I’m not sure if My World and Welcome To It, which aired on NBC during the 1969-1970, can be considered a “popular obscurity.” Quite a number of people remembering watching it, and have fond recollections of the show. Following its cancellation it won two Emmy awards, which may have led to some embarrassment at NBC.
CBS aired select episodes during the summer of 1972. What interested me most while writing this article was learning about previous attempts to turn the works and life of James Thurber into a weekly television series. Two pilots were produced and broadcast in the late 1950s/early 1960s but neither was picked up. I’d love to see those. They’d make wonderful bonus material for a DVD release.
Here’s the summary for the article:
It took several tries before the life and works of James Thurber were successfully turned into a weekly television series. Two failed pilots, broadcast in 1959 and 1961, eventually led to NBC scheduling My World and Welcome To It on Mondays for the 1969-1970 season. The sitcom starred William Windom and featured a combination of live-action and animation. Despite many positive reviews, moderate Nielsen ratings led NBC to cancel the series after one season. It then went on to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series.
You can read the full article here and please leave any comments you have at the article itself.
