ABC thought they had a formidible primetime combo in 1961, pairing 77 Sunset Strip with a new entry from Four Star. Target: The Corruptors told the story of an investigative reporter (Stephen McNally), who sought to expose those who operated above the law.
Unfortunately, Target lasted one season. Why? The Twilight Zone provided some stiff competition. Enough said.
Edit, 2/7/24: Had to change the video. Here's the intro:
Nobody remembers this, but Twilight Zone was always a "bubble" show while it was on CBS in prime time. What I've read in the years since '61 is that Target: The Corruptors did quite well in big cities, less so in rural areas. This was a period when ABC had fewer affiliates than the other two nets, and that didn't help either. More than anything else, I believe that controversial subject matter ultimately did Corruptors in: I recall one two-part show in which Jack Warden played a thinly-disguised Jimmy Hoffa, who in '61 was at his most powerful in the Teamsters; that definitely didn't help. Another guess: Stephen McNally wasn't exactly a likable actor (he mainly played shouting villains, both before and after Corruptors); that might have been a factor too...
Historically, "genre" shows such as Twilight Zone, and, after that, Star Trek and Night Stalker, among others, have never been well received by viewers on Friday nights.
Didn't Robert Taylor's Detectives (another Four Star show) eventually replace Target: The Corruptors?
You got that last backwards. Detectives ran on ABC for two seasons, from '59 to '61. That fall, Detectives moved to NBC and expanded to an hour. ABC replaced it on Friday with Corruptors, which was an hour (but that was likely a coincidence).
Nobody remembers this, but Twilight Zone was always a "bubble" show while it was on CBS in prime time.
ReplyDeleteWhat I've read in the years since '61 is that Target: The Corruptors did quite well in big cities, less so in rural areas.
This was a period when ABC had fewer affiliates than the other two nets, and that didn't help either.
More than anything else, I believe that controversial subject matter ultimately did Corruptors in: I recall one two-part show in which Jack Warden played a thinly-disguised Jimmy Hoffa, who in '61 was at his most powerful in the Teamsters; that definitely didn't help.
Another guess: Stephen McNally wasn't exactly a likable actor (he mainly played shouting villains, both before and after Corruptors); that might have been a factor too...
Historically, "genre" shows such as Twilight Zone, and, after that, Star Trek and Night Stalker, among others, have never been well received by viewers on Friday nights.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Robert Taylor's Detectives (another Four Star show) eventually replace Target: The Corruptors?
You got that last backwards.
ReplyDeleteDetectives ran on ABC for two seasons, from '59 to '61.
That fall, Detectives moved to NBC and expanded to an hour.
ABC replaced it on Friday with Corruptors, which was an hour (but that was likely a coincidence).
I was trying to remember, so thanks.
ReplyDelete