In my Programs Cancelled Before They Premiered article, I examine four TV shows that were cancelled before they premiered: The Robert Taylor Show, Snip, Mister Dugan, and The Dictator. As far as I know, Snip is the only one of these shows with episodes known to exist. The Paley Center for Media has six of the seven produced episodes. The whereabouts of the remaining episode is unknown.
It’s probably safe to say that the completed episodes of Mister Dugan and The Dictator are safely in a vault somewhere. They’re both fairly recent. I’m more concerned about The Robert Taylor Show, which is more than 50 years ago. That’s a long time for a handful of film reels to get misplaced or discarded. Still, at this point I’m inclined to call The Robert Taylor Show “missing” rather than “lost” because there’s no proof the episodes don’t exist.
Below are status guides for these four programs:
The Robert Taylor Show (1963)
Four episodes were produced by Four Star Television. The company’s assets were sold a number of times over the years. If they episodes still exist, they’re owned somehow by 21st Century Fox (formerly known as News Corporation).
| # | Episode Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode #1 | UNAIRED | |
| 2 | Episode #2 | UNAIRED | |
| 3 | Episode #3 | UNAIRED | |
| 4 | Episode #4 | UNAIRED |
Snip (1976)
Seven episodes of Snip were taped in 1976. Some or all reportedly aired in Australia at some point. I’m listing them here in the order they’re listed at TV.com, although I don’t know the source used to determine that order.
| # | Episode Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “David Makes His Move” | UNAIRED | Paley |
| 2 | “Any Port in a Storm” | UNAIRED | Paley |
| 3 | “Cat on a Hot Tin Plate” | UNAIRED | Paley |
| 4 | “Daffney Come Home” | UNAIRED | Paley |
| 5 | “Out of the Closet” | UNAIRED | Paley |
| 6 | “The Test” | UNAIRED | Paley |
| 7 | “The Jealousy Factor” | UNAIRED |
Mister Dugan (1979)
Three episodes of Mister Dugan were taped in 1979. The series was produced by Tandem Productions/TAT Communications. I believe Sony Pictures Home Entertainment now controls the assets of those companies and likely has the original master tapes for both the “Onward and Upward” pilot starring John Amos and the finished episodes of Mister Dugan.
| # | Episode Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode #1 | UNAIRED | |
| 2 | Episode #2 | UNAIRED | |
| 3 | Episode #3 | UNAIRED |
The Dictator (1988)
Either two or three episodes of The Dictator were completed by Disney/Touchstone Television before CBS decided to shelve the series due to the 1988 strike by the Writers Guild of America.
| # | Episode Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode #1 | UNAIRED | |
| 2 | Episode #2 | UNAIRED | |
| 3 | Episode #3 | UNAIRED |
Revised June 2nd, 2016
