Launched in 2003, Television Obscurities is dedicated to the study and preservation of the forgotten history of television in the United States. For the past 15 years, I’ve researched, watched, and written about short-lived TV shows, unsold pilot episodes, fall preview specials, network image campaigns, and so much more. Check out my blog, follow me on Twitter, and contact me with any questions.
Articles
Enjoy more than 80 articles covering a variety of topics, from short-lived TV shows like The New People and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. to untold stories about the TV networks and the TV industry.
Spotlight
Each Spotlight focuses on either a short-lived TV show like The Second Hundred Years and Struck By Lightning or an unsold pilot like “Men Against Evil” (1966) and “The Karen Valentine Program” (1974).
Exhibits
Browse early program guides from the 1940s, watch vintage sponsor spots for Marlboro Cigarettes or Breck Shampoo, read a promotional booklet for an unsold dramatic anthology, and more.
TV’s Lost & Found
Sadly, much of our television history no longer exists. Many early, live broadcasts were never recorded. Others that were recorded (on film or videotape) were later destroyed, erased, or misplaced. The search for lost and missing television never ends.
Blog
Gene Roddenberry’s The Secret Defence of 117 Script
View pages from Gene Roddenberry’s first science-fiction script for television, written in 1953. It aired in 1956 in syndication.
May 2018: The Month in Home Media
One season wonder A Man Called Shenandoah (ABC, 1965-1966) came out on DVD in May 2018. So did Level 9 (UPN, 2000-2001).
15 Years of Television Obscurities
The current incarnation of Television Obscurities launched in 2003. The website celebrates its 15th anniversary today.