The New Land
Released on ABC in 1974, ‘The New Land’ was a unique adventure series that was based on the 1971 Swedish film, ‘The Emigrants.’ The American adaptation cast Bonnie Bedelia and Scott Thomas as the leading roles, and even though the story was a hit as a film three years prior, the series didn’t see the same success.
The acting was fine, including a good performance by the talented Donald Moffat as reverend Lundstrom, the wilderness landscapes were beautiful, and everything was in place to be a success. But after airing only six of the produced 13 episodes, the show got pulled off the air a month after its release.
Hello, Larry
McLean Stevenson was a big celebrity back in the 1970s, mainly after starring on the hit TV show, 'MASH.' But his charisma and acting weren't enough to make the 1979 NBC show 'Hello, Larry' a hit story. The script and production weren't good enough, but the show still somehow managed to last for two seasons.
The main character, Larry Adler, is a radio talk show host who moves to Portland with two teenage daughters. It could've been great, but it was just boring and not funny enough for viewers.
Flying High
Another 'Charlie's Angels' copycat was the 1978 show, 'Flying High.' The story centered around the private lives of three gorgeous women that worked as stewardesses for Sunwest Airlines. With a beautiful cast that included Pat Clouse, Kathryn Witt, and Connie Sellecca, the show had all the ingredients to make it an entertaining story.
However, viewers just weren't wowed by these ladies' adventures, and after much criticism of the show having stereotypical writing and production, it was canceled after a few months.
Supertrain
'Supertrain' was released by NBC in 1979, and it included a talented cast that included Nita Talbot, Robert Alda, Aarika Wells, Michael Delano, Edward Andrews, and more. The story followed a modern, nuclear-powered bullet train that was so advanced it could travel from NYC to California in just 36 hours, which was incredible back in the '70s.
'Supertrain' was one of the most costly American TV shows ever produced, but even that wasn't enough to keep the network from canceling it after just nine episodes.
The Fitzpatricks
'The Fitzpatricks' was an American drama series that aired on CBS in 1977. The coming-of-age story followed a traditional, Irish-catholic family of six that lived in Michigan. But, despite its moral lessons and cheery actors, viewers weren't impressed.
After just thirteen episodes, the show was pulled off the air in January 1978, proving a failure against its same time-slot competitors from other networks, 'Happy Days' and 'Laverne & Shirley.'