What Might've Been: The Snoop Sisters (1973)

Following the success of McMillian & Wife, producer Leonard Stern sold NBC a second entry for their Mystery Movie wheel, which proved to be less successful.

The Snoop Sisters began with "The Female Instinct", in December 1972. Stars Helen Hayes & Mildred Natwick had made an earlier film, "Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate", playing completely different characters, although the profession remained the same, a year earlier for ABC. In this case, though, being mystery novelists, they were the forerunners of Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, and that lasted a long time.

Only 4 Snoop Sisters episodes aired on NBC before the plug was pulled. There were some changes from "The Female Instinct". Art Carney had co-starred in "Instinct", but didn't return. I think he might've been shooting "Harry & Tonto" when Snoop went to series, so Lou Antonio, later of Dog & Cat, stepped in to replace Carney. Also, the part of Lt. Ostrowski, played by Lawrence Pressman originally, was recast with Bert Convy, who, of course, would move on to Tattletales after the series ended.

Perhaps the only thing that worked in the series favor was that it aired on Wednesdays. CBS' original Hawaii Five-O, in which Hayes' son, James McArthur, co-starred, was airing on a different night at the time, as memory serves.

So why did it fail? I honestly don't know. I never saw the show, so there won't be a rating. In the spirit of Halloween season, we serve up the series finale, "Black Day For Bluebeard", with Vincent Price & Roddy McDowell.