The following video has most, but not all, of NBC's freshman entries of 1978. Who's Watching The Kids (previously reviewed) was omitted.
NBC was the last place network around this time, and former CBS & ABC programming head Fred Silverman was brought in to try to turn the network around. Unfortunately for Silverman, he left his gold touch at ABC.
Newcomers:
Grandpa Goes to Washington (Tuesdays): Jack Albertson, fresh from Chico & The Man, stars as a college professor turned US Senator. With Roger Bowen (ex-Arnie) & Larry Linville (ex-M*A*S*H). Nicolas Coster (Another World), later of Lobo, appears in the pilot, but additional participation does not appear to extend beyond the pilot.
Sword of Justice (Saturdays): Dack Rambo (ex-The Guns of Will Sonnett) returns as an ex-con-turned-vigilante seeking to take down the white collar crooks who think they're above the law.
Lifeline (Sundays): A reality-based documentary series following various doctors.
Dick Clark's Live Wednesday: Like Grandpa, the uber-busy Clark (American Bandstand) didn't make it past Christmas with this attempt at a live variety show, seeking to recapture the earlier success he had with a variety show on ABC.
The Eddie Capra Mysteries (Fridays): Vincent Baggetta has the title role as a cerebral, street smart sleuth. Viewers didn't give him a chance.
W. E. B. (Thursdays): Network drama that would've succeeded elsewhere. Didn't know until screening the video, but it was the return of Richard Basehart (ex-Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea) to series television after 10 years away. Basehart's last TV project for NBC was the pilot for Knight Rider four years later. Basehart's voice over, carrying over from that series' pilot, was subsequently edited off syndicated reruns for some reason.
The Waverly Wonders (Fridays): Joe Namath, after making some movies during his football career, tries out television as a high school history teacher/basketball coach. Another early exit.
The rest of the time is given to miniseries such as Centennial and movies & specials.
The funny thing was, Scott Baio (Who's Watching The Kids) was included in the montage at the start of the video, but, as noted, there was no trailer for Kids due to an editing issue.
Rating: C.
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