The Great American Dream Machine
‘The Great American Dream Machine’ premiered in 1971. The skit show featured both satirical and political sketches. Episodes, which were hosted by Marshall Efron, were 90 minutes long. ‘The Great American Dream Machine’ starred cast members like Chevy Chase, Andy Rooney, and Albert Brooks.
The show did manage to get a second season, but by then, it was reduced to only 60 minutes per episode. While trying to be the American version of ‘Monty Python,’ today the show is barely even remembered, guess its 34 episodes just weren’t good enough.
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
The 70s brought much distinctive mystery shows to American television, including 'The Eddie Capra Mysteries.' The series starred Vincent Baggetta, who played an unconventional lawyer named Eddie. He tried to solve extremely complex murder cases.
The show aired on NBC from September to January 1979 and tried to keep Americans caring by challenging them to find out who the murderer was before Eddie Capra did. But, one mystery that is easy to solve is why the show was canceled after only 13 episodes -- it just wasn't good enough.
The Kids From C.A.P.E.R.
'The Kids From C.A.P.E.R.' only ran from September to November 1976. The series satirized popular shows of the time like 'Scooby-Doo Where Are You,' 'Shazam,' and 'Six Million Dollar Man.' It also featured original songs and had two albums released.
Despite all of the efforts put into the show, the parodies just weren't that funny enough to make viewers tune in. The show only lasted for 13 episodes and was never renewed for a second season.
Cos
'Cos,' named after famous host Bill Cosby first aired in September 1976. Each episode was 60 minutes long, featuring sketches acted out by an ensemble cast. Despite having Cosby as the show's host as well as his name in the title, the show was unsuccessful.
The ABC comedy had one season, which only lasted for nine episodes. By the end of November 1976, the production was already canceled due to low ratings. Despite its promising premise, audiences were just not tuning in.
The Chisholms
'The Chisholms' was a western set in 1844. It followed a family's journey from Virginia to Wyoming. On their way, the family has to deal with Native Americans as well as family fights. It starred Robert Preston as a family patriarch, Rosemary Harris as his wife, and Ben Murphy as the firstborn.
Sadly, not the exciting plot or the talented actors could save this show. 'The Chisholms' aired on CBS from 1979 to 1980 and had a total of 13 episodes before it was finally canceled.