According to fan polls, the most popular episode of The Andy
Griffith Show was one steeped in
nostalgia, and was entitled Man in a Hurry. Malcolm Tucker develops
car troubles close to Mayberry on a Sunday and is upset when the town's slow pace seems
to delay the repairs. The episode's closing scene shows how Tucker finally
learned to appreciate the slow pace as he is seen asleep on the front porch
rocker, with one unbroken continuous apple peel in his hand.
The revealing episode of "Who Shot J.R.?" on Dallas was, at the time, the most watched episode ever for a television series. Ironically, the episode was an afterthought, as producers told writers to come up with an extra episode for the season. And, due to an actors' strike, loyal fans had to wait until November to solve the mystery.
While the theme song to Gilligan's Island is considered a fan favorite, the tune almost didn't happen. But, producers became concerned that viewers who began watching after the first episode may be confused as to how the castaways reached the island. So, they decided to have a theme song created to tell the whole story. The move began a tradition of the "storybook theme songs" which continue in many sitcoms to this day. And, the Skipper's and Professor's real names, revealed only in the first episode, were Jonas Grumby and Roy Hinkley, respectively.
While Dallas is considered to be the trend setter for primetime dramatic series, its spinoff Knot's Landing actually had a longer run.
The Brady Bunch continues to be one of the most popular sitcoms with kids in rerun history. Ironically, the show was never rated in the top 20 during its entire first run.
The two most popular ghoulish-type sitcoms, The Munsters and The Addams Family, were both released in the same year, 1964.
Upon their return, many Vietnam veterans claimed that one of the most surprising shows on television was All in the Family. Most of them could not believe the Archie Bunker banter that censors were now allowing to take place on television.
One of the most unusual game shows in history was The Gong Show, produced by emcee Chuck Barris. Barris later claimed that he was employed as an FBI hitman during the show's run.
The longest running original sitcom is considered to be The Honeymooners, which actually appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show.
Mary Tyler Moore was only 24 when she first appeared as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961, almost 11 years younger than the show's star actor. She won two emmies on the show and three emmies while on her own The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
