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1
Chuck

NBC (ended 2012)

The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz and director McG (We Are Marshall) bring us Chuck, a series laced with humor about young twenty-something spies. Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect) plays Chuck Bartowski, a nerdy computer tech who has a database of government secrets downloaded into his brain. Chuck soon finds himself recruited by John Casey (Adam Baldwin), a veteran NSA Agent who now works with the CIA, for espionage work with his new partner (and first date in 10 years) Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) - leading Chuck to live a split life of computer geek and secret CIA missions.moreless
2
Star Trek

NBC (ended 1969)

"Space...The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!"

The series is set in the 23rd century where Earth has survived World War III then moved on to explore the stars. Humanity has allied with other alien races and formed the United Federation of Planets, and Starfleet serves as its exploratory and military branch. Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise explores the galaxy with a crew of 430 men and women, contacting new life forms, conducting diplomat missions, and exploring the unknown.

Star Trek premiered on NBC after executive producer and creator Gene Roddenberry produced not one but two pilots to convince them of the quality of his show. The series ran two years but never achieved good ratings despite building a small but solid fan following. A letter-writing campaign convinced NBC to run a third season, but Roddenberry left in protest and the network buried the show in a late Friday night time slot.

After its three-year run Star Trek began running syndication where it was discovered by legion of new fans and became a phenomenon. This led to an animated series, six movies, and four spin-off television shows. Despite its short network run, Star Trek has become one of the most successful shows in television history.

Aside from its three main stars, Star Trek featured a large cast of reoccurring guest stars that includes James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Majel Barrett, and Grace Lee Whitney. Other notable guest stars include Diana Muldaur, Gary Lockwood, Ricardo Montalban, Sally Kellerman, Julie Newmar, Frank Gorshin, John Colicos, Roger C. Carmel, William Campbell, Ted Cassidy, Michael Ansara and Elisha Cook, Jr. Notable writers for the series include Gene Roddenberry, Gene L. Coon, George Clayton Johnson, Jerry Sohl, Jerome Bixby, Robert Bloch, Theodore Sturgeon, Harlan Ellison, David Gerrold, and D.C. Fontana.moreless
3
Surface

NBC (ended 2006)

Ever wonder what life would be like if a new form of sea life began to appear in locales all over the earth? "Surface" is an expansive drama and undersea adventure that centers on the appearance of mysterious sea creatures in the deep ocean -- and tracks the lives of four characters. They are: Laura Daughtery (Lake Bell, "Boston Legal"), the young oceanographer who discovers the secret; Dr. Aleksander Cirko (Rade Sherbedgia, "Snatch"), the government scientist who tries to keep things under wraps; Rich Connelly (Jay R. Ferguson, "Judging Amy"), the Louisiana insurance salesman who loses his brother in a suspicious diving accident; and Miles Barnett (Carter Jenkins, "CSI: New York"), the young boy who brings one of the creatures ashore. The mystery ensnares a spectrum of people, including naval officers in the South Antarctic Sea, a family in North Carolina, scientists from the Oceanographic Institute in Monterey, and fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. The seemingly innocent creatures they find are beautiful, and kids may even want to play with them -- but is there something more to them? One thing's for sure – they're full of surprises as viewers embark on this journey to discover what might be lurking in the sea. "'Surface' is entertainment for all ages in the tradition of 'E.T.' and 'Close Encounters,'" said Josh and Jonas Pate, the series' creators and executive producers. "It will have action, suspense, thrills and heart as we track the fantastic into the familiar." The Pates continued: "We'll follow the teenager as he raises the sea monster in a suburban garage. We'll admire the young dedicated oceanographer as she takes unbelievable risks to get to the bottom of the mystery. We'll feel the grief and obsession of the every-man from Louisiana, and answer the questions surrounding the mysterious Dr. Cirko. This series will plumb the depths of suspense." "Something is down there." "Surface" is from NBC Universal Television Studio and was created by Josh and Jonas Pate ("Dragnet"), who also serve as executive producers. NOTE: The original title of the series was Fathom but was changed after it came to light that the rights to the name were owned by another company.moreless
4
Knight Rider

NBC (ended 1986)

The adventures of Michael Knight and his incredible super-car K.I.T.T., Knight Industries 2000. Selected by a dying billionaire, Wilton Knight, Michael now works for the Foundation for Law and Government with the job of rooting out evil that is above the law, with only his trusty car!moreless
5
The A-Team

NBC (ended 1987)

"In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire: THE A-TEAM." ========================== Broadcast History NBC---Jan. 1983---Sunday 10:00-11:00 NBC---Feb. 1983-Aug. 1986---Tuesday 8:00-9:00 NBC---Aug. 1986-Dec. 1986---Friday 8:00-9:00 NBC---Dec. 1986---Tuesday 8:00-9:00 NBC---May 1987-Jun. 1987---Sunday 7:00-8:00 ===================== Theme by: Mike Post & Pete Carpenter ========================moreless
6
The Event

NBC (ended 2011)

The President is prepared to release a group of detainees who have been held in U.S. custody since World War II. However, on the day that he prepares to make the announcement, unknown conspirators force a pilot to hijack a plane and crash it at the President's compound. However, when the plane disappears in mid-air, the mystery begins. Struggling to resolve the matter is the pilot's son-in-law, computer programmer Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) investigates the conspiracy, which has abducted his fiancée, Leila Buchanan (Sarah Roemer). Meanwhile, President Elias Martinez (Blair Underwood) realizes that some of the detainees' people escaped capture, and are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the release of the others, including their leader, Sophia (Laura Innes). He must deal with threats within and without, as the conspirators seek to ensure the detainees are never released, while the free detainees and their leader, Thomas (Clifton Collins, Jr.), use their advanced technology to force the President to yield to their demands.moreless
7
Miami Vice

NBC (ended 1989)

Miami Vice was one of the most innovative and powerful TV series of all time. Focusing on the Miami Metro-Dade Police "Vice" Department and it's continued battle against the illicit drug, prostitution, and firearms crime underworld of the city of Miami. It used fashion, color, and a varied musical selection in order to accentuate and amplify the emotional undercurrent of the drama it portrayed.moreless
8
The Pretender

NBC (ended 2000)

The Pretender is the story of Jarod, a boy-genius taken from his family as a child. Jarod possesses the ability to quickly learn and impersonate different jobs and occupations. His abductors, a facility simply known as The Centre, tested his abilities through various simulations. But after years of these performances, Jarod becomes wise to the fact that these simulations aren't being used to help people. The Centre sells the sims to the highest bidder to do with as they please, whether it is for good or evil purposes. Knowing this, he breaks free from his captors. Now, as an adult, Jarod sets out to find his family. Along the way, he befriends many people, righting any wrong by using his abilities to become anyone he wants to be. But the Centre has a lot invested in Jarod, and they won't give him up easily. They recruit Sydney, his father-figure and trainer all through his time growing up in The Centre. Sydney is the only man who is close to Jarod, he knows how he thinks. Also in pursuit is Miss Parker, Jarod's childhood friend whose father runs The Centre. Both are aided by Broots, a nervous computer whiz who goes above and beyond the call of duty (whether he wants to or not). The Pretender ran for four years on NBC. TNT co-produced two Pretender movies with Twentieth Century Fox TV. The Pretender 2001 premiered on TNT Monday, January 22, 2001 at 8PM. The second movie, The Pretender: Island of the Haunted, premiered on TNT Monday, December 10, 2001 at 8PM ET. Seasons 1-4 and both TV movies are currently available on DVD.moreless
9
Adam-12

NBC (ended 1975)

Adam-12 follows the career of Officer Pete Malloy, who had decided to leave the LAPD after his young partner was killed in the line of duty. He has one night to go and for that last ride, he is assigned a rookie, fresh out of the police academy, to take out on his first night on the street. After that night, Malloy decides that he must stay around a little longer if Officer Jim Reed is going to survive his 9 month probationary period.
Adam-12, which was another "true-story" based television series from Jack Webb in the same vein as Dragnet and Emergency, was the first TV series to more realistically portray the joys and frustrations of being a police officer in the late 1960s through middle 1970s. This "new" attention to detail made the show a catalyst for uncounted numbers of people to enter law enforcement agencies when they became adults, the same way COPS has done since 1989.
"1-Adam-12" was the radio call sign of the patrol unit that Malloy and Reed worked. In Los Angeles, the first digit (1), represented the division worked. "Adam" is the LAPD designation for a 2-person patrol unit; "12" was the beat area assigned. Although, Malloy & Reed could be seen patrolling the streets all over Los Angeles from downtown to the Valley, they retained the division number 1, no matter where they were. In reality, you work the same district each day and are assigned a zone in that district.
The police station used throughout the series for exteriors was the then recently built (1965) Rampart Station, which is in actuality, Los Angeles, Division 2. Jack Webb was such a stickler for authenticity, that he had the Rampart substation's insides exactly duplicated in the sound stage for interiors.
Adam-12 remained popular during it's entire run, though it began to slip some in it's sixth season. This prompted the producers to free Malloy and Reed up from their district and start patrolling all over the L.A. area. Their assignments would now take them to LAX, the Los Angeles Harbor, the Foothill District, the West Valley area, Venice, Van Nuys, Hollywood and North Hollywood. Also included would be a two part episode where Reed and Malloy go airborne with an ASD helicopter unit.moreless
10
Knight Rider

NBC (ended 2009)

Mike Traceur is tracked down by his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Graiman after her father, Dr. Charles Graiman, is kidnapped. Mike and Sarah rescue her father and Mike discovers that his father is Michael Knight. Mike decides to stick with Sarah and Dr. Graiman and together with KITT, an artificially intelligent Ford Shelby GT500KR, they fight crime. Also partnered with this trio is Carrie Rivai and Alex Torres, FBI consultants and Billy Morgan and Zoe Chae providing technical support. During their first mission, Mike's past comes back to haunt him and Carrie and Alex decide to fake his death. Mike Traceur ceases to exist and Michael Knight is reborn.moreless
11
V: The Series (1984)

NBC (ended 1985)

They came to Earth, disguised as friends. But instead, they took the planet's water and eat people for food. But there's a resistance... to save the people and the planet.

V: The Series is preceded by two miniseries, V and V: The Final Battle.moreless
12
Bonanza

NBC (ended 1973)

White-haired Ben was the proud patriarch of the Cartwrights, the family at the center of one of TV's most beloved and long-running series. Their ranch, the Ponderosa, was 1,000 square-miles (600,000 acres) in size and sprawled from mountainous shores of Lake Tahoe to the desert terrain near Virginia City in the Nevada Territory. Ben oversaw his frontier empire with the help of his three sons: Adam, Hoss, and Joe. The series was set in 1859 when the series began and would progress through and following the Civil War.
---------------------------------- Series creator and producer David Dortort, who oversaw the series during its 14 year network run on NBC, says he first first got the idea for the series writing the 1953 episode of "Fireside Theatre" titled "Man of the Comstock."
---------------------------------- By 1959, NBC wanted a big filmed series to promote the sales of color television sets. NBC was the only network investing in color programs since its parent company RCA owned the electronic color transmitting system used by TV. "Bonanza" was just the type of show the network needed to "show off" its living color. In its initial season, it floundered in the ratings on Saturday nights against CBS' "Perry Mason"; it's said its renewal had a lot to do with its being shot in color. In the second season, "Bonanza" more than held its own in the Nielsens. It was the network's decision to move the series to Sunday nights that allowed it explode into a Top-10 hit.
---------------------------------- "Bonanza" differed in many ways from the dozens of other westerns on the air during its run. It relied more heavily on the characters than it did on action--though there was plenty of that. Good and bad weren't always as simple as "black hats" vs. "white hats"; many times, good people didn't live happily ever after. Despite that, Ben imparted a high code of ethics upon his sons. Among the principles: 1-Intolerance and bigotry were not acceptable. The Cartwrights often came to the defense of Indians, Chinese, and others who were the targets of the narrow-minded. 2-Once a man had paid his debt to society and was released from prison, he deserved a clean slate and a chance to start over. 3-The land was sacred. Ben's greatest business headaches came from his refusal to allow his land to be polluted and destroyed for profit. When the Cartwrights cut down a tree for lumber, they planted another. Their environmental concerns remain unique for a television series.
---------------------------------- Ben's path to his dream home of the Ponderosa (named for the Ponderosa Pine, plentiful in that area) was a long time in coming. He was a seaman, acting as first mate for Captain Abel Stoddard, when he met his boss' daughter Elizabeth and fell in love. She died after giving birth to first child Adam. Leaving the sad memories behind in the Northeast, he traveled to St. Louis and opened a trading company. He met and married the Swedish stunner Inger Inger Borgstrom who loved horses and shooting. She gave birth to son Hoss en route to the frontier, but was killed by an arrow during an ambush. Moving to New Orleans, Ben became an importer/exporter and fell for Creole beauty Marie DeMarigny. He made her wife number three and finally made it to the West. They established the Ponderosa and she gave him another son, Joseph. Marie died several years later in a riding accident. The story of each of these romance were detailed in individual episodes early in the series' run.
---------------------------------- The high mortality rate of women encountered by Ben and his sons, known jokingly as the "Cartwright Curse," became a running gag among comedians and viewers alike. If a female became a love interest to any of the show's men, even money says she'll be sick, dying, or dead by the end credits.
--------------------------- Location filming kept the series from feeling "studio bound" and gave Bonanza a chance to highlight its color cinematography. Though much was filmed on a huge sound stage at Paramount Studios, scenes were regularly shot on the studio's outdoor "Western Street" and on locations throughout Southern California and Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The rising cost of shooting at Paramount eventually forced a move to the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank. To explain the new appearance of Virginia City, Season 12 began with "The Night Virginia City Died" where a huge fire destroyed the "old" town.
---------------------------------- Changes inevitably took place among cast members during "Bonanza"'s long run. After several years of complaining about being held back from a movie career, Pernell Roberts was finally sent on his merry way after of Season 6. Prior to that, amid fears of Roberts' departure, Guy Williams was brought in for a few episodes as Ben's nephew Will Cartwright. It's said the cast resented his character being added and he disappeared after five appearances. Beginning with "Sense of Duty" in Season 9, David Canary joined the cast as Ponderosa ranch foreman Candy Canady. He practically became a Cartwright, appearing in roughly a third of the series' total episodes. He disappeared with no mention at the end of season eleven after failing to get a raise from producer Dortort. Young orphaned teenager Jamie Hunter did become a real fourth Cartwright son when he was taken in by Ben in Season 12 and legally adopted in "A Home for Jamie" the next season. In the wake of Dan Blocker's death following Season 13, the cast was beefed up. David Canary returned as Candy (reportedly Michael Landon personally asked him to appear) and Tim Matheson was added a Griff King, a young man paroled into Ben's custody who was hired as a ranch hand.
---------------------------------- The loss of Blocker left a hole that simply couldn't be filled. This, combined with the show's move to Tuesday nights after eleven years on Sunday, dealt the series a death blow. Ratings took a nosedive and Bonanza aired it final episode in the middle of Season 14 on January 16. 1973.
---------------------------------- After all these years, Bonanza remains hugely popular. Besides the quality of the program itself, having filmed in color has kept it from looking "old". Episodes began to be released by CBS/Paramount on DVD beginning in 2009, and were uncut from their network airing with all the original music intact.
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13
The Rockford Files

NBC (ended 1980)

James Garner stars as Jim Rockford, a private investigator who lives and works from his trailer in Malibu, Los Angeles. Jim is an ex-con who had been imprisoned for five years in San Quentin for armed robbery – a crime which he did not commit and was later pardoned. Jim has a quarter page advertisement in the yellow pages, drives a tan Pontiac Firebird and has an answering machine, which plays at the beginning of every episode; "This is Jim Rockford, at the tone leave your name and message and I'll get back to you". A person then leaves a message – which usually has no relevance to the episode but is often humorous. The series also stars Noah Beery Jr as Jim's father Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, a retired truck driver. Rocky offers words of wisdom, advice or even assistance in some episodes. Rocky frequently pressures his son to leave the PI business and take up safer, honest work, such as trucking. Jim also has a close friendship with Dennis Becker, played by Joe Santos. Dennis is a Los Angeles Police Sergeant, later promoted to Lieutenant. Jim uses Dennis get information, police computer checks and often makes him the hero of the case Jim was investigating. Any time Jim is arrested in the first four seasons, he simply calls for his attorney Elizabeth "Beth" Davenport, played by Gretchen Corbett. Jim and Beth had a previous relationship, but remained friends until Beth went off to run her own private practice and later write legal fiction. In her absence Jim turns to John 'Coop' Cooper, played by Bo Hopkins in the fifth season. Coop is a disbarred attorney who specialises in legal research, and gets embroiled in three of Jim's cases. While Jim was in prison, he met Evelyn 'Angel' Martin, wonderfully portrayed by Stuart Margolin. So named because he was always praying the hard cases not to hit him; Angel is sneaky and is always up to something illegal - often involving Jim in his swindles. As part of his parole, he works for his brother-in-law who owns a LA Newspaper. Roy Huggins and Stephen J Cannell created The Rockford Files. The shows production team included Meta Rosenberg, Juanita Bartlett, Chas Floyd Johnson and David Chase, all of whom have had further successful series in later years. First Telecast: September 13, 1974 Last Telecast: July 25, 1980 Episodes: 1 Pilot Movie + 123 Color Episodes & 8 Made-for-TV Movies NBC Broadcast History September 1974 - May 1977; Friday 21:00 June 1977; Friday 20:30 July 1977 - January 1979; Friday 21:00 February - March 1979; Saturday 22:00 April - December 1979; Fridays 21:00 March - April 1980; Thursdays 22:00 June - July 1980; Fridays 21:00 Nielsen Ratings: (Top 25 or Better) #12 in the 1974-1975 Seasonmoreless
14
Fear Itself

NBC (ended 2008)

You have nothing to fear but Fear Itself.

A horror/suspense anthology series, Fear Itself brings some of the genre's most respected writers and directors to the small screen.

Theme Song: "Lie, Lie, Lie" by Serj Tankian

Fear Itself was produced by Lionsgate in association with IE Indy TV.moreless
15
CHiPs (1983)

NBC (ended 1983)

The adventures of Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles. This great series had 6 seasons before it ended. The main characters are Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello, two motorcycle officers always on the street to save lives. 1998 followed the TV movie "CHiPs ´99" with some of the series cast but we can also see new faces like Officer Roulette and his partner or Sandy Baker, Jon´s spouse.moreless
16
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

NBC (ended 1968)

Welcome to the complete The Man from U.N.C.L.E. guide at TV.com. This is the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.
Meet our top Enforcement Agents, Mr. Ilya Kuryakin and Mr. Napoleon Solo. For four seasons, their job was to stop evil organizations such as THRUSH in their plans and attempts for world domination.moreless
17
The Black Donnellys

NBC (ended 2007)

The Black Donnellys follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish brothers. Their involvement in organized crime in New York City will put their life at risk and they will do anything to protect each other from the hostility between them and the others New York families who want their territory.
The series is produced by NBC Universal Television Studio in association with Blackfriars Bridge Productions.moreless
18
Bionic Woman

NBC (ended 2007)

Jaime Sommers is nothing but a hard-working woman juggling work as a bartender, the responsibility for the care of her younger sister, Becca, and her relationship with her boyfriend, Will. Although she does not have much, Jaime has always enjoyed being as normal as any other human being. However, this all changes when she is hit by a car and seriously injured. Her only hope becomes an experimental and top secret procedure, but, as Jaime soon discovers, this salvation comes at a high price.

Bionic Woman is produced by David Eick Productions in association with GEP Productions and NBC Universal Television Studio.moreless
19
Jim Henson's The Storyteller

NBC (ended 1988)

"When people told themselves their past with stories, explained their present with stories, foretold the future with stories, the best place by the fire was kept for the storyteller." The Storyteller, shown in 1988, starred John Hurt as the Storyteller and with the help of Jim Henson's Workshop of muppets, actors, voices and costumes as well as visual effects, brought a new dimension to television. Nine stories were shown in this series, which was followed a few years later by Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Greek Myths. This series was to feature some of Britain's finest actors of the time and some who would propel themselves into the international limelight within the next few years. Sean Bean, Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Joely Richardson, Bob Peck, Alison Doody, Gabrielle Anwar, Jonathan Pryce and Miranda Richardson all appeared during the show's short run. The real stars of each episode, however, are The Storyteller and his dog, voiced by Brian Henson. Please note that the synopses in the episode list and the episode guide detail most or all of the story for that episode and will spoil the shows if you are planning on watching.moreless
20
Hill Street Blues

NBC (ended 1987)

This groundbreaking and award-winning NBC crime drama provided a very realistic view into the lives of the dedicated cops and detectives of an urban police station. From January 1981 to August 1986, the show ran on Thursdays at 10/9 Central, with occasional repeats on Saturdays at 10/9 Central. From August 1986 to August 1987 first-run episodes aired Tuesdays at 10/9 Central.moreless
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