Monday, February 29, 2016

Leap Day! NBC's 29th Season- 1965-1966

NBC's 29th season on television would be huge. Not only would the majority of its programming finally switch over to color, but it would premiere one of the television shows that was so legendarily bad, it would take a spot as one of the worst shows ever made. Here are the new shows that debuted on NBC that Fall:




Run For Your Life starred Ben Gazzara as a man who had a short time to live. He decides to squeeze the rest of his life into the short time he has left. The show lasted three seasons and Ben Gazzara would go on to become better known as the villain from Road House.



The absolute biggest failure of the season was My Mother, the Car which starred Jerry Van Dyke as the man whose mother became reincarnated as a car. It is generally regarded as one of the worst television shows ever made.



The Dean Martin Show was one of the longest lasting shows that was added to NBC's schedule that year. The variety show would remain on the schedule until 1974.



Please Don't Eat the Daisies was an adaptation of the book and the movie. The show turned few heads and ran just two short seasons; its biggest claim to fame being that it featured a young Bonnie Franklin.



The classic I Spy premiered in 1965. The groundbreaking show which featured one of the first multi-cultural casts.



The comedy classics Get Smart and I Dream of Jeannie both received their starts this season on NBC. I Dream of Jeannie's season would be notable as one of the rare black and white broadcasts on NBC. The show would turn to color the very next year.



The longest running show that premiered that season was Days of our Lives, a soap opera that continues to this very day.