Forgotten Network/Syndicated TV Shows of the Past

[johnnya2k6]

Three more forgotten shows I've always wanted to include for quite some time, all syndicated:

Wild Things (2000), a wildlife show from COPS/Amazing Race producer Bertram van Munster
Maximum Exposure (2001), sometimes called Max X
Home Delivery (2006)

 

[crainbebo]

I remember Maximum Exposure. I think it aired late nights on Saturday and Sunday in the Seattle area.

What the heck was "Home Delivery?" Never saw that show I don't think.

-crainbebo

 

[Wright County Guy]

Another one (and I don't believe previously mentioned): "Finders of Lost Loves" -- ABC, mid-80s. A agency found...well...lost loves. Rotating cast like ABC's other Saturday night staples "Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island".

 

[JayR]

The Grudge Match (syndicated, 1991-92): This was kind of like a court show, but instead of "battling it out" in the courtroom, the two people with an issue fight it out in a boxing ring with oversized boxing gloves, paints, food, etc.

One of the hosts was Jesse "The Body" Ventura.

I sort of remember this one, produced out of KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, if I remember correctly. Around this time (late-'80s/early-'90s), a number of syndicators wanted to cash in on the success of AMW, Unsolved Mysteries, Cops, and Rescue 911. There was "Missing Reward" (hosted by Stacy Keach), "On Scene: Emergency Response" (like Cops, but only tagging along with paramedics instead of police officers), and "Emergency Call" (Rescue 911 with footage taken from real events--no dramatizations here).

On Scene: Emergency Response later changed its name to Fire Rescue: Emergency Response.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the late Dave Foreman (executive producer) sued by family members of a victim whose video footage aired (the victim died)?

Coast Guard (1995): Following the men and women of the lowest-profile of the Armed Services

Off-topic: The US Coast Guard is part of the Uniformed Services, not the Armed Services. Originally under the Dept. of Transportation, they are now under the Dept. of Homeland Security.

Syndicated:

Top Cops

Top Cops originally aired on CBS Television on Thursday nights.

1.)Midnight Caller (NBC, 1988-91) Starring Gary Cole as ex-SFPD turned Radio Host Jack Killian. It's been a long time since I watched the whole show. I've got the promos on videotape, loved the promo music, I've memorized it on the guitar. Man, I wished they released it on DVD.

Watching Gary Cole in dramatic stuff like that and the miniseries "Fatal Vision" is sort of like watching Leslie Nielsen in his pre-"Airplane!" dramas, in that we now associate Cole with comedies like "Office Space" and the Brady Bunch movies.

I don't. Comedy aside, Cole is a versatile actor that (IMO) should be more famous than he is. He is great at dramatic roles, especially villains. He places a great creep or psycho.

Gary Cole also starred in Wanted, which aired on TNT.

I love this thread! Anyone remember "Night Heat," a Canadian buddy-cop show that aired late nights on CBS in the mid '80's?

I never watched Night Heat during its original run but caught it in the mid-90s on WWOR EMI Service, where it aired nightly at 7:00 pm ET.

A syndicated show not mentioned in any post: Lightning Force.

 

[crainbebo]

I'll mention one more

Rock Star: INXS [CBS, 2005] Summer reality show where INXS was looking for a front member after Michael Hutchence died. The winner was J.D. Fortune, who was part of INXS until August 2011.

-crainbebo

 

[EricStein]

I'll mention one more

Rock Star: INXS [CBS, 2005] Summer reality show where INXS was looking for a front member after Michael Hutchence died. The winner was J.D. Fortune, who was part of INXS until August 2011.

-crainbebo

"Rock Star" went another season, when they attempted to find a lead vocalist for what would have been a "supergroup" called Supernova (which included Tommy Lee, among others).

The same year "Rock Star: INXS" aired, UPN had a similar series focused on R&B group TLC (who also tragically lost a member) called "R U The Girl."

 

[johnnya2k6]

The same year "Rock Star: INXS" aired, UPN had a similar series focused on R&B group TLC (who also tragically lost a member) called "R U The Girl."

That would be Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the "L" in TLC.

Then there was Popstars (The WB, 2001), which introduced us to Eden's Crush and one of its members who would later be set for life with the Pussycat Dolls and beyond: Nicole Scherzinger!

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Lots of good entries from the 1990s & the early 2000s. Now, let's blow some dust off the archives-- anyone remember You Are There, the TV version hosted by Walter Cronkite? You are there was unique because it combined theatre and history. Pivotal news events of centuries before were examined through dramatic recreation.

C'mon you fellow geriatrics, I know I'm not the only R/I poster old enough to remember You Are There! Like many other productions of TV's "Golden Age", this show first aired on radio, so I'm guessing BigA has something to say about this classic.

 

[LKellerIII]

Lots of good entries from the 1990s & the early 2000s. Now, let's blow some dust off the archives-- anyone remember You Are There, the TV version hosted by Walter Cronkite? You are there was unique because it combined theatre and history. Pivotal news events of centuries before were examined through dramatic recreation.

C'mon you fellow geriatrics, I know I'm not the only R/I poster old enough to remember You Are There! Like many other productions of TV's "Golden Age", this show first aired on radio, so I'm guessing BigA has something to say about this classic.

Well, I'm 60, so I'm close to "geriatric'" but I only remember You Are There from rerun retrospectives. According to Wikipedia, it ran from 1953 (when I was 1 year old) to 1957, when I was entering kindergarten and more into Romper Room, so I'm not sure you're going to find many people who remember it first hand.

I recall (from the reruns) that Cronkite was unusually being very dramatic, and it involved historical re-enactments. I was more familiar with Uncle Walter from thy CBS Evening News (of course), but also from The 20th Century"`on Sunday afternoons, which I loved, despite my young age.`````````````````````````````````````````````

 

[Tim L]

Lots of good entries from the 1990s & the early 2000s. Now, let's blow some dust off the archives-- anyone remember You Are There, the TV version hosted by Walter Cronkite? You are there was unique because it combined theatre and history. Pivotal news events of centuries before were examined through dramatic recreation.

C'mon you fellow geriatrics, I know I'm not the only R/I poster old enough to remember You Are There! Like many other productions of TV's "Golden Age", this show first aired on radio, so I'm guessing BigA has something to say about this classic.

Well, I'm 60, so I'm close to "geriatric'" but I only remember You Are There from rerun retrospectives. According to Wikipedia, it ran from 1953 (when I was 1 year old) to 1957, when I was entering kindergarten and more into Romper Room, so I'm not sure you're going to find many people who remember it first hand.

I recall (from the reruns) that Cronkite was unusually being very dramatic, and it involved historical re-enactments. I was more familiar with Uncle Walter from thy CBS Evening News (of course), but also from The 20th Century"`on Sunday afternoons, which I loved, despite my young age.`````````````````````````````````````````````

You Are There was revived on color videotape by CBS on Saturday mornings in 1971-72..

 

[azumanga]

C'mon you fellow geriatrics, I know I'm not the only R/I poster old enough to remember You Are There! Like many other productions of TV's "Golden Age", this show first aired on radio, so I'm guessing BigA has something to say about this classic.

You Are There was revived on color videotape by CBS on Saturday mornings in 1971-72..

I'm more-familiar with the 1971-1972 version, mainly by watching 16mm films of it in elementary and middle school.

 

[johnnya2k6]

Off-topic: The US Coast Guard is part of the Uniformed Services, not the Armed Services. Originally under the Dept. of Transportation, they are now under the Dept. of Homeland Security.

The Alaska Railroad was also under the Dept. of Transportation until 1985, when the State of Alaska bought and privatized it.

And back on-topic:
Leg Work (CBS, 1987)
RoboCop: The Series (syndicated, 1994)
Think Twice (PBS, 1994; not to be confused with Nickelodeon's Think Fast)
H8R (The CW, 2011)
Superstar USA (The WB, 2004), an American Idol spoof showcasing the worst singers!

By the way...Remember WENN premiered in 1996, not 2001 as I originally guessed.

 

[willdav713]

On a VHS tape from 1986 I found promos for Head of The Class, and Jack and Mike.
Those were short lived.

 

[johnnya2k6]

On a VHS tape from 1986 I found promos for Head of The Class, and Jack and Mike.
Those were short lived.

Head of the Class short-lived? How about five seasons!

And here are a few more:
High Mountain Rangers (CBS, 1988)
The Amanda Show (Nickelodeon, 1999), starring Amanda Bynes...who really needs to get her act together as of late!!!
V.I.P. (syndicated, 1999), starring the world's most popular buxom blonde, Pamela Anderson
Funny People (NBC, 1988), from producer George Schlatter (Laugh-In, Real People, that very forgotten one-episode masterpiece Turn-On)

Plus these from Dick Clark Productions:
Hot Country Nights (NBC, 1991)
Friday Night Surprise (NBC, 1988)
The Weird Al Show (CBS, 1997)
Where The Action Is (ABC, 1965)
Camp Midnite (USA Network, 1988)
Shaq Vs. (ABC, 2009), featuring Shaquille O'Neal

 

[CrankyYankee]

How about "The Big Picture", "Victory at Sea" and "Police Surgeon."
(The first two being staples of early morning, usually weekend, TV.)
In the early days of Fox News, they would show a bunch of 'Fox Movietone Newsreels' early(6ayem) Sunday morning.
I'd get up early just to see them.

 

[johnnya2k6]

I think Victory at Sea was syndicated in the 1950's or '60s.

And here are two other forgotten dating game shows, both syndicated (which came around the same time as Singled Out):
Swaps (1995)
Bzzz! (1996) with Annie Wood, who in her spare time used to put a stick-on jewel on her forehead and performs with the band No Doubt as "Gwen Stefani".

 

[crainbebo]

I think BZZZ! used to be seen in Seattle on KTZZ-22 [The WB], afternoons. Only lasted I think a season.

-crainbebo

 

[willdav713]

How about "The Big Picture", "Victory at Sea" and "Police Surgeon."
(The first two being staples of early morning, usually weekend, TV.)
In the early days of Fox News, they would show a bunch of 'Fox Movietone Newsreels' early(6ayem) Sunday morning.
I'd get up early just to see them.

I have several tapes recorded of Victory At Sea.

I would also like to add Dinosaurs show by Walter Cronkite (1991)
Twentifth Century With Walter Cronkite
Winston Churchill the Valiant Years
Mr. Wizard's World
Hey Dude
Video Power
Weekend Gardener
Drexel's Class
ROC
Trapper John MD
Rhoda
Archie Bunkers Place
SCTV

 

[bpatrick]

I'd have to disagree about some of these; I remember "The Big
Picture" almost to 1970, and it had been around since the '50s;
"The Twentieth Century" ran from 1957 to 1967, when it was renamed
"The 21st Century" with a focus on possible scientific advances in what
is now the 21st century. "Trapper John, MD" ran for seven years;
"Rhoda" ran almost five years; "Archie Bunker's Place" may have been no
"All In The Family" but deserves a place in TV history as the show
that wounded "Mork & Mindy." And it did hang on for four years.

More forgotten that "Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years," in my book,
is "FDR," which was produced by the same people and aired on Friday
nights on ABC from January-September 1965.

For some forgotten shows try these from ABC's 1974-75 lineup:

Kodiak
The Texas Wheelers
The New Land
Nakia
Paper Moon
The Sonny Comedy Revue

 

[johnnya2k6]

Another forgotten syndicated gem I've been meaning to add:
Forgive or Forget (1998), hosted by Mother Love and later Robin Givens