Sunday, July 24, 2016

Forgotten TV: The Governor & JJ (1969)

In 1969, Talent Associates was, for all intents & purposes, putting all of their eggs in one basket. That is to say, their product was almost exclusively on CBS, with Get Smart moving over from NBC for its final season. The Good Guys returned for a 2nd (and final) season, and the two were now joined by a brand new entry from creators Leonard Stern & Arne Sultan, The Governor & JJ.

Film star Dan Dailey top-lined as the head of an unnamed state in the Midwest. A widower, he has his daughter (Julie Sommars) as his de-facto "first lady". To my knowledge, this was the first show to focus on the home life of a governor. A decade later, ABC spun Benson off from Soap, and that turned out to be an even bigger success.

Thus, it can be said that Governor was ahead of its time. In year 2, ratings slid so far so quickly, such that CBS pulled the plug just before Christmas.

I have no memory of seeing any episodes, so there won't be a rating. Let's serve up a sample open/close.



Dan Dailey would give series television one more try a few years later with another short-lived series, Faraday & Company, this one for NBC. Julie Sommars, after a few guest roles in the intervening years, later resurfaced for a time on Matlock.

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