The McLean Stevenson Show
The McLean Stevenson Show is an American sitcom that aired on NBC on Wednesday nights from December 1, 1976 to March 3, 1977.[2]
| The McLean Stevenson Show | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Norman Barasch Carroll Moore |
| Directed by | Alan Myerson |
| Starring | McLean Stevenson Barbara Stuart |
| Theme music composer | Paul Williams[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Monty Hall |
| Producer(s) | Arnold Margolin Don Van Atta |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | McLean Stevenson Enterprises, Inc. Monty Hall Enterprises, Inc. |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | December 1, 1976 – March 3, 1977 |
Premise
The series centered on Mac Ferguson, the owner of a hardware store in Evanston, Illinois (McLean Stevenson's birth state). Mac lived with his wife Peggy and two grown children, divorced daughter Janet, and son Chris. Also living in the household were Janet's two children, David and Jason, and Mac's mother-in-law.
Cast
- McLean Stevenson as Mac Ferguson
- Barbara Stuart as Peggy Ferguson
- Madge West as Grandma Ferguson
- Ayn Ruymen as Janet Ferguson
- Steve Nevil as Chris Ferguson
- David Hollander as David
- Jason Whitney as Jason
Theme music
The theme music was composed and performed by Paul Williams.[3]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Who Do You Trust?" | Alan Myerson | Teleplay by: Lloyd Garver Story by: Mark Evanier & Dennis Palumbo | December 1, 1976 |
| 2 | "Oldie But Goodie" | TBA | TBA | December 8, 1976 |
| 3 | "Going My Way" | TBA | TBA | December 22, 1976 |
| 4 | "Mac's Fatal Charm" | TBA | TBA | December 29, 1976 |
| 5 | "The Great Rift" | TBA | TBA | January 19, 1977 |
| 6 | "Janet Leaves Home" | TBA | TBA | January 26, 1977 |
| 7 | "Mac and Big Mac" | TBA | TBA | February 9, 1977 |
| 8 | "What Makes Mac Run?" | TBA | TBA | February 16, 1977 |
| 9 | "Grandma's Secret" | TBA | TBA | February 23, 1977 |
| 10 | "Money Troubles" | TBA | TBA | March 2, 1977 |
| 11 | "Strangers in the Night" | TBA | TBA | Unaired |
| 12 | "Say It Isn't So" | TBA | TBA | Unaired |
Ratings
It was hoped that Stevenson's popularity on M*A*S*H would draw viewers in, but the actor's first starring vehicle failed to find an audience and was cancelled after three months, with only ten of its twelve produced episodes airing. The series would be the first of a string of shows Stevenson would star in that would be canceled after short runs (followed by In the Beginning, Hello, Larry, his stint as a panelist on the final season of Match Game, Condo, and the TV adaptation of Dirty Dancing).
Stevenson would later remark of this show's failure, along with the failure of several of his other shows: "I made the mistake of believing that people were enamored of McLean Stevenson when the person they were enamored of was Henry Blake. So if you go and do The McLean Stevenson Show, nobody cares about McLean Stevenson."[4]
References
- metv.com
- The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 760. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- http://www.metv.com/stories/which-mclean-stevenson-sitcom-deserved-a-better-chance
- Oliver, Myrna (February 17, 1996). "McLean Stevenson; Played Lt. Col. Blake in Early MASH". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2016.