My favorite obscure television show of all time, The New People, celebrates its 55th anniversary today. The drama series debuted 8:15PM ET on Monday, September 22nd, 1969 on ABC. Yes, that’s right. The New People ran for 45 minutes each week from 8:15-9PM ET. It followed another 45-minute series, The Music Scene, which ran from 7:30-8:15PM ET.
The premise of The New People was simple: a planeload of college students crashes on an island somewhere in the South Pacific. They discover an abandoned town on the island and learn it’s an abandoned testing site built by the Atomic Energy Commission. They have food and provisions and shelter but no way to contact help. When the sole surviving adult dies, the New People are left alone to build their own society.
The New People ran for just 17 episodes, the last of which aired on January 12th, 1970. For many who watched The New People, it left an impression. They remember parts of the theme song, the nuclear explosion shown in the opening credits, the unusual 45-minute run time.
Also notable is the involvement of Rod Serling in the development of the show. Aaron Spelling and Larry Gordon created The New People but Rod Serling wrote the script for the pilot episode. Serling penned a script for a traditional hour-long series only to see it cut down to fit a 45-minute time slot. He doesn’t receive on-credit for writing the pilot episode. The closing credits give Serling a “Developed for Television By” credit.
The UCLA Film & Television Archive uncovered an alternate, unaired 51-minute version of the pilot episode in September 2012. It does give Rod Serling a “Written By” credit.
My interest in The New People dates back to the late 1990s, before Television Obscurities was born. A family member had given me an audio cassette filled with TV theme songs from the 1960s, transferred from a quarter-inch reel-to-reel tape. I don’t remember exactly when I listened to the theme song to The New People but ever since, I’ve been obsessed with the show.
One of the first articles I published at Television Obscurities back in 2003 was about The New People. I’ve revised it many times over the last 20 years. I’ve also reviewed the tie-in novel and both issues of the comic book based on The New People. I own a copy of Rod Serling’s The New People script; I also own several quarter inch reel-to-reel tapes used in the production of the series.
Later today, I’ll share video of the opening credits from The New People, unseen by anyone outside the UCLA Film & Television Archive since the series went off the air in January 1970. Look for other videos later this week. Plus, I’ll share scans of the original typewritten presentation for the series from October 1968. If you watched The New People during its brief run, hit the comments with your thoughts and recollections.
very funny..having seen the new people as it premiered in 1969….then promptly disappeared…….YES it was uncomparable… sui generis./// Books like LORD OF THE FLIES had quite different influences.. THE NEW PEOPLE did not.. ironically the emergence of Tiffany Bolling was memorable= Her coiffeur was then ripped off by Susan Dey in the Partridge Family….* Tiffany/s father ROY KRaLL had quite a career in Chicago/ later in Vegas entertaining/ singing with Jackie and Roy billed as the longest( perpetual)= singing act out there………even Sinatra and later Steve Sondheim featured them when he in cut an album in the 70s…….I guess that opened the door….settings were curious outdoors…done quite on the spirit of the moment it seems,,,Most cast members had acting experiences in NYC theatre.. David Ratray I recall seeing on stage with D. Jamin Bartlett in some period/ Shakesperian ditty.—l i.d have to refresh memories.. maybe later
anyway here’s the squeal sheet of back story for THE NEW PEOPLE–stricktly for broadcasting** already in 1967 an obscure episode of he cu,lt tv CORONET BLUE had guests Richard Kiley. John Voight/= David carradine and Candace Bergen titled THE REBELS==just after the movie THE IMPOSSIBLE YEARS directed by Michael Gordon( that’s Joseph Gordon- Levitts granpa),,,, anyway it was really a dress rehearsal for GETTING STRAIGHT w/ Elliit Gould remember??—next followed the pilot tv for THE BOLD ONES with Carrie Snodgrass.. who had just rose to fame in DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE–*** the :Lawyers portion of the bold ones series called THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING,,It was a penned teleplay by noneother than Levinson and Link—-so Richard Kiley’s casting in the pilot for NEW PEOPLE was no mere coincidence–…Zoey Halls coiffure was used when casting Eddie Redmayne in TRIAL: OF THE
CHICAGO SEVEN last year!! again.. no coincidencemmm to be continued
now confidentially.. Richard Kiley joined the Broadway union actors political rallyings including John Voight; Laurie Peters.. Alan Alda; Hal Linden’..Carradine(royal Hunt of the Sun).and dancers including my cousin I mentioned /previously,as far back as 1962!!, in ultra- democratic issues under Pres. Kennedy—They most certainly were indeed under scrutiny by uncle Sam/////—Not much sooner came those Vietnam protests// college campus uprising like Columbia u. in new york city and finally WOODSTOCK…the month ahead was so clear for a direct slide into my these political issues,,,,,,It was bound to not last.. despite the emergence of Pres Nixon….so as far as the details for the cancellation decisions/we would have to amplify the trade news- like in BROADCASTING & cable or even in Variety to see play by play the emergence and disapperance..I have no idea as to the tv ads sources during those 45 minutes,, there was not yet any vhs facilities ……llll,,,,,,
Great stuff but you kinda left out how The New People was possibly the initial inspiration for Lost. Diverse group crashes on South Sea island where they conveniently find an abandoned town and rations. They were even on the same network.
A couple of posters have the New People pilot up on YouTube. Not so great quality but that’s to be expected.
https://youtu.be/-tgJkyQBEkc?si=FRKJL9iiNVim_4aC