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
Q & A: The Burt Reynolds Late Show; The 13th Gate
Questions: Did Burt Reynolds host monthly TV specials in the mid-1970s? Was there an unsold pilot from the 1960s about scientists battling supernatural threats?
November 2018: The Month in Home Media
The first season of forgotten drama Mr. Novak (NBC, 1963-1965) came out on DVD in November 2018.
Nielsen Bottom 10, October 8th-14th, 1973
Here are the 10 lowest-rated programs on TV during Week 5 of the 1973-1974 season. Calucci’s Department on CBS was at the bottom of the ratings chart.