What Might've Been: Palmerstown USA (1980)

 The Waltons was nearing the finish line---it would end its run a year later---but CBS wanted another series set in the same era in history, the Great Depression. To achieve their goal, the network turned to best selling author Alex Haley (Roots), and one of the most prolific hitmakers of the 70's, Norman Lear, who still had three series on the schedule (One Day at a Time, Archie Bunker's Place, The Jeffersons) by 1980.

Haley created Palmerstown, USA, which bowed in March 1980 as a short season series, returning a year later. Lear was credited with developing the series based on Haley's vision. Haley also wrote some of the teleplays for the 2 season series, which also marked the series debut of Michael J. Fox, 2 1/2 years before Family Ties made him a superstar. Fox had previously appeared on shows such as Trapper John, MD in guest roles before being cast for Palmerstown.

The series hasn't been seen much since a brief run on GetTV in 2017, but it deserves to remain on the air somewhere, like, maybe, on Aspire or BET. Sony owns the series and GetTV, so the placement then made sense.

A Lear fan channel, the Norman Lear Effect, put together the 2-part episode, "The Black Travelers", with guests Otis Young (ex-The Outcasts), Scatman Crothers (ex-Chico & The Man), and Morgan Freeman (ex-The Electric Company):

As memory serves, Palmerstown aired on Tuesdays in its first season, at least, and my parents weren't interested. It was either movies on the cable, or, if they missed an earlier episode, Sheriff Lobo. Series regular Bill Duke would later resurface after a string of character roles in movies and TV, in a villainous role on Black Lightning just a few short years ago.

No rating. Just a public service.