THE MCLEAN STEVENSON SHOW
Programming Details:
December 1, 1976 - March 2, 1977
10 episodes
NBC
Starring: McLean Stevenson, Barbara Stuart, Madge West, Ayn Ruymen, Steve Nevil, David Hollander, Jason Whitney,
Created by: Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore
Plot: Mac Ferguson (Stevenson) is an owner of a hardware store in Evanston, Illinois and a family man with wife, Peggy (Stuart). Daughter Janet (Ruymen) and son Chris (Nevil) live with them as well as Janet's two younger boys, David and Jason (Hollander & Whitney). Rounding out the main cast is Mac's mother-in-law, Grandma Ferguson (West).
There's almost nothing about this episode that makes it feel like a pilot episode as there is little to no exposition. However, I actually found this to be a very enjoyable episode. The performances are uneven overall but McLean Stevenson is strong and so is guest star Jerry Houser, who has a more prominent role in the episode than pretty much everyone besides Stevenson. This was a unique way to do a pilot and I feel torn on it. On the plus side, the lack of exposition made for a less predictable and standard sitcom beginning, especially in those days but even now. At the same time, I feel like I have very little idea about how the series would look in future episodes. However, if this was 1976 I think it would have interested me enough to try another episode.
Stevenson was easily the strongest part of the cast. Stuart was left to a wife role that was underdeveloped while Madge West was trying to be the wise-cracking Grandma but only landed about half of her punchlines. I think both the older kids (Ruymen & Nevil) showed some promise but again, I learned a whole lot more about Jerry Houser's character than any series regular. It's also interesting that the credits showed Stevenson at the hardware store, but there were no scenes there. All in all, an interesting first episode.
This was McLean Stevenson's first big project following his highly publicized departure from M*A*S*H after just three seasons. Stevenson was a pretty big name at the time thanks to M*A*S*H so that's why he got a show named after him. But, as Stevenson would later point out himself, people liked his character on M*A*S*H. They weren't that interested in watching the actor in something else. The McLean Stevenson Show premiered on NBC on a Wednesday night in December following the premiere of another new sitcom, C.P.O. Sharkey, starring Don Rickles.
Sharkey did make it to another season but Stevenson was gone after just ten episodes. Stevenson continued to have flops as he starred in three more short-lived sitcoms all before M*A*S*H finally left the air in 1983. Hello, Larry was the most successful - running just two seasons. There were also one season flops In the Beginning and Condo. I'm sure there were some regrets about not just staying part of an extremely successful ensemble show. Stevenson would never again find the success he had in M*A*S*H before he passed away in 1996.
Tomorrow: A look at the third season of That 70s Show!
Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at 1980s flop Life With Lucy!
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