

As Desire unfolded the brothers vied for Andrea's affections with Louis initially making the most headway. Christoph accidentally killed one of the waitresses when she drank a poisoned drink he had intended for Daniel. George and Victoria killed Harold, recovering from a heart attack, after getting him to sign a will giving them his money and the restaurant, and Victoria drowned Kate because she knew what they had done. After Gamarra's men took Louis back to Jersey he made a deal with Cully and stole $10 million from Joey's safe. Joey was accidentally killed by a jealous Vincent at the wedding he had forced on Cara and Louis, with Louis and Cully escaping and returning to L.A and Cara, now in control of her father's gang, seeking revenge.

Once back in L.A., to get even with Andrea and Alex, who had become lovers, Louis bought both the Zavatti home and the restaurant from George—who foolishly signed bank papers that transferred the money back to Louis. Meanwhile, Cara, with the help of fellow mobster Asher, was trying to get her money back. Peter and Alex bought Bella, the restaurant next door to Zavatti, competed hard and won—forcing Louis to close Zavatti, after which he gave Andrea back her house and the restaurant, and apologized to Alex, Rita and Peter. Then he made a deal with the feds to bring down Cara. As Desire reached its climax psycho George beat Christoph to death, kidnapped Andrea and demanded $8 million from Louis to free her. At the payoff Alex saved Andrea and George shot and killed his domineering sister Victoria and was about to kill Louis when he was killed by Det. Linn.

Desire was an English-language adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Mesa Para Tres (Table for Three). The Saturday episodes were recaps of the episodes that had aired the previous Monday through Friday.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (Comedy/Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: October 3, 2004

LAST TELECAST:

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 2004-Aug 2005 , ABC Sun 9:00-10:00

Jan 2005–Feb 2005 , ABC Sat 10:00-11:00

Aug 2005-Sep 2005 , ABC Sun 10:00-11:00

Sep 2005– , ABC Sun 9:00-10:00

CAST:

Susan Mayer.	Teri Hatcher
Julie Mayer	Andrea Bowen
Lynette Scavo	Felicity Huffman
Tom Scavo	Doug Savant
Preston Scavo	Brent Kinsman
Porter Scavo	Shane Kinsman
Parker Scavo	Zane Huett
Bree Van De Kamp	Marcia Cross
Dr. Rex Van De Kamp (2004-2005)	Steven Culp
Andrew Van De Kamp	Shawn Pyfrom
Danielle Van De Kamp	Joy Lauren
Gabrielle Solis (“Gabby”)	Eva Longoria
Carlos Solis	Ricardo Chavira
*Mary Alice Young	Brenda Strong
Paul Young (2004–2006)	Mark Moses
Zach Young	Cody Kasch
Edie Britt	Nicollette Sheridan
Mike Delfino	James Denton
John Rowland (2004-2005)	Jesse Metcalfe
Ida Greenberg	Pat Crawford Brown
George Williams (2005-2006)	Roger Bart
Karl Mayer (2005-2006)	Richard Burgi
Betty Applewhite (2005-2006)	Alfre Woodard
Matthew Applewhite (2005-2006)	Mehcad Brooks
Caleb Applewhite (2005)	Page Kennedy
Caleb Applewhite (2005-2006)	Nashawn Kearse
Felicia Tilman (2005–2006)	Harriet Sansom Harris
Orson Hodge (2006-2007)	Kyle MacLachlan
Ian Hainsworth (2006-)	Dougray Scott
Austin McCann (2006-)	Josh Henderson
Xiao-Mei (2006)	Gwendoline Yeo
Note that some characters may have appeared in other seasons on an occasional basis; many others ap-peared in short story arcs.
*Voice only in most episodes

This serialized comedy-drama was one of the biggest hits of its era. The housewives of Wisteria Lane, a pleasant little cul-de-sac of picket fences and manicured lawns in the quiet suburban town of Fairview, faced a mystery. One of them, Mary Alice, had put a gun to her head and committed suicide. Four of her friends set about to find out why. Susan was a divorced single mom and a children's book illustrator who was raising a bright teenage daughter named Julie who was always trying to fix her up. Lynette was a high-powered advertising executive who had put her career on hold in order to raise her four rambunctious kids, including a baby. The young boys, Preston, Porter and Parker, were adorable little hell-raisers who were barely under control and amiable dad Tom was no help. Bree, on the other hand, was a fussy, uptight Stepford Mom, a control freak who maintained the image of domestic calm but with roiling waters just beneath the surface. Her frustrated husband Rex wanted a divorce, and her two teenage kids, Andrew and Danielle, were on the verge of open rebellion. The fourth wife, Gabby, was a glamorous former model married to suave but shady businessman Carlos; she loved to spoil herself and live the good life off his wealth, although having come from a poor background she was pretty sensible underneath.

Rounding out the picture were sexy neighborhood flirt Edie, a real estate agent who had many liaisons, Mary Alice's secretive husband Paul and troubled teenage son Zach, and newly arrived bachelor Mike, ostensibly a plumber—but was he really?

The first season was filled with intertwined, over-the-top stories. Susan accidently burned down Edie's house as she and Edie vied for Mike's affections. Gabby had an affair with hunky young gardener John, while Bree was pursued by creepy pharmacist George who ultimately poisoned Rex. Lynette dealt with the kids and inept husband Tom's career, and Paul strangled nosy Mrs. Huber when she started poking into his murky background and uncovered the reason for Mary Alice's suicide (Paul and Mary Alice had bought baby Zach from an addict; when the addict tried to take the baby back Mary Alice had killed her, and Paul had buried the body.)

In the second season Lynette went back to work at ad agency Parcher & Murphy, leaving Tom to become Mr. Mom; she later found out he had a love child from years earlier by Nora. Widow Bree dated George, until he committed suicide, and later threw angry gay son Andrew out of the house. Susan was in competition with Edie for both Mike and Karl; this time Edie burned down Susan's house. Carlos was sent to prison for fraud, but emerged to have an affair with cranky Chinese maid Xiao-Mei, who became his and Gabby's surrogate when Gabby was unable to have a child. Mrs. Huber's sister Felicia arrived to cause trouble for Paul, who was sent to prison for murder; Zach inherited a fortune from his biological grandfather Noah (after turning off the old man's respirator) and abandoned his faux father Paul. Probably the strangest story of the season, however, involved black concert pianist Betty, who moved in during the dead of night with her handsome, devoted son Matthew; strange noises from her basement turned out to be another son, mentally impaired Caleb, whom she thought had killed someone. It turned out Matthew was the murderer, and when he was shot she left Fair view.

The third season brought another creep for Bree, a dentist named Orson whom she married but who was thought to be a murderer. It turned out to be his maniacal mother Gloria who had killed his former lover. Susan moved on to Ian, whose wife was dying. Lynette and Tom adopted Tom's love child Kayla after Nora died in a shootout, and Tom opened a pizzeria. Edie's 18-year-old nephew Austin moved in and had affairs with both Julie and Danielle. Gabby and Carlos did not get a child (Xiao-Mei was carrying someone else's) and divorced, after which Gabby was pursued by—of all people—Zach, who was now a billionaire. In the season finale she married scheming Mayor Victor Lang, and later the same day Susan and Mike were married in an impromptu ceremony.

All of these stories were played with such a wink-and-a-nod as to resemble comedy more than traditional soap opera and, although there was no laugh track, the light tinkly music gave the show an appropriately irreverent tone.

DESTINATION STARDOM (Talent)

FIRST TELECAST: August 23, 1999

LAST TELECAST: July 23, 2000

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Aug 1999—Oct 1999 , PAX Mon 8:00-9:00

Aug 1999-Sep 1999 , PAX Sat 7:00-8:00

Sep 1999—Feb 2000 , PAX Sat 8:00-9:00

Oct 1999 , PAX Thu 11:00-midnight

Nov 1999-Jul 2000 , PAX Sun 6:00-7:00

Dec 1999-Jan 2000 , PAX Tue 11:00-midnight

HOST:

Lisa Canning

ISLAND HOST:

Kalai Miller

Produced by the people responsible for the long-runnng syndicated talent show Star Search, Destination Stardom included both variety and talent elements and was taped in Hawaii. There were six performance categories on Destination Stardom — singers age 16-plus, singers age 5-15, comedians, family acts, runway models, and variety acts. It offered more cash prizes than its predecessor, and 100 members of the evening's studio audience served as judges. Winners in each category won $2,000 and the opportunity to return the following week to defend their championship. Home viewers could also vote for their favorite Performance of the Week on the Internet; the Internet-winning act won an additional $1,000.

DESTINY (Dramatic Anthology)

FIRST TELECAST: July 5, 1957

LAST TELECAST: September 26, 1958

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jul 1957-Sep 1957 , CBS Fri 8:30-9:00

Jul 1958-Sep 1958 , CBS Fri 8:30-9:00

HOST:

Francis L. Sullivan

Reruns of episodes from other anthologies were aired by CBS in this time slot for two summers, as replacement for Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater.

DESTRY (Western )

FIRST TELECAST: February 14, 1964

LAST TELECAST: September 11, 1964

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Feb 1964-Sep 1964 , ABC Fri 7:30-8:30

CAST:

Harrison Destry

John Gavin

At the center of this comedy-Western was Harrison Destry, a tall, easygoing chap who wasn't exactly a coward—just a mite careful. He'd just as soon dive under the table as shoot it out. Young Destry, the son of famed lawman Tom Destry, had once been a sheriff, until he was packed off to prison on a trumped-up embezzlement charge. In this series he wandered about the West trying to stay out of further trouble as he looked for the scalawags who had framed him.

The Destry character has had a lengthy career; he was portrayed in films by Tom Mix, James Stewart (in a 1939 movie classic co-starring Marlene Dietrich), and Audie Murphy, and later in a hit Broadway musical starring Andy Griffith. The character was originally based on the Max Brand novel Destry Pddes Again.

DETECTIVE IN THE HOUSE (Detective)

FIRST TELECAST: March 15, 1985

LAST TELECAST: April 19, 1985

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Mar 1985-Apr 1985 , CBS Fri 8:00-9:00

CAST:

Press Wyman	Judd Hirsch
Diane Wyman	Cassie Yates
Todd Wyman	Meeno Peluce
Deborah Wyman	Mandy Ingber
Dune Wyman	R. J. Williams
Nick Turner	Jack Elam

This was not your everyday mid-life crisis. Press Wyman was a successful engineer who wanted to be a private detective. Since he knew very little about sleuthing, Press sought the assistance of retired private eye Nick Turner. In his time, Nick had been a legend—in retirement he was a bit loony, living on his unkempt estate furnished completely with lawn furniture. While Press bumbled his way through cases and did most of the household chores when he wasn't busy, his loving wife Diane went back to work to provide them with a regular income. Todd, Deborah, and Dunc were their three children, who didn't really understand why their father was doing this.

DETECTIVE SCHOOL (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: July 31, 1979

LAST TELECAST: November 24, 1979

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jul 1979-Aug 1979 , ABC Tue 8:30-9:00

Sep 1979-Nov 1979 , ABC Sat 8:30-9:00

CAST:

Nick Hannigan	James Gregory
Eddie Dawkins	Randolph Mantooth
Charlene Jenkins	LaWanda Page
Teresa Cleary (Jul-Aug)	Jo Ann Harris
Maggie Ferguson (Sep-Nov)	Melinda Naud
Leo Frick	Pat Proft
Pioberì Redford	Douglas V. Fowley
Silvio Galindez	Taylor Negron

James Gregory (Inspector Luger of Barney Miller) headed the cast in this short-lived comedy. Nick Hannigan's flea-bitten detective school and agency was supposed to be a night school for sleuths, nothing more. Unfortunately his motley collection of students was constantly getting involved in real cases, to comic effect, and Nick more than once had to bail them out. Sometimes they had to bail him out. Dawkins was an enthusiastic young man who worked in a shoe store; Jenkins, a black housewife with a smart mouth, often aimed at aging fellow student Robert Redford (who was obviously no kin to the movie star!). Frick sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door; Galindez was an oily Argentinian hooked on the disco scene. Petite Teresa Cleary, the sixth student, was replaced by gorgeous Maggie Ferguson in September.

The show did well in the summer, against soft competition, but died when it was added to the regular schedule in the fall.

DETECTIVE'S DIARY , see Mark Saber

DETECTIVES, STARRING ROBERT TAYLOR, THE (Police Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: October 16, 1959

LAST TELECAST: September 21, 1962

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1959—Sep 1961 , ABC Fri 10:00-10:30

Sep 1961-Sep 1962 , NBC Fri 8:30-9:30

CAST:

Capt. Matt Holbrook	Robert Taylor
Lt. John Russo	Tige Andrews
Lt. James Conway (1959-1960)	Lee Farr
Lt. Otto Lindstrom (1959—1961)	Russell Thorson
Sgt. Chris Ballard (l960-1962)	Mark Goddard
Lisa Bonay (l960-196l)	Ursula Thiess
Sgt. Steve Nelson (1961-1962)	Adam West

Screen star Robert Taylor played a humorless, hard-nosed, doggedly effective captain on a big-city police force in this unassuming series. He led a team of three plainclothes detectives, which allowed individual episodes of the program to vary the lead (seldom were all four men assigned to the same case). The original trio consisted of Lt. Jim Conway of Homicide, a young ladies' man; Lt. Johnny Russo of Burglary, cigar-smoking and tough-talking; and Lt. Otto Lindstrom of the Bunco squad, an old-timer. Each week one or more of them would tackle a murder, con game, drug operation, or other crime.

Capt. Holbrook was a widower with little time for anything but his job. His only romantic involvement during the three-year run of the series was a brief, antiseptic affair with a police reporter named Lisa Bonay—played by Taylor's real-life wife, German actress Ursula Thiess. During its season on NBC the program was retitled Robert Taylor's Detectives.

DETECTIVE'S WIFE (Detective Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: July 7, 1950

LAST TELECAST: September 29, 1950

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jul 1950-Sep 1950 , CBS Fri 8:30-9:00

CAST:

Connie Conway	Lynn Bari
Adam Conway	Donald Curtis

Detective's Wife was the live summer replacement in 1950 for the popular detective series Man Against Crime. Adam Conway was a private detective who wanted to run a peaceful little agency but had received so much publicity after solving a murder that homicides were the only kind of cases he could get. The emphasis in this series was mostly on Adam's wife Connie, who got more involved in his cases than either of them would have preferred.

DEVLIN CONNECTION, THE (Detective Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: October 2, 1982

LAST TELECAST: December 25, 1982

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1982-Dec 1982 , NBC Sat 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Brian Devlin	Rock Hudson
Nick Corsello	Jack Scalia
Lauren Dane	Leigh Taylor-Young
Lt. Earl Borden	Louis Giambalvo
Mrs. Watanabe	Takayo
Otis Barnes	Herb Jefferson, Jr.

The contrast was striking. Brian Devlin was suave, debonair, and independently wealthy, leading a life of quiet elegance. After retiring from a most successful career as a private investigator, he had taken on the distinctly civilized position of Director of the Los Angeles Cultural Arts Center. Into this classy world burst coarse and impetuous Nick Corsello, 28, an aspiring private eye of the “tough” school—and Brian's long-lost son! Nick had been raised in New York by his mother, and now wanted to make it on his own as a gumshoe—though he still worked part-time as a racquetball pro at a health club.

Understandably taken aback, Dad still wanted to get to know this rough gem of a son a little better. Keeping an eye on Nick's cases, he helped out wherever possible, preferably without Nick's knowledge or damage to the Mercedes. Usually they wound up solving the cases together, each using his own special skills.

Lauren was Brian's beautiful assistant at the arts center, and Mrs. Watanabe his efficient housekeeper and cook. Lt. Borden was the friendly, if less than competent, contact on the L.A.P.D. and Otis was Nick's nightclub owner friend.

The series was originally scheduled to premiere in 1981, but was delayed when Rock Hudson underwent open-heart surgery.

DEXTER'S LABORATORY (Cartoon)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Cartoon Network and syndicated

30 minutes

Original episodes: 1996-1998, 2001-2003 (221 episodes)

Premiered: April 27, 1996

VOICES:

Dexter (age 7) (1996-1998, 2001)	Christine Cavanaugh
Dexter (2001-2003)	Candi Milo
Dee Dee (rotating, 1996-1997, 2001-2002)	Allison Moore
Dee Dee (rotating, 1997-1998, 2002-2003)	Kathryn Cressida
Mom	Kath Soucie
Dad	Jeff Bennett
Mandark (Astro Nomenoff)	Eddie Deezen
Major Glory	Rob Paulsen
ValHallen	Tom Kenny
Krunk, monkey	Frank Welker

Dexter was an inquisitive seven year-old with hornrimmed glasses who routinely saved the world with amazing inventions from his secret—but remarkably well-equipped—bedroom laboratory. In addition to robots, monsters, alien fighters, and secret spells, he came up with tricks to improve his own geeky life, such as turning himself (and others) into odd things, or laminating himself so that he wouldn't have to take baths. He also tried to invent a magnetic field to keep his annoying sister Dee Dee out of the lab, but that was hopeless; she regularly wreaked havoc with his experiments. Mom and Dad were their pleasant, clueless parents, and Mandark his archrival at Huber Elementary School, a brainy kid who had his own laboratory and was even smarter than Dexter. Man-dark had a crush on Dee Dee, but she was more interested in ballet and candy.

Among the more frequently seen supporting characters were action hero Major Glory, guitar-strumming ValHallen (“the Viking God of Rock”), and Krunk, the “infragable one.” Stories were filled with puns, like “Jurassic Pooch” and “Dead Mc Mann and the Publisher's Sweeping House.” Dexter was first seen on Cartoon Network's “World Premiere Toons” in 1995, becoming a regular series the following year.

DHARMA & GREG (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 24, 1997

LAST TELECAST: April 30, 2002

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1997-JuI 1998 , ABC Wed 8:30-9:00

Jul 1998-Jul 1999 , ABC Wed 8:00-8:30

Jul 1998-Sep 1998 , ABC Tue 9:30-10:00

Jul 1999-Sep 2001 , ABC Tue 9:00-9:30

Sep 2001-Jan 2002 , ABC Tue 8:00-8:30

Mar 2002-Apr 2002 , ABC Tue 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Dharma Finkelstein	Jenna Elfman
Greg Montgomery	Thomas Gibson
Larry Finkelstein	Alan Rachins
Abby O'Neill	Mimi Kennedy
Edward Montgomery	Mitchell Ryan
Kitty Montgomery	Susan Sullivan
Pete Cavanaugh	Joel Murray
Jane (1997-2001)	Shae D'lyn

Opposites attracted quickly indeed in this romantic comedy, a hit of the 1997 fall season. Dharma was a free-spirited San Francisco yoga instructor and dog trainer, living life on impulse. When she spotted ruggedly handsome attorney Greg on a subway platform, she knew at once he was her spiritual mate. Greg was as stiff and conservative as Dharma was wild and impetuous, but somehow he knew, too, and they were married on their first date. The news did not sit well with either set of parents, for different reasons. Dharma's bohemian mom Abby liked to paint in the nude, while her father Larry was a bumbling anti-war radical from the ‘60s who acted as if he was still hiding from the authorities (although nobody seemed to care). To them, Dharma had married into the hated establishment (Greg was an Assistant U.S. Attorney). Greg's rich parents, Edward and Kitty, were blue bloods from the country-club crowd, to whom Dharma was utterly incomprehensible. Pete was Greg's gross co-worker, and Jane was Dharma's flaky friend.

During later seasons Greg left the U.S. Attorney's office, went on a “voyage of self-discovery,” and eventually set up a private practice with his friend Pete; Abby had a baby; and Dharma and Greg were both injured in a car accident, which led them to be even more appreciative of their lives with each other.

DIAGNOSIS MURDER (Detective Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: October 29, 1993

LAST TELECAST: September 7, 2001

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1993-Sep 1995 , CBS Fri 8:00-9:00

Dec 1995-Aug 1996 , CBS Fri 9:00-10:00

Sep 1996-Jul 1997 , CBS Thu 8:00-9:00

Jul 1997-Jan 1999 , CBS Thu 9:00-10:00

Jan 1999-Mar 1999 , CBS Thu 8:00-9:00

Apr 1999-Sep 1999 , CBS Thu 9:00-10:00

Jul 1999-May 2000 , CBS Thu 8:00-9:00

May 2000-Jun 2000 , CBS Thu 8:00-10:00

Oct 2000-Dec 2000 , CBS Thu 10:00-11:00

Dec 2000-Jan 2001 , CBS Thu 8:00-9:00

Jan 2001 , CBS Thu 9:00-10:00

Feb 2001-Sep 2001 , CBS Fri 8:00-9:00

Jun 2001 , CBS Thu 9:00-10:00

CAST:

Dr. Mark Sloan	Dick Van Dyke
Dr. Jack Stewart (1993-1995)	Scott Baio
Amanda Bentley Livingston	Victoria Rowell
Det. Steve Sloan	Barry Van Dyke
Norman Briggs (1993-1997)	Michael Tucci
Nurse Delores Mitchell (1993—1995)	Delores Hall
Dr. Jesse Travis (1995-2000)	Charlie Schlatter
Nurse Susan Milliard (1998-1999)	Kim Little
Dr. Madison Wesley (1999-2000)	Joanna Cassidy
Alex Smith (1999-2001)	Shane Van Dyke
Det. Cheryl Banks (1999-2001)	Charmin Lee

Dr. Mark Sloan was the chief of internal medicine at fictional Community General Hospital in Los Angeles in this lighthearted whodunit. Dr. Sloan was a busy guy. Not only did he treat patients and teach young doctors at Community General, but he also maintained a private practice and served as a special consultant to the L.A.P.D. It was consulting to the police that gave Dr. Sloan the most pleasure. An amateur detective, in many ways similar to Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote , the good doctor combined his medical knowledge with keen analytical skills to solve murders that had confounded the police. Working with him were Jack, a handsome young resident at the hospital who did double duty as Mark's legman; Amanda, another resident at Community General, who specialized in pathology; and his son, Steve, a detective on the L.A.P.D. Also seen regularly were Norman, the penny-pinching fussbudget hospital administrator, and Delores, a longtime friend of Mark's and a nurse at the hospital. When Diagnosis Murder returned in December 1995, Jack was gone. He had finished his residency and set up a private practice in Vail, Colorado. New to the cast was Jesse, an enthusiastic young intern who was friendly with Dr. Sloan. Dr. Sloan himself was no longer head of internal medicine but serving as a teaching physician at the hospital and working out of his beach house. In the fall of 1996, Amanda got married and took her spouse's surname—Livingston. The following fall she had become a medical examiner for the L.A.P.D. Norman, who had been injured in the 1996-1997 season finale, went off to recuperate and never showed up again.

In 1998 Amanda got divorced and went back to her maiden name; the following year Steve got a new partner, Cheryl. At the start of the 1999-2000 season Dr. Wesley was the new dean of Community General's medical school. She and Mark had a mutual attraction, but it was offset by their divergent views regarding medical school policy issues. Alex, played by Barry Van Dyke's son Shane, showed up occasionally as a medical student at Community General.

The character of Dr. Mark Sloan had been introduced in an episode of Jake and the Fatman and appeared in three made-for-TV movies on CBS before this series premiered.

DIAGNOSIS: UNKNOWN (Detective Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: July 5, 1960

LAST TELECAST: September 20, 1960

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jul 1960-Sep 1960 , CBS Tue 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Dr. Daniel Coffee	Patrick O'Neal
Doris Hudson	Phyllis Newman
Dr. Motilal Mookerji	Cal Bellini
Link	Martin Huston
Det. Capt. Max Ritter	Chester Morris

Daniel Coffee, the head pathologist at a large metropolitan hospital, worked closely with the police department to solve bizarre murders. Working with him were his two close friends and assistants, Motilal Mookerji and Doris Hudson. Also seen regularly was Link, the young boy who cleaned up the lab and worked as a handyman for Dr. Coffee. Dr. Coffee's contact on the New York City police department was Captain Ritter.

DIAHANN CARROLL SHOW, THE (Musical Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: August 14, 1976

LAST TELECAST: September 3, 1976

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Aug 1976-Sep 1976 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00

REGULARS:

Diahann Carroll

The Carl Jablonski Dancers

The Earl Brown Orchestra

Singer Diahann Carroll was the star of this four-week mini-series, which included comedy and repartee with guest performers as well as musical numbers.

DIAMONDS (Detective)

FIRST TELECAST: September 22, 1987

LAST TELECAST: September 13, 1988

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1987-Sep 1988 , CBS Tue 11:30-12:40 A.M.

Aug 1988 , CBS Wed 11:30-12:40 A.M.

CAST:

Mike Devitt	Nicholas Campbell
Christina Towne	Peggy Smithhart
Lt. Lou Gianetti	Tony Rosato
Darryl	Alan Feiman

A TV series about TV private eyes who decided to tackle the real thing. Mike and Christina had been married and played married private detectives on their once-popular TV detective series Diamonds. Now that they were divorced and their series had been canceled, they decided to try and make a go of it as real-life detectives, opening an agency appropriately called “Two of Diamonds.” Helping them was Darryl, the special-effects expert from their former studio, whose plans and tricks got them into and out of numerous tight situations. Also providing assistance was Mike's cousin, police Lt. Gianetti.

When Diamonds turned up on the USA cable network after its cancellation by CBS, it included a number of episodes that had not run on American broadcast network television.

Produced in Toronto.

DIANA (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 10, 1973

LAST TELECAST: January 7, 1974

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1973-Jan 1974 , NBC Mon 8:30-9:00

CAST:

Diana Smythe	Diana Rigg
Norman Brodnik	David Sheiner
Howard Tolbrook	Richard B. Shull
Norma Brodnik	Barbara Barrie
Marshall Tyler	Robert Moore
Holly Green	Carol Androsky
Jeff Harmon	Richard Mulligan
Smitty the bellboy	Liam Dunn

Diana Rigg had been introduced to American audiences as Emma Peel in the British spy-adventure series The Avengers. In Diana she played an English divorcée in her mid-30s who had moved to New York to begin a new life and a new career. Soon after taking over her absent brother's Manhattan apartment, however, Diana discovered that a number of his men friends had duplicate keys to the place, a situation that resulted in both embarrassing and comic confrontations. Commercial model Holly Green was Diana's friendly neighbor, helping her cope with the unexpected visitors. Diana's co-workers at Butley's Department Store on Fifth Avenue, where she was employed as a fashion coordinator, included Norman Brodnik, the president of the store; Norma, his wife; Howard Tolbrook, a cantankerous copywriter who shared an office with Diana; and Marshall Tyler, a window dresser. Jeff Harmon was a mystery-writer friend of hers.

DIANE DOXEE SHOW, THE (Music)

FIRST TELECAST: August 6, 1950

LAST TELECAST: September 24, 1950

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Aug 1950-Sep 1950 , ABC Sun 7:30-8:00

REGULARS:

Diane Doxee

Jimmy Blade

This program featured songs by Miss Doxee, accompanied by Jimmy Blade on piano.

DIARY (Documentary)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

MTV

30 minutes

Original episodes: 2000-2004

Premiered: February 16, 2000

MTV's candid look inside the life of pop idols, from their own point of view. Cameras followed as the celebrity narrated his or her activities, whether recording, staging a concert, hanging with their homies, or talking to the camera (rapper DMZ: “I hate being in the studio!”). Those profiled were favorites of the MTV generation, such as Christina Aguilera, Blink-182, Jackie Chan, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Snoop Dogg, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Sandler, and Chris Tucker.

DICK AND THE DUCHESS (Comedy/Adventure)

FIRST TELECAST: September 28, 1957

LAST TELECAST: May 16, 1958

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1957—Mar 1958 , CBS Sat 8:30-9:00

Mar 1958-May 1958 , CBS Fri 7:30-8:00

CAST:

Dick Starrett	Patrick O'Neal
Jane Starrett	Hazel Court
Peter Jamison	Richard Wattis
Inspector Stark	Michael Shepley
Mathilda	Beatrice Varley
Rodney	Ronnie Stevens

Dick Starrett was an American living in London and married to Jane, his “duchess.” He often found himself in perplexing situations with members of Jane's upper-crust English family, who were less than enchanted with her marriage to a commoner—and an American at that. Dick was employed as an insurance investigator/adjuster by a large multinational company, and to complicate matters, Jane frequently managed to get herself involved in his claims investigations, trying to help but only causing problems. Peter Jamison was Dick's friend and associate at the office, and Inspector Stark was a Scotland Yard investigator with whom he often worked.

DICK CAVETT SHOW, THE (Talk/Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: May 26, 1969

LAST TELECAST: December 29, 1972

BROADCAST HISTORY:

May 1969-Sep 1969 , ABC Mon/Tue/Fri 10:00-11:00

Dec 1969—Dec 1972 , ABC Mon-Fri 11:30 P.M. -1:00 A.M.

REGULARS:

Dick Cavett

Bobby Rosengarden

Fred Foy

Dick Cavett was one of the few TV personalities ever to star in major programs in daytime, prime time, and late nighttime, all in quick succession, and to fail to attract a large audience with any of them. His shows were well received by the critics and were generally acknowledged to be witty, intelligent, and interesting compared to what was scheduled around them. Perhaps it was his intelligence that did Cavett in, for he never hesitated to bring in thought-provoking people as well as show-biz types as guests. Viewers, evidently, didn't much care to have their thoughts provoked.

All three of Cavett's ABC shows were essentially talk programs with some singing or performing guests. The daytime version was a 90-minute affair, five days a week, and lasted from March 1968 until January 1969. The prime-time summer show was on three nights a week from May until September 1969, and the late-night edition (11:30 P.M. -1:00 A.M. ) lasted from December 1969 until December 1972. Guests in prime time included the usual run of movie and sports stars (including a full hour with Groucho Marx) mixed in with such heady fare as political pundit I. F. Stone, maverick Federal Communications Commission member Nicholas Johnson, and Cavett's own former philosophy professor, Paul Weiss.

In December 1969 Cavett moved to late-night television, with Bobby Rosengarden as orchestra leader and Fred Foy as announcer. The guests continued to be diverse. At one point Cavett presented a series of one-guest shows with Anthony Quinn, Fred Astaire, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, and Woody Allen, followed by a program on which a group of children gave their views of contemporary life. On another famous occasion, in December 1971, former Governor Lester Maddox of Georgia walked off the show when challenged on his segregationist views.

While the show continued to receive excellent reviews, ABC continued to run a poor third behind NBC and CBS in late-night viewership. Finally in April 1972 the network announced that unless audience levels improved by July 28, the program would be canceled. This set off a controversy almost unparalleled in TV history. ABC was deluged with more than 15,000 letters in a few weeks, running nine to one in favor of Cavett. Several ABC affiliates ran “Save the Dick Cavett Show” advertisements, and notable pub-lic figures urged that the series be continued. Columnists around the country had a field day, castigating ABC and the Nielsen audience measurement system, and lauding Cavett as—in the words of one—“infinitely more valuable than another old movie.” Perhaps Cavett could not attract as many viewers as Johnny Carson, editorialized Time magazine, but “should the more than 3,200,000 viewers who want his brand of intelligent alternative programming be summarily disenfranchised?”

Viewership did not increase significantly and, after a temporary reprieve, The Dick Cavett Show was cut back to occasional status in January 1973, when it became part of the new ABC Wide World of Entertainment. It left ABC entirely in 1975.

DICK CAVETT SHOW, THE (Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: August 16, 1975

LAST TELECAST: September 6, 1975

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Aug 1975-Sep 1975 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00

REGULARS:

Dick Cavett

Leigh French

Marshall Efron

Host Dick Cavett did a little bit of everything in this four-week summer series. He interviewed guest stars, sang a little, and acted in comedy sketches with comedienne Leigh French and comedian Marshall Efron. Mr. Efron, in addition to performing, was one of the writers of the show.

DICK CAVETT SHOW, THE (Talk/Discussion)

FIRST TELECAST: September 23, 1986

LAST TELECAST: December 30, 1986

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1986-Dec 1986 , ABC Tue/Wed 12:00 midnight-1:00 A.M.

HOST:

Dick Cavett

Dick Cavett returned to network TV in 1986, briefly, with another of his wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and little-viewed discussion shows. Part of an ABC plan to provide meatier fare for late-night viewers (Nightline at 11:30 P.M. , followed by Cavett on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Jimmy Breslin on Thursday and Friday). The Dick Cavett Show featured authors, screenwriters, politicians, and thinkers along with some interesting actors (Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, Veronica Hamel). The last telecast consisted of a group of children explaining their views on a number of issues.

DICK CLARK PRESENTS THE ROCK AND ROLL

YEARS (Music)

FIRST TELECAST: November 28, 1973

LAST TELECAST: January 9, 1974

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Nov 1973–Jan 1974 , ABC Wed 8:00-8:30

HOST/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

Dick Clark

REGULARS:

Jeff Kutash Dancers

This series presented a nostalgic portrait of the rock ‘n' roll era through performances by its top artists, laced with chatter about the styles, dances, and news events of the period. Each program consisted of three acts taped before a live audience at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in California, five acts from the past shown in film clips, and one spot titled “The Immortal,” in which a superstar of the past performed. Many of the top recording stars of the 1950s and 1960s appeared, such as Chuck Berry, Pat Boone, Danny and the Juniors, the Shirelles, Duane Eddy, and Little Richard; there were also some more recent acts, such as Chicago and Three Dog Night. The “Immortals” (most of them deceased) included Jimi Hendrix, James Dean, Clyde McPhatter, and Jim Croce. Unfortunately, Clark never managed to sign Elvis.

DICK CLARK SHOW, THE (Music)

FIRST TELECAST: February 16, 1958

LAST TELECAST: September 10, 1960

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Feb 1958-Sep 1960 , ABC Sat 7:30-8:00

HOST:

Dick Clark

Dick Clark, host of the highly successful afternoon series American Bandstand , was featured in this nighttime derivative of his daytime show. Each week a number of recording artists, whose records were currently on the “Top 40” charts, performed their hits on The Dick Clark Show. Although some of them actually sang on the show, most of them lip-synched to their own recordings. Some of the numbers were performed simply; others were done as production numbers. The highlight of the show was the unveiling of the “American Bandstand Top Ten” records for the following week at the conclusion of the program. The series was also known as The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show.

DICK CLARK'S GOLDEN GREATS (Music)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

30 minutes

Produced: 1988–1989 (26 episodes)

Released: October 1988

HOST:

Dick Clark

He was no longer hosting American Bandstand , but Dick Clark was still finding ways to mine the vaults. Taking his cue from the popularity of current and vintage music videos, Clark put together this show which featured taped and filmed performances by rock performers over the decades. Many of the videos were excerpted from Bandstand and other Clark properties, along with others that he licensed for the show. Among those appearing were the Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Lionel Ritchie, Roy Or-bison, The Supremes, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Bill Haley and the Comets, James Brown, The Beastie Boys, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kiss, and The Four Tops.

DICK CLARK'S LIVE WEDNESDAY (Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: September 20, 1978

LAST TELECAST: December 27, 1978

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1978-Dec 1978 , NBC Wed 8:00-9:00

HOST/PRODUCER:

Dick Clark

Dick Clark, who was a major force in bringing rock ‘n' roll to TV in the 1950s, became the chief exponent of nostalgia for the music of that decade, 20 years later. Looking just as young as he had on American Bandstand in 1957, Clark hosted a series of highly popular specials which led to his own live prime-time musical variety series in 1978. The program featured a mix of current popular music and that of the 1950s and 1960s, performed by the original artists. Sometimes singers would be introduced with clips of themselves performing years before, as when Ricky Nelson was seen as a child on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet , before he came on to perform. There was chatter about the fads of the past, and a feature called “Where Are They Now?,” but all was not nostalgia. Current stars performed as well. Dozens of famous faces flashed across the screen each week, many in cameo appearances, ranging from such current teenage favorites as Jimmy and Kristy McNichol to old pros like Bob Hope and Danny Kaye, and old rock ‘n' rollers like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. To emphasize the show's live origination (from Hollywood), a death-defying stunt was performed on each telecast by a professional stuntman.

Six months after it left the air, Dick Clark's Live Wednesday returned for a single telecast on July 11, 1979.

DICK CLARK'S NIGHTTIME (Musical Variety)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

60 minutes

Produced: 1985-1986 (26 episodes)

Released: September 1985

HOST:

Dick Clark

Dick Clark, host of ABC's long-running American Bandstand , produced and hosted this late-night syndicated music series. The format was a mix of performances and interviews with rock artists, videos, and Bandstand-style in-studio dancing to recorded music. Most of the stations carrying the show aired it on Saturday nights after their late-evening local news.

DICK CLARK'S WORLD OF TALENT (Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: September 27, 1959

LAST TELECAST: December 20, 1959

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1959–Dec 1959 , ABC Sun 10:30-11:00

REGULARS:

Dick Clark

Jack E. Leonard

Each week Dick Clark was the host to three young performers who presented their acts to the viewing audience and a panel composed of Jack E. Leonard and two celebrity guests. The panel would then comment on the performances and offer suggestions to the entertainers. Most of the performers had already begun their professional careers; they ranged from 15-year-old concert pianist Lorin Hollander to folksingers Bud and Travis. Comedians, dancers, and soloists were also seen (despite Clark's identification with the current hit parade, there were few rock acts). Some of the performers had been in show business quite a while, in fact, stretching the “young artist” theme a bit; among these were singers Don Cornell, Della Reese, Alan Dale, and The Four Aces.

DICK POWELL SHOW, THE (Dramatic Anthology)

FIRST TELECAST: September 26, 1961

LAST TELECAST: September 17, 1963

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1961-Sep 1962 , NBC Tue 9:00-10:00

Sep 1962-Sep 1963 , NBC Tue 9:30-10:30

HOST/STAR:

Dick Powell

Dick Powell, the boyish star of some of the 1930s' most glittering movie musicals, was a seasoned veteran when he appeared in this, his last TV series. Many of the episodes aired were pilots, and two of them actually became regular series in their own right. Powell himself starred in the first telecast, “Who Killed Julie Greer,” playing the role of wealthy policeman Amos Burke; the following fall Gene Barry took on the same role in the series Burke's Law. “Savage Sunday” starred Nick Adams as a crusading New York newspaper reporter, a role he kept when Saints and Sinners premiered the next fall. Among the pilots that didn't succeed was “Safari,” based on the movie The African Queen and starring Glynis Johns and James Coburn. A noteworthy episode was “The Price of Tomatoes,” for which a young Peter Falk won an Emmy.

In addition to serving as host, Powell periodically appeared in individual episodes. During the first season he co-starred with his wife June Allyson in a play called “A Time to Die.” It is not known whether Powell knew at the time that he had cancer, but by the beginning of the second season he was in declining health. His last acting role was in “The Court-Martial of Captain Wycliff,” which was aired on December 12, 1962, and his last appearance as host (on film) was on New Year's Day 1963. He died the following day. In deference to his family the filmed introductions that he had already prepared for future telecasts were deleted, and a succession of guest stars appeared as hosts for the remainder of the season. The title of the program was also changed to The Dick Powell Theatre.

DICK POWELL'S ZANE GREY THEATER (Western Anthology)

FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1956

LAST TELECAST: September 20, 1962

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1956-Jul 1958 , CBS Fri 8:30-9:00 (OS)

Oct 1958-Sep 1960 , CBS Thu 9:00-9:30

Oct 1960-Jul 1961 , CBS Thu 8:30-9:00

Apr 1962-Sep 1962 , CBS Thu 9:30-10:00

HOST/STAR:

Dick Powell

During its early seasons, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater was comprised completely of adaptations of the short stories and novels of famous Western author Zane Grey. Eventually, when the Grey material began to run out, Western stories from other authors were included. Host Dick Powell was frequently the star of individual episodes, more often in the early years than later in its run. The episodes telecast in the summer of 1962 were all reruns.

DICK TRACY (Police Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: September 11, 1950

LAST TELECAST: February 12, 1951

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1950-Oct 1950 , ABC Wed 8:30-9:00

Oct 1950-Dec 1950 , ABC Mon 8:30-9:00

Jan 1951-Feb 1951 , ABC Tue 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Dick Tracy	Ralph Byrd
Sam Catchem	Joe Devlin

Chester Gould's famous comic-strip hero appeared briefly on network television in 1950-1951 in this very violent series. With him were the famous supporting characters, including his sidekick Sam Catchem, Chief Murphy, and an array of incredible villains ranging from The Mole (a counterfeiter who tunneled underground) to the laughing Joker. Ralph Byrd, who had been slugging it out in Dick Tracy theatrical movies and serials since the 1930s, also appeared in this TV version.

Byrd continued to make new Tracy films for TV syndication after the series left the network, until his death in 1952. Joe Devlin co-starred. Dick Tracy had also been heard on radio from 1935-1948, the latter part of its run on ABC. Edited versions of theatrical movies, as well as a cartoon version, were seen on TV in later years.

DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, THE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: October 3, 1961

LAST TELECAST: September 7, 1966

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1961–Dec 1961 , CBS Tue 8:00-8:30

Jan 1962-Sep 1964 , CBS Wed 9:30-10:00

Sep 1964-Sep 1965 , CBS Wed 9:00-9:30

Sep 1965-Sep 1966 , CBS Wed 9:30-10:00

CAST:

Rob Petrie	Dick Van Dyke
Laura Petrie	Mary Tyler Moore
Sally Rogers	Rose Marie
Maurice “Buddy” Sorrell	Morey Amsterdam
Ritchie Petrie	Larry Mathews
Melvin Cooley	Richard Deacon
Jerry Helper	Jerry Paris
Millie Helper	Ann Morgan Guilbert
Alan Brady	Carl Reiner

CREATOR

Carl Reiner

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/WRITER (VARIOUS EPISODES):

Carl Reiner

Sheldon Leonard

Jerry Paris

This highly successful series is often considered one of television's classic comedies, primarily because of its first-class scripting and excellent casting. Most of the principals were show-business veterans and several went on to star in series of their own. The setting, appropriately enough, was behind the scenes on a mythical TV comedy show. Rob Petrie was the head comedy writer for The Alan Brady Show , a popular New York-based comedy-variety series whose neurotic star was seldom seen here. Working with Rob were two other writers, Sally and Buddy, both of whom were close friends of Rob and his wife Laura. Their nemesis at the office, and the butt of much humor, was balding Melvin Cooley, the pompous producer of The Alan Brady Show and the brother-in-law of its star. Episodes generally revolved around the problems of the writers and the home life of the Petries in New Rochelle. Early episodes often included flashbacks to Rob and Laura's courtship, while Rob was still in the army, the early days of their marriage, and the development of Rob's career. Frequently seen were their next-door neighbors, Jerry and Millie Helper. Writer-director Carl Reiner played the occasional role of Alan Brady, who was heard but never seen until the show had been on for several seasons.

The Dick Van Dyke Show took several seasons to develop into a major hit and was still very popular in 1966, when it finally left the air because Van Dyke and other cast members wanted to try new material. Van Dyke was never able to repeat the spectacular success of this series, but his co-star Mary Tyler Moore went on to greater fame on her own Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s. See the index for other series starring Morey Amsterdam and Sheldon Leonard.

Reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Showwere a staple on the CBS weekday daytime lineup from August 1965 to September 1969.

DIFF'RENT STROKES (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: November 3, 1978

LAST TELECAST: August 30, 1986

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Nov 1978-Oct 1979 , NBC Fri 8:00-8:30

Oct 1979—Oct 1981 , NBC Wed 9:00-9:30

Oct 1981-Aug 1982 , NBC Thu 9:00-9:30

Aug 1982-Aug 1985 , NBC Sat 8:00-8:30

Sep 1985-Mar 1986 , ABC Fri 9:00-9:30

Jun 1986-Aug 1986 , ABC Sat 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Philip Drummond	Conrad Bain
Arnold Jackson	Gary Coleman
Willis Jackson	Todd Bridges
Kimherly Drummond (1978-1984)	Dana Plato
Mrs. Edna Garrett (1978-1979)	Charlotte Rae
Adelaide Brubaker (l980-1982)	Nedra Volz
Pearl Gallagher (1982-1986)	Mary Jo Catlett
Aunt Sophia (1981-1982)	Dody Goodman
Dudley Ramsey (1981-1986)	Shavar Ross
Mr. Ted Ramsey (1981-1985)	Le Tari
Miss Chung (1982-1983)	Rosalind Chao
Charlene DuPrey (1981-1982)	Janet Jackson
Robbie Jason (1982-1983)	Steven Mond
Lisa Hayes (1982-1986)	Nikki Swasey
Sam McKinney (1984-1986)	Danny Cooksey
Maggie McKinney (1984-1985)	Dixie Carter
Maggie McKinney (l985-1986)	Mary Ann Mobley
Charlie (1985-1986)	Jason Hervey

Pint-sized Gary Coleman was one of the comedy discoveries of the late 1970s. Pudgy cheeks, twinkling eyes, and flawless timing made him seem like an old pro packed into the body of a small child—and he helped turn this improbable comedy into one of the hits of the 1978-1979 season.

Eight-year-old Arnold and his 12-year-old brother Willis were two black kids from Harlem who found themselves quite suddenly in the lap of luxury. Their dying mother, a housekeeper for wealthy Philip Drummond, had extracted from her employer the promise that he would look after her boys. Unlike some of TV's other accidental parents (see, for example, Family Affair) , Drummond didn't mind at all, and welcomed the two into his Park Avenue apartment as his own. No matter that there were endless double takes when the rich, white Drummond, president of the huge conglomerate Trans Allied, Inc. (though he never seemed to work much), introduced the two spunky black kids as his “sons.” They didn't care. There was always plenty of love around—though Willis seemed a bit reserved—and everybody learned little lessons in Living Right in each episode. There were also episodes on such serious subjects as child abuse and the dangers of hitchhiking. First Lady Nancy Reagan appeared in a 1983 episode dealing with drug abuse. Rounding out the household was widower Drummond's 13-year-old daughter, Kim-berly, and the new housekeeper, the scatterbrained Mrs. Garrett.

As years passed, new characters were introduced. Mrs. Garrett left to become a housemother at the prestigious Eastland School for Girls, which Kimberly was attending, in a spin-off series called The Facts of Life. She was replaced as housekeeper first by the somewhat grumpy Adelaide, and then by cheerful Pearl. Dudley arrived on the scene in 1981 as Arnold's best buddy, while Charlene was Willis's girlfriend for a time. Perhaps the most notable addition to all their lives came in 1984. After years of fruitless matchmaking by his sister Sophia and by the kids, Drummond finally fell in love—with a feisty TV-exercise-show hostess named Maggie. They were married in February 1984, adding her young son Sam to the Drummond household. In the fall of 1984 Kimberly graduated from high school and went away to study in Paris.

When Diffrent Strokes premiered NBC had few comedies on its schedule, and it used its new hit to help out some of the others. First Facts of Life began with a crossover episode. Then Drummond just happened to buy the Portland, Oregon, radio station where Larry Adler (principal character on Hello, Larry) was a talk-show host, leading to some visits there; Larry and Philip, it seemed, were old army buddies.

Coleman was 10 when this series began. He was born with a congenital kidney problem and received a kidney transplant at the age of five, which resulted in his being smaller than normal for his age (a condition that would continue throughout his life). An uncommonly bright and articulate youngster, he seemed quite happy to be alive, and became a frequent and popular guest on talk shows and other series.

NBC aired reruns of Diff'rent Strokes on weekdays from April 1982 to December 1983 and from July to September 1984.

DIFFERENT WORLD, A (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 24, 1987

LAST TELECAST: July 9, 1993

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1987-Jun 1992 , NBC Thu 8:30-9:00

Jul 1991-Aug 1991 , NBC Mon 8:30-9:00

Jul 1992-Nov 1992 , NBC Thu 8:00-8:30

Nov 1992—Jan 1993 , NBC Thu 8:30-9:00

Mayl993-Jun 1993 , NBC Thu 8:00-8:30

Jul 1993 , NBC Fri 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Denise Huxtable (1987-1988)	Lisa Bonet
Whitley Gilbert	Jasmine Guy
Jaleesa Vinson (1987-1992)	Dawnn Lewis
Dwayne Wayne	Kadeem Hardison
Ron Johnson	Darryl Bell
Maggie Lauten (1987-1988)	Marisa Tomei
Millie (1987-1988)	Marie-Alise Recasner
Stevie Rallen (1987-1988)	Loretta Devine
J. T. Rallen (1987-1988)	Amir Williams
Gloria (1987-1988)	Bee-be Smith
Allison (1987-1988)	Kim Wayans
Walter Oakes (1987-1991)	Sinbad
Lettie Bostic (1988-1989)	Mary Alice
Col. Clayton Taylor (1988-1993)	Glynn Turman
*Terrence Johann Taylor (1990-1992)	Cory Tyler
Winifred “Freddie” Brooks (1988-1993)	Cree Summer
Kim Pieese (1988-1993)	Charnele Brown
Vernon Gaines (1988-1993)	Lou Myers
Ernest (1989-1990)	Reuben Grundy
*Julian (1990-1991)	Dominic Hoffman
Lena James (1991-1993)	Jada Pinkett
Charmaine Brown (1992-1993)	Karen Malina White
Gina Devereaux (1991-1992)	Ajai Sanders
Byron Douglas III (1991)	Joe Morton
Shazza Zulu (1992)	Gary Dourdan
Clint (1992-1992)	Michael Ralph
* Occasional

THEME:

“A Different World,” by Stu Gardner, Bill Cosby, and Dawnn Lewis, sung by Phoebe Snow during the first season and Aretha Franklin thereafter

Fresh from her movie debut in the controversial film Angel Hean , 19-year-old Lisa Bonet starred in this spin-off from the top-rated Cosby Show. The “different world” for Denise Huxtable was college, where for the first time in her life she was out from under the protective wing of her family and trying to make it on her own. As the series began she was a sophomore at Hill-man College, a mostly black institution which both her father and grandfather had attended. Dad (Bill Cosby) and the family were only a phone call away, but Denise was determined to show that she was “all grown up” and wasn't going to come running home for money and support at every crisis. That wasn't easy, since the crises came every week, sitcom-style.

Denise's roommates were Jaleesa, a 26-year-old fresh-man who had already been married and divorced, and who had a no-nonsense attitude toward life; and Maggie, a flighty, naive, eternally optimistic chatterbox (and one of the few whites at Hillman).

There were numerous cast changes as the series, which began as a rather pale offshoot of The Cosby Show , began to find a character of its own. The ostensible star, Lisa Bonet, was eased out after the first season. Various professors came and went, and dorm director Stevie was replaced by Lettie—a colorful woman who had left Hillman to “walk on the wild side,” then returned to finish her education—and eventually by Walter, who also ran a local community center. Also prominently featured were uppity Southern belle Whitley, super-cool math major Dwayne and his best friend Ron, as well as Col. Taylor (“Dr. War”), free-spirit Freddie, strong-willed Kim, streetwise Lena, chatty Charmaine, and sassy Gina in later seasons. Gaines ran the campus eatery and hangout, The Pit.

Hillman proved such a rewarding place that several of the principals stayed around even after graduation. Jaleesa became a marketing executive, opened her own temporary employment agency, and married Col. Taylor; Dwayne continued as a graduate student; and Whitley (whom Dwayne eventually married) was for a time dorm director of Gilbert Hall.

DILBERT (Canoon Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: January 25, 1999

LAST TELECAST: August 15, 2000

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jan 1999-Jul 1999 , UPN Mon 8:00-8:30

Sep 1999-Oct 1999 , UPN Tue 8:00-8:30

Oct 1999-Jan 2000 , UPN Tue 8:30-9:00

Jan 2000-Feb 2000 , UPN Tue 9:30-10:00

May 2000-Aug 2000 , UPN Tue 8:30-9:00

VOICES:

Dilbert	Daniel Stern
Dogbert	Chris Elliott
Wally.	Gordon Hunt
Alice	Cathy Griffin
The Boss	Larry Miller
Dilmom	Jackie Hoffman

While Fred Savage, the innocent Kevin of The Wonder Years , went on to star in one wild parody of corporate America in the ‘90s (Working) , his alter ego (Daniel Stern) provided the lead voice on another. Dilbert was an everyman for modern office workers, coping with the absurdities and frustrations of a bureaucracy gone mad. The Company, for which he worked as a lowly, cubicle-bound engineer, was gigantic and totally dysfunctional. At one point it marketed a throat lozenge laced with anthrax spores, and when that failed, planned another product called “Salmonella.” When layoffs took place, there was actual rioting in the offices. Lazy Wally and hyperactive, aggressive Alice were fellow engineers. They all worked for the Boss, a pointy-haired incompetent who took credit for the work of others and was totally insensitive to the needs of his people. Since The Company only cared about profits, Dilbert's work was closely scrutinized by the dreaded marketing department, and he was constantly under pressure to come up with new products and ideas. The ultimate threat, should he fail to produce, was a transfer to Albany, the Siberia of The Company. Dilbert's most beloved invention was the Gruntmaster 6000, whose purpose was never explained—although his superiors had great hopes for its success. Dogbert was Dilbert's sarcastic canine roommate, an opportunist and master manipulator who turned every situation into a profitable business opportunity for himself. In one episode he even orchestrated a takeover of The Company and installed himself as CEO. Dilmom, Dilbert's condescending mother, came to visit occasionally, invariably beating him at Scrabble.

In the series-ending two parter, Dilbert sent a small rocket probe to find samples of life and return to him. It accumulated DNA from aliens, a hillbilly, a cow, an engineer and a robot. When it returned, it struck Dilbert in the buttocks and impregnated him. Because The Company had cut back on his health insurance and wouldn't cover his pregnancy, he went to a literary agent, who manipulated the media into a frenzy. At the televised custody hearing for his unborn “baby,” presided over by Judge “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Dilbert lost custody, attempted suicide by jumping out the courtroom window, and was saved by Dogbert. After Dilbert gave birth to a hybrid baby, Dogbert kept it out of the hands of the people by sending it to Jor-El and Lara on the planet Krypton— which apparently had not been destroyed after they had sent their infant son to Earth decades earlier.

Based on the highly successful syndicated comic strip by Scott Adams, who also created the TV series.

DINAH AND HER NEW BEST FRIENDS (Musical Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: June 5, 1976

LAST TELECAST: July 31, 1976

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jun 1976-Jul 1976 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00

REGULARS:

Dinah Shore

Diana Canova

Bruce Kimmel

Gary Mule Deer

Mike Neun

Leland Palmer

Michael Preminger

Avelio Falana

Dee Dee Rescher

This 1976 summer variety series, a replacement for the vacationing Carol Burnett, starred the most successful female variety series performer of the 1950s and 1960s, the versatile Dinah Shore. Working with Miss Shore was a company of regular players who had had little, if any, previous television exposure. They participated in comedy sketches, did their own solos, and blended their talents with those of the guest stars for the week.

DINAH SHORE CHEVY SHOW, THE (Musical Variety)

FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1956

LAST TELECAST: May 12, 1963

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1956-Jun 1957 , NBC Fri 10:00-11:00

Oct 1957-Jun 1961 , NBC Sun 9:00-10:00 (OS)

Oct 1961-Jun 1962 , NBC Fri 9:30-10:30

Dec 1962–May 1963 , NBC Sun 10:00-11:00

REGULARS:

Dinah Shore

The Skylarks (1956-1957)

The Even Dozen (1961-1962)

The Tony Charmoli Dancers (1957-1962)

The Nick Castle Dancers (1962-1963)

The Harry Zimmerman Orchestra (1957-1961, 1962-1963)

Frank DeVol and His Orchestra (1961-1962)

Dinah Shore, one of the few women to achieve major success as a variety-series host on TV, starred in her own full-hour musical variety show on NBC for seven seasons, following a successful run with the much simpler and shorter Dinah Shore Show , which was only 15 minutes long. A full hour enabled Dinah to play host to top-name guest stars, include skits and large production numbers, and expand on her own varied talents. Besides her warm and friendly style, her trademarks on this series were the theme song “See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet” and the resounding kiss she gave the audience at the end of each show.

When The Dinah Shore Chevy Show premiered in 1956 it was as a series of monthly specials. The following fall it moved to Sunday night and became a weekly series. It vacated the Sunday time slot to Bonanza in 1961, moved to Friday with the new title The Dinah Shore Show , and continued on a rotating basis with assorted specials for two more seasons.

DINAH SHORE SHOW, THE (Music)

FIRST TELECAST: November 27, 1951

LAST TELECAST: July 18, 1957

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Nov 1951-Jul 1957 , NBC Tue/Thu 7:30-7:45 (OS)

REGULARS:

Dinah Shore

The Notables, vocal quintet (1951-1955)

The Skylarks, vocal quintet (1955-1957)

Ticker Freeman, pianist The Vic Shoen Orchestra (1951-1954)

The Harry Zimmerman Orchestra (1954-1957)

Twice weekly for six years, Dinah Shore starred in this live 15-minute musical show that occupied the remainder of the half hour that included the NBC network news. Dinah sang, often gave her accompanist Ticker Freeman a chance to do featured solos, and occasionally had guest stars with whom she chatted and performed.

DINNER DATE WITH VINCENT LOPEZ , see Vincent Lopez

DINOSAURS (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: April 26, 1991

LAST TELECAST: July 20, 1994

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Apr 1991-May 1991 , ABC Fri 8:30-9:00

Aug 1991–Feb 1992 , ABC Wed 8:00-8:30

Mar 1992-Feb 1993 , ABC Fri 9:00-9:30

Apr 1993-May 1993 , ABC Sun 7:30-8:00

Jun 1993-Sep 1993 , ABC Fri 9:00-9:30

Jun 1994-Jul 1994 , ABC Wed 8:00-8:30

VOICES:

Earl Sinclair	Stuart Pankin
Fran Sinclair	Jessica Walter
Robbie Sinclair (age 14)	Jason Willinger
Charlene Sinclair (12)	Sally Struthers
Baby Sinclair	Kevin Clash
Grandma Ethyl	Florence Stanley
Roy Hess	Sam McMurray
B. P. Richfield	Sherman Hemsley

Modern-day life and its foibles were seen through the eyes of a domesticated family of dinosaurs in this unusual comedy, conceived by muppet creator Jim Hen-son before his death. The puppet-like figures were brought to life by a complex process called “audio-animatronics” at Henson Productions' Creature Shop in London by his son, Brian Henson, and the same craftsmen who created the Muppets and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The puppets were funny and strikingly realistic, but the plot was Stone Age sitcom, derived from The Honeymooners by way of The Flintstones. The year was 60,000,003 B.C. on the Super-continent of Pan-gaea. Earl Sinclair was a henpecked, blustery, cigar-smoking megalosaurus who worked as a tree-pusher for the Wesayso Development Corporation, which leveled forests to make way for suburban tract homes like his own. His sensible wife Fran, a ten-ton al-losaurus, ran both the household and Earl's life. Teenage son Robbie was in his rebellious phase, but also the most enlightened member of the family, questioning all the foolish dinosaur customs; Charlene was his shop-till-you-drop sister; and Baby, the most recently hatched member of the family, a smart-mouthed brat who got on Earl's nerves. Everyone, in fact, got on Earl's nerves, especially his nagging mother-in-law Ethyl, who despised him, and his tyrannical boss B. P. Richfield, a triceratops with fearsome teeth. Earl's best friend, a confirmed bachelor tyrannosaurus who lived in a condo at the marina, was Roy Hess. (Notice how everyone here seems to have a name derived from an oil company? There were many levels of parody in Dinosaurs.) Occasionally, for comic relief, a few caveman humans were seen scampering around like wild animals trying to invent the wheel.

Although the series ended its regular run at the end of the 1992-1993 season, a few additional original episodes were aired during the summer of 1994.

DINOTOPIA (Fantasy/Adventure)

FIRST TELECAST: November 28, 2002

LAST TELECAST: December 26, 2002

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Nov 2002-Dec 2002 , ABC Thu 8:00-9:00

CAST:

Karl Scott	Erik von Detten
David Scott	Shiloh Strong
Frank Scott	Michael Brandon
Princess Marion	Georgina Rylance
Mayor Waldo	Jonathan Hyde
Rosemary	Sophie Ward
Le Sage	Lisa Zane
Zippo (voice)	Omid Djalili

MUSIC:

Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Geoffrey Alexander

This fantasy-adventure, modeled after the Jurassic Park movies, was a festival of special effects. Bull-headed Frank Scott and his handsome, squabbling teenage sons Karl and David had crashed their private plane in the Caribbean and washed up on a “lost” tropical island. There they found others who had been similarly stranded, some descended from castaways from as much as 400 years earlier—and, most incredibly, friendly dinosaurs. The inhabitants had built a spectacular, medieval-style city called Waterfall City where kindly Mayor Waldo welcomed the Scotts as the latest “Off Worlders” and enrolled them in the capital's academy so they could learn to become Dinotopians. The strangest thing to which the newcomers had to adjust was the sight of dinosaurs both large and small, some of whom could speak, and most of whom were quite domesticated. The Scotts even got their own erudite stenonychosaurus, Zippo, who helped them around the house. Frank and the boys wanted to return to modern civilization, and even tried to do so, but found that the island was surrounded by “razor reefs” that prevented escape.

Karl, the younger son, went to work at a Saurian “hatchery” where he was assigned to oversee the birth of an infant chemosaurus, while curly-haired David became a Skybax “pilot” in the Dinotopian Air Force, which meant clinging to the back of a large-winged terrasaur and guiding it through the air. Marion was the mayor's winsome daughter, and Rosemary, his supportive wife. Le Sage was the warrior leader of a renegade group known as the Outsiders who mainly seemed to be interested in killing the wildlife and plundering the peaceful Dinotopians.

Worse than the Outsiders were the wild tyrannosaurus rexes who roamed the countryside gobbling up villagers (no blood was ever seen) and periodically threatening Waterfall City itself. Why the inhabitants insisted on “living peacefully” with these huge beasts who kept trying to kill them was another of Dino-topia's mysteries.

Dinotopia was based on the books by James Gur-ney, and was first seen as a miniseries in May 2002.

DIONE LUCAS SHOW, THE , see To the Queen's Taste

DIONNE AND FRIENDS (Music)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

30 minutes

Produced: 1990 (13 episodes)

Released: January 1990

HOSTESS:

Dionne Warwick

MUSICAL DIRECTOR:

Rocky Davis

Short-lived musical series in which Miss Warwick and her weekly guest stars performed and chatted. Among those appearing were veteran performers Freddie Jackson, Peter Allen, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Mathis, Gladys Knight, Deniece Williams, Olivia Newton-John, and Stephanie Mills. At the end of each show, Miss Warwick added a new member to her personal “Walk of Fame.” Most of her choices were black singers with long and distinguished careers—Sammy Davis, Jr., Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald, etc.—but also included was Martin Luther King, Jr.

DIRESTA (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1998

LAST TELECAST: March 1, 1999

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1998 , UPN Mon 8:30-9:00

Nov 1998—Jan 1999 , UPN Mon 9:30-10:00

Jan 1999-Mar 1999 , UPN Mon 8:30-9:00

CAST:

Off. John DiResta	John DiResta
Kate DiResta	Leila Kenzle
Sgt. Kazmerek	Joe Guzaldo
Off. Liz Labella	Sandra Purpuro
Cai	David Batiste
Tully	Erik Palladino
Anna DiResta (age 5)	Karle Warren
Dakota DiResta (2)	Ruairi & Sean Kenna
Vic DiResta (1999)	Robert Costanzo

John was a pudgy New York City transit policeman living with his family on Long Island in this blue-collar comedy. Also in the bustling DiResta household were his wife, Kate, his two young kids, Anna and Dakota, and Tully, his unemployed cousin, who slept in the basement and sometimes babysat for them. John's fellow officers included Liz, Kate's outspoken single sister, and Sgt. Kazmerek, their obnoxious boss. Cal worked at Yankee Frank's, a diner in the Bronx where the transit cops hung out. Stories dealt with both the work and home life of the well-meaning but somewhat blustery DiResta, who looked like and seemed to be patterned after The Honeymooners' Ralph Kramden. In February, Tully married a woman he'd been dating for less than two months, and John was thrilled to be getting rid of his freeloading cousin. His dad, a retired fireman, who took over the subway newsstand on John's beat, became a regular about this time.

Comedian John DiResta didn't go far from home with this series, having himself been a New York City transit cop before turning to comedy for a living.

DIRT (Drama)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

FX

60 minutes

Original episodes: 2007-

Premiered: January 2, 2007

CAST:

Lucy Spiller	Courteney Cox
Don Konkey	Ian Hart
Holt McLaren	Josh Stewart
Julia Mallory	Laura Allen
Brent Barrow	Jeffrey Nordling
Willa McPherson	Alexandra Breckenridge
Leo Spiller	Will McCormack
Terry	Shauna Stoddart
Garbo	Carly Pope
Gibson Home	Timothy Bottoms
Kenny	Ankur Bhatt

The world of celebrity tabloids was seldom sleazier than in this dark, moody drama. Lucy was the glamorous, lonely, ruthless editor of Dirt and Now , two muckraking publications that soon merged into Dirt-Now. She glided through Hollywood parties smiling at wary celebs who either hissed at her or curried favor, purring back, “As much as you hate to admit it, you need me.” Her chief photographer was the truly creepy Don, a schizophrenic who twitched and heard voices when he went off his meds. Intensely loyal to Lucy, he went to great lengths to get incriminating photos of the rich and famous. Holt was a down-and-out actor whom Lucy blackmailed for information, and who eventually became her lover. Julia was Holt's former girlfriend, a famous sitcom actress whose career slowly unraveled and who blamed Lucy. Other tormented souls included Lucy's gay brother Leo, ambitious reporter Willa, scheming publisher/boss Brent and the publication's cowboy owner Gibson. There was sex, backstabbing, and a whole city full of selfish, shallow people. At the end of the first season Julia stabbed Lucy, and appeared to be killed herself.

DIRTY DANCING (Comedy/Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: October 29, 1988

LAST TELECAST: January 14, 1989

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1988—Dec 1988 , CBS Sat 8:00-8:30

Jan 1989 , CBS 9:30-10:00

CAST:

Johnny Castle	Patrick Cassidy
Frances “Baby” Kellerman	Melora Hardin
Norman Bryant	Paul Feig
Penny Rivera	Constance Marie
Sweets Walker	John Wesley
Robin Kellerman	Mandy Ingber
Neil Mumford	Charles Stratton
Max Kellerman	McLean Stevenson

Set in the 1960s, Dirty Dancing was the musical story of two young people falling in love while working at Kellerman's, a summer resort in the Catskills. The young lovers were 17-year-old Baby, daughter of resort owner Max, and Johnny, the resort's sexy dance instructor. Baby had come to Kellerman's to spend the summer between high school and college with her dad, after living with her mom since her parents' divorce. It was a summer to be remembered. Dad made her talent coordinator, which irked Johnny, who had been doubling in that capacity. But when Johnny began to teach her “dirty dancing” the relationship between upscale Baby and working-class Johnny blossomed into romance—much to her doting father's disgust. Complicating matters was Penny, Johnny's fiery Latin dance partner, who did not appreciate the boss's daughter butting in. Also seen were Norman, an obnoxious pre-med student working as a waiter; Sweets, the resort's talented jazz pianist; Norman, the young comic and bellhop; and Robin, Baby's spoiled, boy-crazy cousin and confidante.

Loosely adapted from the 1987 movie of the same name, which starred Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. As with the movie, sensual dancing, albeit somewhat sanitized for TV, was an integral part of each episode.

DIRTY DOZEN, THE (War Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: April 30, 1988

LAST TELECAST: July 30, 1988

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Apr 1988-JuI 1988 , FOX Sat 9:00-10:00

CAST:

Lt. Danko	Ben Murphy
Johnny Farrell	John Bradley
Jean Lebec	John DiAquino
Vern Beauboff	Mike Jolly
Roy Beauboff	Glenn Withrow
Janosz Feke	Jon Tenney
Pvt. Dylan Leeds	John Slattery
Master Sgt. Cutter	Barry Cullison
Maj. Gen. Worth	Frank Marth

This short-lived series took a group of prisoners from Marston Military Prison and followed their exploits on secret missions for the Allied command in Europe during World War II. The group's leader, and the only non-prisoner among them, was no-nonsense, Lt. Danko. A dedicated, independent, authority-hating rebel himself, he had previously been busted from major to private but his superiors needed someone the prisoners would respect. Danko had arranged the release of this collection of hardened criminals because each of them had specific useful skills. Among them were Farrell, a former actor; Lebec, a demolitions expert; Feke, a brilliant strategist; Leeds, a forger; and the muscular but crazed Beauboff brothers. Sgt. Cutter coordinated their activities, and General Worth was Danko's commanding officer.

Filmed on the cheap in Yugoslavia, this series caused a publicized rift between Fox and its production company, MGM/UA. Although thirteen episodes were filmed, poor initial ratings, not helped by being scheduled opposite CBS' Vietnam War series Tour of Duty , resulted in Fox's decision to air—and pay for— only seven episodes. The production company wanted to be paid for all thirteen.

Adapted from the 1967 movie of the same name starring Lee Marvin.

DIRTY ROTTEN CHEATER (Quiz)

FIRST TELECAST: January 6, 2003

LAST TELECAST: April 14, 2003

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jan 2003-Apr 2003 , PAX Mon 8:00-9:00

EMCEE:

Bil Dwyer

Six contestants competed in each telecast of this comedy/quiz show. The questions were all survey questions, and the contestants won money by coming up with one of the ten most popular answers. Unlike Family Feud , which used similar surveys for its questions, the least popular answer was worth the most money ($2,500) and the most popular worth the least ($250). At the end of each round there were bonuses of $10,000 for highest-value answer, $7,500 for second highest and $5,000 for third highest. Among the survey questions were, “What body part would you be willing to sell for $1 million?;” “Name something little boys hate to do,” and “What is a reason to take your clothes off?”

There was an unusual twist on Dirty Rotten Cheater —one of the contestants, The Cheater, was secretly given the answers. Since this player knew the answers, he or she could build up the cash balance, but had to be careful to avoid detection. After every round the contestants declared whom they thought The Cheater was, followed by a vote to eject. If nobody received the minimum number of votes necessary to eject, everybody lost half their money and The Cheater could eject one of them. If The Cheater was ejected, another contestant was made the new secret Cheater. The fourth round consisted of three questions with no bonus money, and the audience voted on who The Cheater was. If less than half the audience correctly identified The Cheater then The Cheater got to eliminate one of the two honest players.

In the Final Showdown there were two questions, and each of the two surviving contestants could give three answers for each question. The audience again tried to identify The Cheater. The first three eliminated players indicated to the audience whom they thought was cheating and won money if they were right. If The Cheater fooled the audience, he or she won; otherwise the honest player took home the winnings.

DIRTY SALLY (Western)

FIRST TELECAST: January 11, 1974

LAST TELECAST: July 19, 1974

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jan 1974-Jul 1974 , CBS Fri 8:00-8:30

CAST:

Sally Fergus	Jeanette Nolan
Cyrus Pike	Dack Rambo

Dirty Sally was a far cry from the traditional violent Western. Sally Fergus was a hard-drinking, crusty old lady who was traveling west to the California gold fields in a wagon pulled by her faithful mule, Worthless. Her traveling companion was Cyrus Pike, a young ex-gunfighter. His desire to reach their destination met with constant frustration from Sally, who got herself involved in the lives of almost everyone they met along the way.

DISC MAGIC , see Musical Merry-Go-Round

DISCOVERY CHANNEL, THE (Network) (Documentary/Instruction Cable Network)

LAUNCHED: June 17, 1985

SUBSCRIBERS (MAY 2007): 93.7 million (84% U.S.)

Cable's home for documentaries on Tasmanian divers, 2,000-year-old pottery, the Buddhist legend of Shambhala, Jim Henson's puppet magic, Caribbean shipwrecks, pirates, wars, natural disasters, and just about every other subject in the areas of science, nature, history, and real-life adventure. Although the subjects were often engrossing, the delivery could be ponderous (in Wings , about the history of aviation, every warplane seemed to be “the plane that won the war!”). One of the network's most popular features was its annual “Shark Week” (1988) consisting of specials on that subject. Another early event was its presentation of 60 hours of Soviet television programming in 1987.

Among the network's high-profile series in the early 2000s were Monster Garage (2002), American Chopper (2003), Mythbusters (2003), Dirty Jobs (2003) and Deadliest Catch (2005), the latter being possibly the wettest series in the history of television—it was about crab fishermen in the tumultuous Bering Sea who were constantly getting drenched by waves. The network also attracted high ratings for a number of speicals, including Raising the Mammoth (2000), The Flight that Fought Back (about United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11) (2005), The Lost Tomb of Jesus (2007) and the spectacular Planet Earth (2007), the latter telecast in high definition.

Discovery is not the most heavily viewed cable network, but it is one of the best loved by subscribers, and so it is carried on almost every system in America. It first reached more than half of all U.S. television homes in October 1989, and its principal original prime-time series telecast after that date are listed below. All are documentaries, unless otherwise noted. Also shown are host or narrator (if not included in the title), years, and number of episodes made.

Adventures (Doug McConnell), 1991-1994 (39 eps.)

Adventures in Diving , 1990-1993 (13 eps.)

Amazing America (human interest, Kevin Nealon), 1994-1995 (13 eps.)

America Coast to Coast (travelogue, Susan Hunt), 1991-1995 (18 eps.)

American Album, An , c. 1989-1990

American Casino (inside a Las Vegas casino), 2004-2005; moved to Travel Channel

American Chopper (motorcycles), 2003-American Diary, The (E. G. Marshall), 1987-1990 (6 eps.)

Animal World Down Under (Australian wildlife), 1986-1993 (13 eps.)

Arctic, The (E. G. Marshall), 1992-1994 (13 eps.)

Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious Universe (phenomena), 1994-1996 (26 eps.)

Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World (supernatural), 1992-1997 (13 eps.)

Arthur C Clarke's World of Strange Powers (paranormal), 1989-1996 (26 eps.)

Bear Hunter, The , 1990-1991 (6 eps.)

Beyond 2000 (science magazine, Henry Tenenbaum), 1988-1994 (174 eps.)

Big (building big novelties, Frank Payne), 2004 (13 eps.)

Buckman Treatment, The , 1987-1990 (12 eps.)

Carriers , 1990-1993 (13 eps.)

Casino Diaries , 2001 (13 eps.)

Centenary of the Motorcar , 1989-1991 (13 eps.)

Choppers (helicopters), 1991-1993 (13 eps.)

Deadliest Catch (crab fishermen, Mike Rowe narr.), 2005-

Deadline: Discovery (news), 2001-2002 (41 eps.)

Deadly Women (historical), 2005

Deaf Mosaic (documentary on deafness, Gil Eastman, Mary Lou Novitsky), 1987-1995 (101 eps.)

Dirty Jobs (Mike Rowe), 2003-

Disappearing World (Portrait of a People) (ancient cultures), 1985-1995 (43 eps.)

Discover Magazine (science & technology, Jim Lovell), 1996-2000 (112 eps.)

Discovery News (science & technology, Steve Aveson), 1997-2001 (163 eps.)

Discovery Sport (unusual sports), 1990-1993 (13 eps.)

Discovery Sunday , 1996-(160 eps.)

Dive to Adventure (underwater), 1988-1992 (13 eps.)

Earth Guide (environmental magazine, Wade Davis), 1991-1992 (13 eps.)

Extreme Engineering (science and technology), 2003-(10 eps.)

Fangs (wildlife), 1995-1998 (13 eps.)

FBI Files, The (James Kallstrom), 1998-2005 (85 eps.)

Fields of Armor (tanks), 1993-1995 (12 eps.)

Firehouse U.S.A.: Boston , 2005

Firepower (military), 1990-1994 (45 eps.)

Frank Capra's The War Years , 1990-1992 (8 eps.)

From Monkeys to Apes (apes), 1990-1993 (12 eps.)

Frontiers of Flight (aviation), 1992-1994 (13 eps.)

Future Weapons (future war technology, Richard Machowicz), 2006-

GI Diary (history), c. 1991-1992 (25 eps.)

Global Family (wildlife), 1992-1993 (19 eps.)

Great Days of the Century (history), 1991-1992 (13 eps.)

Heart of Courage (everyday heroes, Alex Trebek), 1992-1993 (22 eps.)

Himalayas , 1994-1995 (13 eps.)

Hollywood Chronicles , 1989-1991 (26 eps.)

Hollywood Stuntmakers (James Coburn), 1991-1993 (13 eps.)

How the West Was Lost (history), 1993-1995 (13 eps.)

Hunters (wildlife), 1994-1995 (10 eps.)

Hunters in the Sky (WWII pilots), 1991-1993 (13 eps.)

I Shouldn't Be Alive (survival), 2005-

In Care of Nature (wildlife conservation), 1994-1995 (26 eps.)

In the Wild with Harry Butler (nature, Harry Butler), 1985-1990 (26 eps.)

Incredibly Strange Film Show, The (low-budget filmmakers, Jonathan Ross), 1991-1993 (15 eps.)

Into the Unknown (science), 1997-1999 (10 eps.)

Invention (inventions, Lucky Severson), 1990-1997 (60 eps.)

It Takes a Thief (ho me security, ex-cons Jon Rainey and Matt Johnston), 2005-

Just for the Record , 1989-1990 (50 eps.)

Justice Files (true crime stories, Forrest Sawyer, Jay Schadler, John Quinones), 1992-2002 (125 eps.)

Kevin and Drew (travel, Kevin O'Connor and Drew Feinberg), 2004

Know Zone (scientific breakthroughs, Don Bleu, Soledad O'Brien, Craig Miller), 1994-1996 (18 eps.)

Looking East (Asia documentary, Yue-Sai Kan), 1989-1992 (52 eps.)

Magical Worlds (anthropology), 1993-1995 (14 eps.)

Moments in Time (historical events), 2003-

Moments of Courage (adventure, Tom Jarriel), c. 1991-1993 (13 eps.)

*Monster Garage (cars, Jesse James), 2002-2006 (80 eps.)

Monster House (outlandish remodeling, Steve Watson), 2003-2006 (76 eps.)

Mother Nature (children's nature documentary), 1992-1994 (12 eps.)

Movie Magic (movies), 1993-1998 (44 eps.)

Mythbusters (testing myths, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman), 2003-

Natural World (nature), 1989-1990 (8 eps.)

Nature , 1990 (21 eps.)

Nature Connection (children's nature documentary, Dr. David Suzuki), 1993-1994 (13 eps.)

Nature of Things (science, Dr. David Suzuki), 1985-1996 (166 eps.)

Nature Watch (environmental), 1992-1993 (35 eps.)

New Detectives (forensic science), 1996-(103 eps.)

Next Step (scientific breakthroughs, Richard Hart), 1992-1997 (52 eps.)

No Opportunity Wasted (realizing dreams, Phil Keoghan), 2004 (12 eps.)

On the Inside (people) , 1998-2001 (63 eps.)

Orphans of the Wild , 1987-1991 (13 eps.)

Pacifica: Tales from the South Seas , 1993-1994 (13 eps.)

Pet Connection (pets, Dr. Berney Pukay), 1993-1995 (65 eps.)

Pirates (historical), 1994-1995 (13 eps.)

Predators and Prey (Charles Adler), 1989-1992 (8 eps.)

Profiles of Nature (Canadian nature), 1992-1993 (39 eps.)

Prosecutors, The (legal), 2000-2002 (31 eps.)

Rendezvous , c. 1989-1991 Safari (wildlife), c. 1989-1996 (26 eps.)

Sci-Trek (science), 1995-(169 eps.)

Science Mysteries (science), 1999-(13 eps.)

Search for Adventure (travelogue), 1988-1993 (34 eps.)

Search for the World's Most Secret Animals (wildlife), 1994 (12 eps.)

Secret Life of Machines (science, Tim Hunkin), 1990-1994 (18 eps.)

Secret Weapons (military, John Palmer), 1992-1995 (13 eps.)

Secrets of the Deep (ocean documentary), 1992-1997 (16 eps.)

Skybound (aviation), 1992-1994 (13 eps.)

Smithsonian Treasures (David McCullough), 1990-1992 (25 eps.)

Spirit of Survival (disasters) 1994-1996 (38 eps.)

Sporting Life , c. 1989-1990 (7 eps.)

Survival (disasters), c. 1989-1993 (20 eps.)

Terra X (historical documentary), 1989-1997 (67 eps.)

Those Incredible Animals (wildlife, Loretta Swit), 1992-1994 (26 eps.)

Those Who Dare (adventure), 1993-1994 (13 eps.)

Timewatch (historical events), 1991-1992 (18 eps.)

Treasure Hunters (treasure hunting), 1992-1996 (24 eps.)

Unsolved History (history, Daniel Martinez), 2002-2004 (22 eps.)

Walk on the Wild Side (nature, Simon King), 1993-1995 (6 eps.)

War Stories , c. 1989-1990 (13 eps.)

Wheels in Sport , 1990-1991 (13 eps.)

Wild About Wheels (autos), 1990-1993 (39 eps.)

Wild Discovery (nature), 1995-2003 (451 eps.)

Wild Sanctuaries (nature), 1993-1995 (13 eps.)

Wild Side (wildlife), 1989-1991 (48 eps.)

Wild Things , c. 1991 (36 eps.)

Wild West (history, Jack Lemmon), 1994-1995 (13 eps.)

Wildlife Chronicles (nature), 1987-1995 (125 eps.)

Wildlife International (Fred Keating), 1991-1993 (13 eps.)

Wildlife Journeys (wildlife), 1992-1994 (13 eps.)

Wildlife Tales (wildlife), 1991-1993 (26 eps.)

Wings: Great Planes (aviation), 1988-1989 (46 eps.)

Wings of the Luftwaffe (German aviation), 1992-1995 (13 eps.)

Wings of the Red Star (Soviet aviation), 1993-1994 (13 eps.)

Wonder of Our World (travelogue, Guy Baskin), 1993 (8 eps.)

World Alive (wildlife), 1987-1993 (18 eps.)

World Away, A (travelogue, Nancy Glass), 1990-1992 (52 eps.)

World of Discovery (people & places), 1994-1995 (27 eps.)

World of Valor (military), 1992-1994 (26 eps.)

World of Wonder (science, Dr. Mae Jemison), 1994-1998 (26 eps.)

X-Planes (experimental planes), 1993-1995 (13 eps.)

*See separate alphabetical entry

Discovery operates a large number of subsidiary networks, running the same (or similar) informational programming. Among them are Animal Planet (animals, 1996), Discovery Civilization (history, 1996), Discovery Home & Leisure (homemaking, 1996), Discovery Kids Channel (1996), The Science Channel (1996), Discovery Wings Channel (aviation, 1998), Discovery en Español (1998) Discovery Health Channel (1998) and the Military Channel (1997). Another short-lived venture, Discovery People (originally CBS Eye on People), operated from 1997 to 2003 and then became The Discovery Times Channel, in association with The New York Times.

DISH, THE (Magazine)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Lifetime

30 minutes

Produced: 1997

Premiered: January 24, 1997

HOST:

Tracee Ross

A Friday night guide to the coming week in television, movies, music, and other aspects of popular culture, from a woman's point of view. Included were mini-features such as “Guerrilla Girls” stalking celebrities.

DISMISSED (Documentary)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

MTV

30 minutes

Original episodes: 2001-2004

Premiered: October 8, 2001

A dating show in which a young guy or gal was sent on a date with two members of the opposite sex. After a certain amount of flirting, partying, and sexual banter (“She gave him a ‘checkup from the neck up,' “said one catty female of her competitor), and challenges for the two suitors (off with the shirts, guys, who's got the best pecs?), the show ended at “dismissal,” when the guy or gal chose one of the two dates and dismissed the other.

DISNEY CHANNEL, (Network) (General Entertainment Cable Network)

LAUNCHED: April 18, 1983

SUBSCRIBERS (MAY 2007): 91.3 million (82% U.S.)

The Disney Channel was for many years offered as a noncommercial premium channel on most cable systems and thus had more limited distribution than other “family”-oriented networks such as The Family Channel and Nickelodeon. It began as a children's service, featuring cartoons, documentaries, and kid-flicks from the vast Disney library (and other sources). In the late 1990s its programming expanded to include family fare in the early evening and “adult” (but never offensive) programs after 9 P.M. These consisted mostly of specials, concerts (e.g., Billy Joel, Roger Dal-trey), and movies such as Topaz and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? At the same time, cable systems began to make Disney part of their basic service, expanding its coverage considerably.

Early original series on Disney included revivals of Leave It to Beaver in 1985 (see The New Leave It to Beaver), The Mickey Mouse Club in 1989 and the following notable evening series:

Danger Bay (1985), a kids' adventure about a biologist and his teenage children, set in the modern Canadian Northwest. Donnelly Rhodes starred as biologist Grant “Doc” Roberts, with Christopher Crabb and Ocean Hellman as his kids, Jonah and Nicole, and Deborah Wakeman as bush pilot Joyce Carter, who airlifted them into and out of trouble.

Avonlea (1990), a serialized drama about the residents of a small town on picturesque Prince Edward Island, centering on young Sara Stanley (Sarah Pol-ley) and her relatives, the King family. Recurring roles were played by such noted actors as Michael York, Colleen Dewhurst, Peter Coyote, and Madeline Kahn. Based on the turn-of-the-century stories of Lucy Maud Montgomery, previously filmed as Anne of Green Gables (1934, 1985) and Anne of Avonlea (1987).

Ocean Girl (1994), adventure about a mysterious aquatic girl with amazing powers named Neri (Marzena Godecki) who lived in the tropical waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. There she was discovered and befriended by Jason and Brett (David Hoflin, Jeffrey Walker), teenage sons of marine biologist Dr. Dianne Bates (Kerry Armstrong). At first, neither Mom nor her scientist-partner Winston Seth (Alex Pinder) were in on the boys' secret.

Disney first reached more than half of all U.S. television homes in August 1999, and its principal original series after that date are listed in this book under their individual titles. Some of the most popular have been The Famous Jett Jackson (1998), So Weird (1999), Even Stevens (2000), Lizzie McGuire (2001), The Proud Family (2001), Kim Possible (2002), That's So Raven (2003), The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2005) and Hannah Montana (2006). The network has also aired some extremely popular TV movies including Cadet Kelly (2002), The Cheetah Girls (2003), Hal-loweentown High (2004), Twitches (2005), High School Musical (2006) and Jump In! (2007).

DISNEY PRESENTS THE 100 LIVES OF BLACK

JACK SAVAGE (Adventure)

FIRST TELECAST: March 31, 1991

LAST TELECAST: May 26, 1991

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Mar 1991 , NBC Sun 9:00-11:00

Apr 1991 , NBC Fri 8:00-9:00

May 1991 , NBC Sun 7:00-8:00

CAST:

Barry Tarberry	Daniel Hugh-Kelly
Black Jack Savage (pilot only)	Stoney Jackson
Black Jack Savage	Steven Williams
Logan “F. X.” Murphy.	Steve Hytner
Governor General Abel Vasquez	Bert Rosario
Danielle St. Clair	Roma Downey

This action hour was reminiscent of the high-spirited, swashbuckling adventure series of the 1950s (Robin Hood , et al.), complete with a sly sense of humor. Barry Tarberry was a high-profile Wall Street wheeler-dealer who, indicted for securities violations, had fled to the small Caribbean island of San Pietro to escape prosecution. There he sublet an old castle, only to find it haunted by another fugitive—Black Jack Savage, a colorful (and rather young) 17th-century pirate, who had been hiding there for the last 300 years to avoid his fate (hellfire) for the hundred lives he took during his days on the bounding main.

It seems as long as Black Jack stayed in the castle he was safe; the moment he ventured out he was subject to pursuit by the “Snarks,” screeching, otherworldly bounty hunters from hell, who would drag him to his fiery fate. He had to get out, though, to save the one hundred lives that would compensate for those he had taken, and commute his sentence. Tarberry realized that he had the same problem. Unless he teamed up with Black Jack, he would one day face the same fate for his many misdeeds.

So the two of them struck a thief's bargain, venturing out each week to save a few lives and reduce their mutual outstanding balance of misdeeds. Barry conned nerdy inventor F. X. Murphy into letting them use his high-tech super-speedboat to zip around the beautiful blue waters chasing bad guys; F. X. also provided them with a “snark buster” (which looked a lot like an old vacuum cleaner) to ward off those pesky bats from hell.

Vasquez was the corrupt petty dictator who ran the island (with whom Tarberry struck another thief s deal), and Danielle, the beautiful, socially conscious activist who defended the villagers against the governor's injustices. Naturally she enlisted the reluctant Barry in more than one crusade.

A running gag was the handsome Tarberry's unwanted celebrity status. While a stateside billionaire he had regularly appeared on quiz shows and magazine covers, and now practically everybody he ran into did a second take and exclaimed “didn't I see you on Hollywood Squares?”

Filmed in Dade County, Florida.

DISNEY SUNDAY MOVIE, THE , see Walt Disney

DISNEYLAND , see Walt Disney

DISNEY'S HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS (Comedy/Science Fiction)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

60 minutes

Produced: 1997-2000 (66 episodes)

Released: September 1997

CAST:

Wayne Szalinski	Peter Scolari
Diane Szalinski	Barbara Alyn Woods
Amy Szalinski	Hillary Tuck
Nicholas Szalinski	Thomas Dekker
*Mr. Jennings	Bruce Jarchow
*Ms. Elders	Hilary Alexander
Jake McKenna (1998-2000)	George Buza
Joel McKenna (1998-2000)	Andrew T. Grant
*Occasional

This fanciful series might better have been called “Dad's Gadgets.” Wayne was an eccentric inventor in Matheson, Colorado, who created things like a shrink ray, a spaceship, the robotic-armed Szalinski Breakfast Buddy, the retinal rotator (allowing one to see ghosts), and the Szalinski Time Hopper (a time machine). Unfortunately, his devices often went awry, getting various family members into bizarre predicaments—as when Wayne inadvertently shrunk the family van with most of the family in it, and it was promptly swallowed by Grandpa. Diane was Wayne's long-suffering wife, a new attorney; Amy, their nearly normal teenage daughter; and Nicholas a younger version of nutty Dad. Quark was the family dog, which at the beginning of the second season changed breeds, morphing from a border collie to a border terrier. (No one was safe around the Szalinski household.)

When Wayne wasn't creating an uproar at home, he worked for Jentech, a high-tech development firm, where Mr. Jennings was his oblivious boss and Ms. Elders, the boss's secretary. Joining the cast in the second season was Nicholas's friend Joel and Joel's gruff father, Jake, a cop. In May 1999 Mr. Jennings was “shipped off to the laughing academy” and his twin brother, William, took over the company, but in October Jennings had been released and was back in charge.

Based on the 1989 theatrical film starring Rick Moranis, although most of the stories in the series had nothing to do with “shrinking the kids.”

DISORDERLY CONDUCT: VIDEO ON PATROL (Documentary)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Spike

60 minutes

Original episodes: 2006-

Premiered:/une 3, 2006

Police car dashboard-camera footage of high-speed chases, wrecks, shoot-outs and miscellaneous violence.

DISTRACTION (Quiz/Audience Participation)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Comedy Central

30 minutes

Original episodes: 2005-2006 (28 episodes)

Premiered: January 18, 2005

HOST:

Jimmy Carr

The questions weren't hard in this sadistic game show, but answering them was. Four contestants were given questions about pop culture, the gimmick being that something was done to them or in front of them to “distract” them while answering. For example, if the category was “famous duds” they had to answer while pinning clothespins to their faces; if it was “action film stars” they answered while stuntpeople hit them over the head with breakable bottles and other props; in “about butts” they had to buzz in by slapping a buzzer on the adjacent contestant's butt. Other distractions included having a stripper undulate in their faces, a wrestler throw them around, or being shocked by an electric collar. In one bizarre round contestants sat on toilets (their midsections carefully masked) and urinated to set off the buzzer. The grand prize was substantial, for example a new car, but even that had a catch. The winner of the first three rounds got the prize, then had to answer additional questions; if they missed any the prize was damaged, for example, by having the losing contestants smash the windshield or spray-paint the roof.

Said smarmy British host/comedian Jimmy Carr, “Do not attempt to imitate any of these activities. Ever.” Based on a British game show of the same name, also hosted by Carr.

DISTRICT, THE (Police Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: October 7, 2000

LAST TELECAST: May 1, 2004

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 2000-Jun 2002 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00

Jun 2002-Jul 2003 , CBS Sat 9:00-10:00

Jul 2003-May 2004 , CBS Sat 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Chief Jack Mannion	Craig T. Nelson
Ella Farmer (2000-2003)	Lynne Thigpen
Mary Ann Mitchell (2000)	Jayne Brook
Deputy Chief Joe Noland	Roger Aaron Brown
Det. Temple Page	Sean Patrick Thomas
Nick Pierce (2000-2001)	Justin Theroux
Det. Danny “Mac” McGregor (2000-2001)	David O'Hara
Off. Nancy Parras	Elizabeth Marvel
Mayor Ethan Baker (2000-2001)	John Amos
Sgt. Phil Brander	Wayne Duvall
Helen York (2000)	Michelle Forbes
*U.S. Attorney Bruce Logan	Richard Fancy
*Pdcky Alvarez (2000-2001)	Segun Ajaga
*Ricky Alvarez (2001-2003)	William Turner
Det. Kevin Dehreno (2001-2004)	Jonathan LaPaglia
Sgt. Ray Cutter (2001-2004)	Christopher B. Duncan
*Clive Piodgers (2001-2003)	Gregalan Williams
*Attorney General Troy Hatcher (2002-2003)	Ving Rhames
*Vanessa Cavanaugh (2002-2004)	Jaclyn Smith
*Melinda Lockhart (2002-2003)	Kelly Rutherford
*Carol Bodine (2002-2003)	Helen Cates
*Mayor Morgan Douglas (2002-2003)	Joseph C. Phillips
Kendall Truman (2002-2003)	Kristen Wilson
Ferris Gluck (2002-2004)	Rita S. Jett
Gwen Hendrix (2003-2004)	Vanessa Bell Calloway
*Sherry Regan (2003-2004)	Jean Smart
Maria “Cashmere Brown” Rodriguez (2003-2004)	Alexandra Barreto
*Occasional

Jack Mannion was the newly appointed chief of police in Washington, D.C., a dapper dresser with a wry sense of humor, tremendous compassion and an indomitable drive to fight crime. Mannion's prior successes in Boston and Newark, New Jersey, had attracted the attention of ambitious Deputy Mayor Mitchell and led her to convince Mayor Baker to hire him. His arrival was met with less than unbridled enthusiasm by the Metro Police Department (MPD) brass, particularly Deputy Chief Noland, who had expected to get the job and who for a time tried to undermine him. With the help of Nick, his brilliant young PR aide, Mannion set out to build a more effective department that could reduce the obscenely high crime rate in the nation's capital. Possibly the single most important member of his inner circle was Ella, a statistics clerk for whom he obtained a high-tech computer system to analyze crime patterns and help senior officers make the most effective deployment of their men. Featured officers included ex-marine Temple, a street-smart young cop; Temple's partner Mac, formerly a Royal Ulster Constabulary cop from Belfast; and Nancy, the bright officer assigned as Man-nion's administrative assistant. It took a while, but eventually most of the senior officers, including Noland, came to respect and admire Mannion.

Ella was caring for her nephew, Ricky, whose mother had been murdered by his father, and eventually got custody. Early on Helen York, the muckraking chief of staff for Sen. Reese, initiated hearings on the mayor's activities, but was unable to prove anything. Nancy and Mac began an affair, which Mannion found out about in March. In the season finale Giselle (Daphnee Duplaix), the nurse who was Temple's fiancée, was killed by a random shot from a crazed guy in the hospital, and Ella found out that the breast cancer she'd had five years ago had returned. At the end of the episode Mac was killed by a car bomb planted by the Russian mob and intended for Chief Mannion.

That fall Temple, mourning his double loss, got a new partner, Debreno, a cynical officer with whom he constantly disagreed. Nancy went back on patrol and was frequently partnered with Brander, who was very fond of her. In October Ella started to date Clive, a lobbyist she had met on a bus, and their relationship, tentative at first, blossomed. In the spring Temple, working undercover on a drug case, was forced to take crack to prove he wasn't a cop, and having previously had a drug problem, it took him a while to quit. Clive asked Ella to move to Seattle with him but, when she refused, decided to stay in Washington and marry her.

In the third season Kendall was Mannion's new press secretary and Ferris was his new administrative assistant. He had ongoing problems with Attorney General Hatcher and later with newly elected Mayor Douglas, who resented his popularity and independence and wanted to get rid of him (Mannion himself had been urged several times to run for mayor). After a contentious beginning, Mannion became friendly with Vanessa, a beautiful and well-connected civil rights attorney, and there were hints of a possible romance. In November Nancy was hurt chasing a purse snatcher and, while in the hospital, found out she was in the early stages of Huntington's disease. Later that month Noland's wife gave birth to a baby girl, Ashley. In the spring the mayor's efforts to oust Mannion intensified and, after riots broke out following the death of a PCP addict in Brander's police car, he fired Mannion in May, with Noland taking over as acting chief of police. At the end of the episode Clive called Mannion to tell him that Ella had died from a stroke (actress Lynne Thigpen had died from a heart attack in March). After Ella's funeral Vanessa was working on ways to get Mannion reinstated—she discovered that the only hard evidence the mayor had was from an illegal wiretap on Mannion's cell phone—while Nancy proved that Brander, who had been fired, was not responsible for the PCP addict's death.

At the start of the 2003-2004 season Mannion returned to Washington and moved into a run-down apartment in a poor section of the district where Gwen Hendrix was his new landlady. He then maneu-vered to get his job back, which he did with his knowledge of the illegal wiretap. Brander returned to the force and, working with Nancy, found out that Maria Rodriguez, a hooker who had testified against Temple about the death of her drug dealer, was lying—which got Temple out of jail. Ironically, Maria subsequently began an affair with Temple's partner, Debreno. After he was back in office, Mannion convinced his ex-wfe Sherry, who had been seen a few times over the previous three years, to move to Washington as his Superintendent of Detectives and eventually into Ella's old office. In the series finale Maria was murdered by gang members and Debreno almost lost his job when he went on a vengeful rampage.

Based on the experiences of New York City Deputy Police Commissioner Jack Maple.

DIVISION, THE (Police Drama)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Lifetime

60 minutes

Original episodes: 2001-2004 (88 episodes)

Premiered: January 7, 2001

CAST:

Capt. Kaitlyn “Kate” McCafferty	Bonnie Bedelia
Inspector Jinny Exstead	Nancy McKeon
Inspector Magdalena Ramirez	Lisa Vidal
*Inspector Peter Tornano (2001)	David Gianopoulos
Inspector Candace “C. D.” DeLorenzo (2001-2003)	Tracey Needham
Inspector Angela Reide (2001)	Lela Rochon Fuqua
Inspector Nathan “Nate” Russo (2002-2004)	Jon Hamm
Inspector Raina Washington (2002-2004)	Taraji Henson
*Benjamin Ramirez (age 7)	Jacob Urrutia
*Gabriel Herrara	Jose Yenque
*Dep. Chief Charles Haysben (2002-2003)	James Avery
Stacy Reynolds (2004)	Amy Jo Johnson
*Hank Riley (2004)	Jon Tenney
*Occasional

San Francisco's Central Station was a precinct house with a difference—the captain and most of the inspectors were women. As the perps quickly found out, however, they were just as tough as their male counterparts—they had to be, given their personal lives. Kate was the seasoned boss, in her forties, hardened by having to fight her way up through the male-dominated ranks; Jinny, the maverick with a drinking problem, who came from a dysfunctional family of cops; Magda the stretched-thin Puerto Rican single mom; Peter, Magda's original partner; C. D., the cynical overachiever dedicated to her job and saddled with a cheating husband, and Angela, C. D.'s idealistic but inexperienced black partner.

Early stories dealt with Jinny's sexual promiscuity and alcoholism (which almost got her thrown off the force); Kate's angry, defiant daughter Amanda, and the death of Kate's mother. Magda was beset with almost constant travail, having to deal with her irresponsible ex (Gabriel, whom she called a “magician”—he had disappeared when she told him she was pregnant), her son Ben's leukemia, her married partner Peter's attraction to her, her troubled sister Lily and then her remarriage to Gabe. Joining the squad in the second season were Nate, a handsome, unflappable former vice cop, and Raina, a young former Olympic hopeful who had decided to try a new career. In January 2003, Jinny impulsively married Insp. Jack Ellis (Dean Cain), but the marriage was troubled from the start due to her drinking and drug problems. They eventually divorced. Jinny finally kicked the habit, but almost fell off the wagon when her cop brother John Exstead, Jr., was killed (instead she tracked down and killed the shooter). Also in 2003 CD. was seriously wounded and resigned from the force, and Kate came close to being named chief of police but was felled by a stroke. In the 2004 season a recovering Kate hired eager beaver Stacy as a police services aide, and Magda divorced Gabe again (but then they got back together). Jinny finally found true love in sketch artist Hank and had his baby. In the final episode Jinny and the team defused a harrowing Columbine-style plot to blow up a school (whose principal was played by none other than Nancy McKeon's old Facts of Life co-star, Kim Fields), and then Jinny and Hank were married.

DO IT YOURSELF (Comedy/Information)

FIRST TELECAST: June 26, 1955

LAST TELECAST: September 18, 1955

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jun 1955-Sep 1955 , NBC Sun 7:30-8:00

REGULARS:

Dave Willock

Cliff Arquette (as Charley Weaver)

Do It Yourself was a short-lived attempt to mix situation comedy with useful household information. Hobbyist-builder Dave Willock was seen each week in his workshop with two or three projects on his schedule, ranging from the repair of broken appliances to building various objects from scratch. He was “helped” by his friend Charley Weaver, who spent most of the time clowning around, and by other friends who happened to drop by. Despite the horseplay, Willock managed to convey all the information needed to build or repair the projects at hand.

DO OVER (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: September 19, 2002

LAST TELECAST: December 26, 2002

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 2002-Dec 2002 , WB Thu 8:30-9:00

CAST:

Joel Larsen (age 14)	Penn Badgley
Cheryl Larsen (16)	Angela Goethals
Isabelle Meyers	Natasha Melnick
Bill Larsen	Michael Milhoan
Karen Larsen	Gigi Rice
Pat Brody	Josh Wise
Joel Larsen (adult, voice only)	Tom Everett Scott
Holly Kent	Melinda Sward

Newton, Massachusetts, outside Boston, was the setting for this fantasy comedy, one of two “back to the future” failures that premiered in the fall of 2002 (the other: ABC's That Was Then). Joel was an unhappy, unmarried 34-year-old salesman whose life changed completely when his sister, Cheryl, accidentally used the defibrillation panels from an EMS van on his head. When Joel woke up, it was 1981 and he was a 14-year-old who knew what would happen over the next 20 years. He was all too aware of the problems that would beset his family. Cheryl was a rebellious teen whose future drug abuse would mess up her life, and his parents were on the road to divorce. Bill, his dad, was an unromantic chauvinist pig who didn't want anything to change, while Karen, his mom, was enthusiastic and creative and stifled by her husband's lack of interest in her ideas. Joel had two close friends at school— Isabelle, the intellectual, and Pat, to whom he had confided his secret (Pat called him “future guy”). Holly was the sexy girl he was too shy to ask out. Pat wanted Joel to take advantage of his knowledge of the future but Joel just wanted to change things for the better. He won a class election that he had originally lost, prevented the teacher who broke up his parents' marriage from hitting on his mom, tried to save Cheryl from a succession of bad relationships and encouraged his mom when she wanted to start her own business. Much of his time was spent trying to keep his parents' marriage together by getting Bill to show more interest in Karen. Do Over was narrated by the adult Joel.

DO YOU TRUST YOUR WIFE? (Quiz)

FIRST TELECAST: January 3, 1956

LAST TELECAST: March 26, 1957

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jan 1956-Mar 1957 , CBS Tue 10:30-11:00

EMCEE:

Edgar Bergen

ANNOUNCER:

Ed Reimers

Bob LeMond (1956-1957)

Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen was the host of this comedy quiz show, which derived its title from the fact that when Mr. Bergen asked each married team of contestants to answer questions on a given topic, the husband had to decide whether he—or his wife— would try to answer. The jackpot available at the end of each telecast was $100 per week for a full year. Featured on the series along with Mr. Bergen were his assorted dummies: Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd, and Effie Klinker. The program later moved to daytime where it was seen under the title Who Do You Trust? During most of its run as a daytime show, Johnny Carson was the emcee and Ed McMahon the onstage announcer. The daytime version ran from September 1957 to December 1963. When Carson left it to take over The Tonight Show in the fa ll of 1962 , he was replaced by Woody Woodbury.

DOBIE GILLIS , syndicated title for Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The

DOC (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: August 16, 1975

LAST TELECAST: October 30, 1976

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Aug 1975—Oct 1976 , CBS Sat 8:30-9:00

CAST:

*Doc” Joe Bogen	Barnard Hughes
Annie Bogert	Elizabeth Wilson
Miss TuIIy	Mary Wickes
*Happy” Miller	Irwin Corey
Laurie Bogen Fenner	Judy Kahan
Fred Fenner	John Harkins
Ben Goldman	Herbie Faye
Janet Scott (1976)	Audra Lindley
Stanley Moss (1976)	David Ogden Stiers
Woody Henderson (1976)	Ray Vitte
Teresa Ortega (1976)	Lisa Mordente

During its first season, Doc was the story of an old-fashioned doctor practicing medicine in New York City. Joe Bogert was a kindly, soft-spoken doctor who was more concerned with his patients' health than with his fees (similar to The Practice , which premiered the following January). He was happily married to a woman who was much tougher with his patients than he was; his daughter and son-in-law (a fellow he disliked intensely) rented the apartment above his. Doc often sought refuge in the company of his friends Ben and Happy.

Marginal ratings during the first season prompted a major overhaul in the fall of 1976. Doc now worked at the Westside Clinic, run by Stanley Moss, and had a new nurse in Janet Scott. Gone were his wife and family and friends from the previous season. The new characters in the series consisted of the people who worked at the clinic with him, including Woody and Teresa. The change didn't help the show, which lasted only two months in the new format before being canceled.

DOC (Medical Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: March 11, 2001

LAST TELECAST: September 21, 2006

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Mar 2001-Jan 2005 , PAX Sun 8:00-9:00

Mar 2001-Jul 2001 , PAX Tue 9:00-10:00

Aug 2001— Dec 2001 , PAX Tue 8:00-9:00

Dec 2001-Sep 2002 , PAX Tue 9:00-10:00

Jul 2002-Sep 2002 , PAX Sun 9:00-10:00

Sep 2002-Oct 2003 , PAX Wed 9:00-10:00

Oct 2004 , PAX Tue 10:00-11:00

Oct 2004-Jun 2005 , PAX Wed 8:00-9:00

Apr 2005-Jun 2005 , PAX Sun 8:00-9:00

Jul 2005-Sep 2005 , PAX Sun-Thu 8:00-9:00

Sep 2005—Oct 2005 , PAX Mon-Thu 8:00-9:00

Nov 2005-Jan 2006 , PAX Mon-Wed 10:00-11:00

Jan 2006—Mar 2006 , PAX Mon-Thu 10:00-11:00

Apr 2006-Jul 2006 , PAX Sun-Thu 9:00-10:00

Jul 2006-Sep 2006 , PAX Mon-Thu 9:00-10:00

CAST:

Dr. Clint Cassidy	Billy Ray Cyrus
Dr. Derek Heberì	Derek McGrath
Off. Nate Jackson	Richard Leacock
Nurse Nancy Nichol	Andrea Robinson
Dr. Phillip Crane	Ron Lea
Piaul Garcia (age 8)	Tyler Garcia Posey
Donna DeWitt	Ruth Marshall
Beverly Jackson	Tracy Shreve
Dr. Harley “Doc” Johanson	Neil Dainard
Tippy Williams	Paula Boudreau
Justin (8)	Demetrius Joyette
*Junior	Billy Otis
*Jelly Bean	Kenny Robinson
Dr. Kate Westin (2001-2002)	Nancy Sakovich
*Nellie Hebert (2002-2004)	Linda Kash
*Capt. Steven Doss	Kevin Jubinville
*Occasional

THEME:

“Stand Still,” performed by Billy Ray Cyrus

Clint was a hunky, long-haired country doctor from Montana who moved to New York to be with a woman he loved and, when she dumped him, decided to stay. Taking a job with the Westbury Clinic, a Manhattan HMO, he quickly became the clinic's dreamboat doctor (female patient: *That's my doctor?”). His polite, honest country ways brought a breath of fresh air to the big bad city. The staff at Westbury included kindly Dr. Hebert, stuffy Dr. Crane, pretty Nurse Nichol, who was attracted to Clint (as was almost every other woman), and Ms. DeWitt, the bossy administrative director. Nate was a friendly black police officer who befriended Clint and found him an apartment in his building, and Beverly was Nate's wife. In the premiere Nate and Beverly adopted young Raul, after Clint promised the boy's dying mother he would take care of him. Others in the cast included Tippy, the clinic's flighty new receptionist; Justin, Raul's classmate and best friend, and Junior and Jelly Bean, eccentric friends of Clint's.

Dr. Hebert liked Clint but Dr. Crane, who was interested only in the bottom line, could barely tolerate his folksy ways and willingness to do anything for his patients. On Christmas Eve Dr. Hebert's wife, Nellie, went into premature labor and gave birth to a girl, Grace. In the spring of 2001 Clint started dating Kate, although it was apparent that Nancy was also interested in him. A serious injury to her former fiancé motivated Kate to rethink her relationship. By that time Nancy had started to date a guy Tippy had found for her.

That fall Beverly found out she was pregnant and Kate, whom Clint hadn't seen in months, was suffering from Hodgkin's disease. Tippy was dating uptight Capt. Doss. In February Clint's mentor Doc came to New York for a conference and suffered a heart attack. He received a valve replacement and returned to Montana. Each episode ended with Clint corresponding, via e-mail, with Doc, who was still practicing in Montana.

At the start of the 2003-2004 season the staff at Westbury wrested control back from Richard Black (Anthony Lemke), the crooked corporate executive who had bought it in the spring and fired Nancy, Donna, Phillip and Clint. Beverly had given birth to a boy, Matthew, and she and Nate were doting new parents, which, for a time, made Raul feel left out. During the spring Tippy was preoccupied with her wedding plans and in October 2004 Tippy and Doss, who had been promoted to major, finally got married. Unfortunately he had to leave on assignment the next day. A month later, when Doc's last original episode aired, Clint's relationship with Nancy was finally resolved. She was planning to leave the clinic and take a job in Indonesia and he was trying to decide whether to propose to her or return to Montana to take over Harley's practice. Meanwhile, Raul found out he had diabetes and Tippy learned she was pregnant. In the end Clint proposed and they prepared to go to Indonesia together.

Pax continued to air reruns of Doc for another two years.

DOC CORKLE (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: October 5, 1952

LAST TELECAST: October 19, 1952

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Oct 1952 , NBC Sun 7:30-8:00

CAST:

Doc Corkle	Eddie Mayehoff
Melinda	Billie Burke
Winfield Dill	Arnold Stang
Nellie Corkle	Hope Emerson
Laurie Corkle	Connie Marshall

Doc Corkle was a neighborhood dentist who was continually beset with money problems and a collection of nutty relatives. The wackiest was his stepsister Melinda, whose well-meaning blunders got Doc and his sister Nellie in all sorts of trouble. His teenage daughter Laurie was engaged to marry Winfield Dill, a youthful millionaire who had inherited six businesses.

This filmed series ran only three weeks. The sponsor, Reynolds Metals, was so disappointed with it that it was quickly canceled and replaced with Mr. Peepers. The part of Melinda was played by the famous and, by this time, aging film and theater star, Billie Burke.

DOC ELLIOT (Medical Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: January 23, 1974

LAST TELECAST: August 14, 1974

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jan 1974-Aug 1974 , ABC Wed 10:00-11:00

CAST:

Dr. Benjamin Elliot	James Franciscus
Mags Brimble	Neva Patterson
Barney Weeks	Noah Beery
Eldred McCoy	Bo Hopkins

PRODUCER:

Sandor Stern, M.D.

MAIN THEME: by Marvin Hamlisch

This contemporary drama concerned a drop-out doctor who gave up his career in New York City to become a blue-jeaned G.P. in Gideon, Colorado. Doc's new patients, most of them as independent as he, were spread over a 600-square-mile area of rugged terrain, and his house calls (better named cabin calls) were made by plane or in a four-wheel-drive camper outfitted with medical equipment. Mags Brimble was the widow of the area's former G.P. and Doc's helper and confidante; Barney Weeks the owner of the general store; and Eldred McCoy a bush pilot. There was a lot of attractive mountain scenery in this series.

DOCTOR, THE (Medical Anthology)

FIRST TELECAST: August 24, 1952

LAST TELECAST: June 28, 1953

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Aug 1952-Jun 1953 , NBC Sun 10:00-10:30

CAST:

The Doctor

Warner Anderson

The Doctor was a series of dramas centering more on situations of high emotional stress than on physical ailments. An assortment of actors and actresses appeared, among them Jay Jostyn, Anne Jackson, Ernest Truex, Mildred Natwick, and Lee Marvin. Except for the infrequent occasions on which he also starred in the story, Warner Anderson appeared only at the beginning and end of each episode, to set the scene and discuss the outcome.

DOCTOR, DOCTOR (Situation Comedy)

FIRST TELECAST: June 12, 1989

LAST TELECAST: July 6, 1991

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Jun 1989-Jul 1989 , CBS Mon 10:30-11:00

Nov 1989—Feb 1990 , CBS Mon 10:30-11:00

Aug 1990-Sep 1990 , CBS Mon 8:30-9:00

Sep 1990—Oct 1990 , CBS Wed 8:30-9:00

Oct 1990-Jan 1991 , CBS Thu 9:30-10:00

Jun 1991-JuI 1991 , CBS Sat 10:00-10:30

CAST:

Dr. Mike Stratford	Matt Frewer
Dr. Abraham Butterfield	Julius Carry
Dr. Grant Linowitz	Beau Gravitte
Dr. Dierdre Bennett	Maureen Mueller
Nurse Faye Baryiski	Audrie J. Neenan
Pia Bismark	Sarah Abrell
Richard Stratford	Tony Carreiro
Elizabeth McQueen (1989)	Jane Brucker
Dr. Harold Stratford (1989)	Dakin Matthews
Hugh Persons (1989-1990)	Brian George
Connie Stratford (1989)	Inga Swenson
Dr. Leona Linowitz (1990-1991)	Anne Elizabeth Ramsay
Emily (1990)	Anna Slotky

THEME:

“Good Lovin' “

Mike Stratford was an idealistic, eccentric physician working in a group medical practice in Providence, Rhode Island. A general practitioner whose principal motivation was caring for the sick rather than getting rich, Mike was often at odds with his more cash-flow conscious partners—Abe, his best friend and the group's mediator; Grant, a talented but avaricious cardiologist; and Dierdre, Mike's sarcastic former girlfriend whose medical practice was much more successful than her social life. Faye was their know-it-all nurse/receptionist and Richard was Mike's gay brother, a college English professor. Mike was also co-host, with Pia Bismark, of “Wake Up, Providence,” a local morning TV show on which he provided offbeat (but sound) medical information. A renaissance man, he had also written an unsuccessful novel, Panacea.

In the fall of 1990 Grant's neurotic, recently divorced younger sister, Leona, moved to Providence with her 8-year-old daughter, Emily. A psychiatrist, she set up her office in the same building in which her brother's group practice was located. She had a brief fling with Mike. The following spring Abe separated from his wife of almost twenty years and made his first tentative steps back into the dating world.

DR. FIX-UM (Information)

FIRST TELECAST: May 3, 1949

LAST TELECAST: August 6, 1950

BROADCAST HISTORY:

May 1949-Jun 1949 , ABC Tue 9:30-10:00

Nov 1949—Jan 1950 , ABC Sun 6:45-7:00

Jan 1950-Aug 1950 , ABC Sun 7:45-8:00

HOST:

Arthur Youngquist

Ed Prentiss

Dr. Fix-Um was a program of helpful household hints in which Arthur Youngquist showed how to repair broken gadgets and gave solutions to various other household problems. The program was telecast from Chicago, where it continued to be seen as a local program after the network run.

DR. HUDSON'S SECRET JOURNAL (Medical Drama)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

30 minutes

Produced: 1955-1957 (78 episodes)

Released: Fall 1955

CAST:

Dr. Wayne Hudson	John Howard
Kathy Hudson	Cheryl Callaway
Mrs. Grady	Olive Blakeney
Nurse Ann Talbot	Frances Mercer
Dr. Bennett	Jack Kelly

This syndicated medical series was based on a character in one of the best-selling novels of the 20th century. Dr. Wayne Hudson was killed off at the start of Lloyd C. Douglas's Magnificent Obsession (1929), but his private journal, written in a secret code, helped guide young Bobby Merrick spiritually and professionally as he struggled to become a doctor and save the eyesight of Hudson's widow. A subsequent book by Douglas, Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal (1939), reprinted the journal in full, and served as the basis for this program.

The TV series largely dispensed with the religious overtones of Douglas's books (as had the two weepy movie versions of Magnificent Obsession , made in 1935 and 1954). Nevertheless it was clear that Hudson, a noted neurosurgeon at Center Hospital, had a strange and rather mysterious gift in his ability to help others psychologically as well as physically. He needed such talents, as he encountered a succession of shattered lives as well as shattered bodies in his weekly rounds. A widower, he lived with his young daughter, Kathy, and their housekeeper, Mrs. Grady. An unusual aspect of the series was the nationwide competition held in the pages of TV Guide in 1955 to find a young actor to play the role of Hudson's protégé, Tim Watson, in several episodes. Those entering had to submit a photograph and a recording (“professional or amusement-park type”) in which they read some emotional dialogue. The winner, one Joe Walker, does not appear to have found fame in show business, however.

DOCTOR I.Q. (Quiz)

FIRST TELECAST: November 4, 1953

LAST TELECAST: March 23, 1959

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Nov 1953 , ABC Wed 9:30-10:00

Dec 1953-Jan 1954 , ABC Thu 9:00-9:30

Jan 1954-Mar 1954 , ABC Mon 8:30-9:00

Apr 1954—Oct 1954 , ABC Sun 9:30-10:00

Dec 1958-Mar 1959 , ABC Sun 9:30-10:00

EMCEE:

Jay Owen (1953-1954)

James McClain (1954)

Tom Kennedy (1958-1959)

Doctor I.Q. , one of radio's more popular quiz shows, came to television for two brief runs in the 1950s. “The Doctor” stood behind a podium on the stage and fired questions at people seated in the studio audience. Roving assistants with hand microphones located the contestants and shot back to the Doctor such familiar phrases as “I have a lady in the balcony, Doctor.” The questions were reasonably intelligent, and winners were always paid off in silver dollars (“Give that lady ten silver dollars!”).

DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (Situation Comedy)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Syndicated only

30 minutes

Produced: 1970-1973 (78 episodes)

Released (U.S.): Fall 1971

CAST:

Dr. Michael Upton (1970-1972)	Barry Evans
Dr. Duncan Waring	Robin Nedwell
Dr. Dick Stuart-Clark	Geoffrey Davies
Prof. Geoffrey Loftus	Ernest Clark
The Dean	Ralph Michael
Paul Collier	George Layton
Huw Evans	Martin Shaw
Dave Briddock	Simon Cuff
Danny Hooley	Jonathan Lynn
Dr. Bingham	Richard O'Sullivan

Nurses:

Donna Reading, Sammie Winmill, Siobhan Quin-lan, Madeline Smith, others

This English comedy about a group of madcap medical students was set at crumbling St. Swithin's Teaching Hospital in London—which, as the Dean informed us in the opening episode, “is not one of the oldest but was founded in 1560, after a severe outbreak of venereal disease that followed closely on the discovery of America.” The three principals were newly arrived and youthful Dr. Michael Upton, his newfound friend Duncan Waring, and perpetual malingerer Dick Stuart-Clark. Their nemesis was the crotchety and ever put-upon Prof. Loftus. The boys were constantly in trouble, whether hatching schemes or pranks, throwing up in anatomy class, or chasing the shapely nurses who populated St. Swithin's. A large cast of semi-regulars also appeared.

Doctor in the House was originally a series of books popular in England in the early 1950s. The author, a newly graduated and bored Dr. Richard Gordon, wrote the first while he was a ship's doctor on a cargo vessel en route to Australia. The books led to a hugely successful (in England) series of movies starring Dirk Bogarde, and, around 1970, to a London Weekend Television network series which became a national craze. The TV scripts were supervised by Dr. Gordon himself, and the show was taped before a live audience. Although it was quickly exported to, and popular in, many other countries, cracking the U.S. market was difficult. American station managers resisted (1) anything English and (2) anything making fun of doctors. It finally made it to the U.S. and became a popular program here for several seasons.

DR. KATZ: PROFESSIONAL THERAPIST (Cartoon)

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Comedy Central

30 minutes

Produced: 1995-1999 (78 episodes)

Premiered: May 28, 1995

VOICES:

Dr. Katz	Jonathan Katz
Benjamin Katz	H. Jon Benjamin
Laura Sweeney	Laura Silverman
Stanley	Will Lebow
Julie, the bartender	Julianne Shapiro

Comedian Jonathan Katz co-created this witty comedy about a deadpan big-city psychologist and his wry conversations with his off-the-wall patients. The patients were usually voiced by real-life fellow comedians, who recorded improvised dialogue, which was then fitted to their animated likenesses. For example, Katz with comic Bill Braudis: “Do you remember the first time you had sex?” “Yes, because I kept the receipt.” Or with Dom Irrera: “Did you have a problem with bed-wetting as a child?” “No, not as a child.”

The divorced doctor also had to deal with his lazy 23-year-old son, Ben, who lived with him and whose chief goal in life seemed to be the permanent avoidance of work. Laura was his insolent receptionist. An unusual feature of the show was its jumpy style of animation, known as “squigglevision.” Although it was billed as an innovation, its purpose was much more prosaic: it allowed Dr. Katz to be made at far less cost than traditional animation.

DR. KILDARE (Medical Drama)

FIRST TELECAST: September 28, 1961

LAST TELECAST: August 30, 1966

BROADCAST HISTORY:

Sep 1961-Sep 1965 , NBC Thu 8:30-9:30

Sep 1965-Aug 1966 , NBC Mon/Tue 8:30-9:00

CAST:

Dr. James Kildare	Richard Chamberlain
Dr. Leonard Gillespie	Raymond Massey
Dr. Simon Agurski (1961-1962)	Eddie Ryder
Dr. Thomas Gerson (1961-1962)	Jud Taylor
Receptionist Susan Deigh (1961-1962)	Joan Patrick
Nurse Zoe Lawton (1965-1966)	Lee Kurty