Until the mid-1990s, April was the end of the traditional network television season, meaning the networks weren’t often debuting new shows during the month of April. My “master list” of obscure, forgotten TV shows contains just 22 TV shows that debuted in April, ranging from 1948 to 2020, including For Your Pleasure (NBC, 1948), The Mike Wallace Interview (ABC, 1957), Hollywood Special (ABC, 1962), Whodunnit? (NBC, 1979), Take Five (CBS, 1987), My Life and Times (ABC, 1991), All Souls (UPN, 2001), The Paul Reiser Show (NBC, 2011), and Rebel (ABC, 2021).
As always, most of these shows are one season wonders or aired for less than a full season. There are also a decent number of shows that ran for a full season and a partial second season plus some that ran for two full seasons or perhaps two or three abbreviated seasons.
Here’s a look at some obscure TV shows celebrating anniversaries this month:
- Baby Makes Five (ABC, 4/1/1983) 43rd Anniversary
- Take Five (CBS, 4/1/1987) 39th Anniversary
- Roxie (CBS, 4/1/1987) 39th Anniversary
- The Oblongs (The WB, 4/1/2001) 25th Anniversary
- Broke (CBS, 4/2/2020) 6th Anniversary
- The Robert Guillaume Show (ABC, 4/5/1989) 37th Anniversary
- Hollywood Special (ABC, 4/8/1962) 64th Anniversary
- Rebel (ABC, 4/8/2021) 5th Anniversary
- Nearly Departed (NBC, 4/10/1989) 37th Anniversary
- Special Unit 2 (UPN, 4/11/2001) 25th Anniversary
- Whodunnit? (NBC, 4/12/1979) 47th Anniversary
- Dream Street (NBC, 4/13/1989) 37th Anniversary
- The Jim Henson Show (NBC, 4/13/1989) 37th Anniversary
- The Baker and the Beauty (ABC, 4/13/2020) 6th Anniversary
- The Paul Reiser Show (NBC, 4/14/2011) 15th Anniversary
- For Your Pleasure (NBC, 4/15/1948) 78th Anniversary
- One of the Boys (NBC, 4/15/1989) 37th Anniversary
- All Souls (UPN, 4/17/2001) 25th Anniversary
- Have Faith (ABC, 4/18/1989) 37th Anniversary
- Jesse Hawks (CBS, 4/22/1989) 37th Anniversary
- My Life and Times (ABC, 4/24/1991) 35th Anniversary
- The Mike Wallace Interview (ABC, 4/28/1957) 69th Anniversary
If you don’t see your favorite obscure TV show listed above, share the name of the show in the comments.
I’ve never heard of most of these series, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never watched any of them. The Jim Henson Show, a/k/a The Jim Henson Hour, seems like something I would have watched – I adored The Muppet Show – but never learned of its existence until now. P.S. I found the Jim Henson Hours on YouTube, and it’s not The Muppet Show. I think it may have been better as a half-hour show for its rather slow going. But I’ve only watched one episode, and it may get better latter on. I’ll probably return to see what happens next, and may end up being one of the few people who can say I watched 12 episodes of The Jim Henson Hour.
The Jim Henson Hour was something of a mix since the episodes tended to consist of a half-hour Muppet show and a half hour of something else like The Storyteller which continued on from the previously aired episodes. The last few episodes of TJHH were not aired in the US during it’s orginal run, although they were aired in Canada. This was sort of the second attempt at a Muppet Show with Muppets Tonight being the third and DIsney’s The Muppet Show being the forth, both after his death. The most recent fifth attempt has been a single episode so far.
There’s a few lesser known Henson shows like Greek Myths which is a version of the Storyteller with Greek stories and a few early specials such as The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and The Frog Prince.
How about Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas?
Professional ship supply and marine logistics services in Istanbul for vessels and maritime operations.
Asphalt Jungle, starring Jack Warden, Arch Johnson, and William Smith, a police procedural drama series, based upon the 1950 movie. Produced by MGM-TV for ABC in Spring-Summer 1961, yielding 13 episodes.
James Beer thank you for sharing information on another series that debuted in April.
I tried to shred it but got watermelon all over it.