 This is the SF Productions podcast network That wonderful TV year 1988 from the pop culture bunker. I'm Mindy and I'm mark you can check out our audio podcast how I got my waftree comics on iTunes or On our website SF podcast network comm I've collected TV guide for preview issues over the years and thought it would be fun to talk about which shows made it Which didn't and which ones we actually watched now I do have to give credit to Ken reads TV guidance counselor podcast for this idea 1988's fall schedule is to him It's the first to include a fourth network Fox, which at that point was broadcasting only on the weekends They wisely chose to avoid running new shows against the fall TV tumble There was also a writer strike that fall which created both delays and opportunities, but let's start on Saturday night Murphy's law ABC George Siegel Stars as an alcoholic insurance fraud investigator living with potential girlfriend slash model Maggie Hunt Based on a series of detective novels the dramedy ran all of 13 episodes one of which didn't air There's also an unrelated UK series of the same name from the 2000s Dirty dancing on CBS is the latest of a long tradition TV shows based on films in this case the 1987 hit film but with none of the films cast Patrick Cassidy steps into Patrick Swayze's shoes while Malora Harden takes over Jennifer Gray's role McLean Stevenson and Paul Feig also star the series continued the conceit that baby was going to college after a summer 3 sort So how would this series have continued long term as it turned out that never became an issue as you would expect There are a lot of musical numbers sprinkled throughout the 11 episode run Raising Miranda CBS James Norton stars as a single father to an eponymous daughter played by Royanna black after the mom abandons them to find herself He's not a great homemaker and wackiness ensues Rihanna black was better known for her child stage roles and CBS must have considered her to be the next big thing But that didn't pan out the series is also the first regular TV role for Brian Cranston who plays Norton's brother-in-law The show lasted all of nine episodes two of which never aired the ABC Saturday mystery movie Get out your flashlights for an update of the classic 70s NBC series complete with one of its stars Peter Falk as Colombo in a rotating series of TV movies He's joined by Burt Reynolds as BL striker 12 episodes Wisconsin Junior as Gideon Oliver for five episodes Jacqueline Smith as Christine Cromwell for episodes and Telly Savala is returning as co-jack for five episodes The series didn't actually get on the air until early 1989 due to the writer strike and then ran through May of 1990 Falk would continue doing a series of movies until 2003 Empty nest NBC soaps Richard Mulligan returns the TV alongside families Christine McNichol in a spinoff of the Golden Girls Mulligan plays a widower and pediatrician with two adult daughters played by McNichol and Dinah Madoff who move in with him He also has to deal with a wisecracking nurse played by Park overall The show ran seven seasons a huge hit for NBC and the cast did change over time McNichol left the series replaced by a younger sister played by Lisa rifle who until then was only referenced Mulligan's character retired then began working for an inner city medical clinic run by Marsha Warfield Estelle Getty ex-golden girl became a recurring character There was actually an earlier backdoor pilot on the Golden Girls with a different cast which never took off until it was recast down the line Empty nest would later generate its own spinoff nurses Mulligan would win an Emmy for the series Moving on to Sunday night Incredible Sunday ABC an attempt to resurrect that's incredible a series from the 80s and considered one of the first reality shows Real people know that's the other 80s show would be seen doing well incredible things John Davidson was brought back from the original to host along side Christine Ferrera and Tracy gold It lasted all of 16 episodes not too incredible the magical world of Disney on NBC Speaking of remakes after multiple incarnations going back to 1954 the long-running anthology series returned to NBC Michael Eisner Disney's chairman served as host and Walt stand-in the series would one for two years then moved to cable With only occasional specials on broadcast TV until Disney bought ABC in 1997 Mission impossible ABC yet another remake created in this case due to the writer strike With a lack of new scripts for shows you either had to have stockpiled scripts in advance or go without ABC decided to take classic scripts from the original 60s series and remake them with a mostly new cast and minor cosmetic changes Peter Grace returned as Jim Phelps not leading a team of younger operatives Phil Morris played Grant the son of Barney Collier the electronics expert and also the real-life son of Greg Morris who played Barney Thou penglass stepped in as the disguise expert Anthony Hamilton as the strongman and Terry Markwell later Jane Badwell as the seductress The show was shot in Australia to save money And so there were a lot of Aussie accents once the strike ended they began using original story lines The series ran for two seasons and might have run longer if ABC had not moved it from Sunday into the middle of Thursday nights NBC must see TV On Monday night, we had the premiere of Murphy Brown on CVS Candice Bergen switched from film to TV playing a hard-nosed recovering alcoholic at news magazine show FYI She's sharp-tongued and does not suffer fools gladly Murphy is joined at the news desk by stuffy Jim dial Charles Kimbrough investigative reporter Frank Fontana Joe Regabuto and Perky Corky Sherwood Faith Ford They all supposedly work for executive producer Miles Silverberg Grant shot, although they normally just intend to mediate him Murphy also has to deal with Philosophical house painter Eldon Robert Pastarelli who slowly worked on her home for six seasons The gang would hang out at Phil's bar run by Pat Horley and ongoing gag on the series involved in ever-revolving Series of Secretaries for Murphy who would rarely last more than a day or two after Miles and Corky eloped then thought better of it Miles moved on and was replaced by Kay Carter Sheppley Lily Tomlin as the new exec The shows apex occurred when Murphy had a child as a single mother Which became the subject of a real-world political attack by then VP Dan quail The show turned the tables and attacked quail the next season the show's ratings temporarily boomed and quails political career Went into a tailspin the original series would run for ten seasons CVS Recently attempted to resurrect Murphy Brown in the current political male storm with most of the cast returning Kimbrough and Corley had passed away, but the writing was just too much on the nose and not very funny Almost grown CBS Tim Daly and Eve Gordon star in this drama as a couple of through three decades of their lives Marsha Cross and Anita Gillette also star the series was exact produced by David Chase who had previously produced the Rockford files and Would go on to Northern Exposure and the Sopranos Almost grown was more of a speed bump. It lasted 13 episodes four of which never aired on Tuesday TV 101 CBS recently divorced photojournalist Sam Robarts quits his job and goes back to his high school So he can teach a journalism class how to make a TV news program rather than a school newspaper So welcome back Carter meets Lou Grant the kids include future stars Stacy dash Terry polo and Matt LeBlanc Another kid was Matt Dearborn who went on to create Disney shows the show ran into two issues It was scheduled opposite. Who's the boss Roseanne and Matlock And then one of the kids was pregnant in the storyline and had an abortion Which lost the show many of its sponsors the result was 17 episodes total four of which never aired and speaking of its competition Roseanne on ABC part of the era when TV networks were throwing shows at stand-up comedians the Controversial Roseanne start as a working mom in a lower middle-class family Future movie stars John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf play husband Dan and sister Jackie respectively Michael Fishman plays son DJ Sarah Gilbert plays younger daughter Darlene and Lucy Coranson and Sarah chalk play older daughter Becky on and off in a Darin-esque move as Roseanne moves from job-to-job the supporting cast changes including a young George Clooney Martin Malt and Fred Willard future Big Bang theory zillionaire Johnny Galecki plays Darlene's boyfriend The show becomes more extreme over time matching Roseanne's personal issues and mental state Dan has a heart attack in season eight and barely pulls through Eventually after many seasons of financial and emotional travails the Connors win the lottery Which forms the major final season storyline. This is cut off at the finale where we learn the entire series This is a story written by Roseanne's character. There was no lottery and Dan actually died The series was a huge hit for ABC and the top five shows for seven years number one in 1989 And in the top 20 for two more Metcalf would win three Emmys for the show and Roseanne won Despite all this or perhaps due to off-screen dramas ABC walked away from a spin-off series with Roseanne only Then after years of rumors the show returned last year with initial blockbuster ratings And then Roseanne made racist statements online This must have reminded ABC about how she would act and the show was canceled It was then resurrected as the Connors sons Roseanne Personally, I was never a fan of the show. I watched TV to get away from the real world Midnight caller on NBC Gary Cole stars as an alcoholic Do I sense a pattern here cop who quits the force after act is gently shooting his partner He then gets an offer to be an overnight radio host becoming a detective to the callers and their issues The offer comes from the only radio station owner played by Wendy Kilborn There's a will they won't they buy that is never resolved topics include capital punishment and child abuse One episode involved a bisexual AIDS carrier who deliberately infected straight women even in the last woke 80s This was very controversial and caused a number of protests The series ran for three seasons and only left the air after the network moved it from its original time slot The series won two Emmys both for guest roles then on Wednesday the Van Dyke show CBS TV legend Dick Van Dyke returns to TV in yet another sitcom Now he's a former Broadway star and TV father to real-life son Barry who runs a small regional theater Dick decides to help out Barry wackiness ensues Dick Van Dyke always knew how to pick out talent with future stars more attire knee news radio ER the affair and Carrie Lizer creator of the new adventures of old Christine along with TV's Grady Whitman Mayo Even with that talent it never gelled and the show was gone after ten episodes three of which never aired You could probably start an entire network based on discarded TV episodes Mary Tyler Moore aka Annie McGuire on CBS the network paired up dick and Mary on the schedule But neither series did well when the TV guide issue was published Mary's new series didn't have its final name Mary is now a politician newly married to Nick Dennis aren't an engineer both with kids from previous marriages Annie's mom Eileen Hecker is Ultra-liberal and Nick's dad John Randolph is ultra-conservative. So there's that One of the kids is played by a young Adrienne Brody the TV guide issue had Nick being played by Edward J. Moore No relation, so it's clear there was last-minute tinkering. It didn't help the show was gone in eleven episodes three of which never aired Baby boom NBC another TV show based on a film in this case the 1987 hit with Diane Keaton now replaced by Kate Jackson the former angel coming off of Scarecrow and Mrs. King three actors came over from the film Sam Wanamaker as Kate's boss and Michelle and Christina Kennedy as her Two-year-old daughter from a long history of using twins to play very young characters on TV Can Kate be a high-powered exec and a good mom? Well, we didn't get much of a chance to find out as the show was gone after 13 episodes five of which never aired Tettingers on NBC Meet Nick and Hilary Tettinger Steven Collins and Blythe Danner a divorced couple and owners of a high-end New York restaurant He's shot by a drug dealer in Lees for Paris, but is forced to return to save the family business There's daughters employees one played by Jerry Stiller and patrons involved some of which were real New York celebrities doing cameos Did I mention this was a 60-minute dramedy from the people who brought you homicide and touched by an angel? And it was at that point NBC's first drama to shoot in New York City since the 50s The show was gone by January But was quickly resurrected as a 30 minutes had come called Nick and Hilary which lasted all of two episodes Moving to Thursday Night Watch ABC based partly on New York City's real-life guardian angels This drama stars Benjamin Bratt in his first regular TV role as the leader of a group of organized vigilantes Somehow the local police didn't shut down this group before it was killed by its competition Cosby after nine episodes Paradise on CBS Another attempt to resurrect the TV Western with Lee Horsley as a gunfighter forced to take care of four children after his sister dies He starts farming in the eponymous town, but his violent past keeps coming up He ends up protecting the town as an unofficial marshal a special two-part episode reintroduced to 1950s TV Cowboys Gene Berry and Hugh O'Brien Creating their roles of Bat Masterson and White Herb the stunt saved the series from cancellation Which went on to run for three seasons the final season was renamed guns of paradise So just so you remembered it was a Western the series was replaced with a more durable Western Dr. Quinn medicine woman dear John NBC Judd Hirsch returns to TV a statement that would be made multiple times as a man dumped by his wife after a ten-year marriage He joins a support group called the one-to-one club Populated with a group of neurotics including Jerry Burns as a borish man and Jane Carr as a sexually obsessed leader series was based on a UK show of the same name and was highly rated when it was in the middle of NBC's must-see TV Thursday lineup it rapidly dropped in the ratings once it left that cat bird seat and the series ended after four seasons And we're to Friday Something is out there on NBC TV networks love to drop sci-fi series on Friday nights Assuming all the nerds will not be out partying probably not a bad thought This one stars John Cortes as a police officer investing a series of brutal murders It turns out an alien shapeshifter is the murderer So alien Dr. Miriam Dobble of former Bond girl Partners with him to track it down. She has various superhuman abilities to meet the needs of the script If it doesn't sound very open-ended it was previously a two-part mini series that then got six episodes as a weekly show With two more never broadcast. So let's recap in 1988 out of 21 new series There were nine hits ABC Saturday mystery movie empty nest magical world of Disney mission impossible Murphy Brown Roseanne midnight collar paradise dear John and 12 misses so 1988 really wasn't a great TV year Well, you can go check out some of those reruns streaming online or you can check out our radio podcast How I got my wife's read comics on iTunes or on our website as a podcast network comm from the pop culture bunker I'm Mindy, and I'm Mark. Thanks for watching