Who’s Watching the Kids?
Wanting to create a series based on the personal and professional lives of two Vegas showgirls, famous producer Gary Marshall just didn’t make the cut with his 1978 show, ‘Who’s Watching the Kids?’. As you can probably guess by the title, the series was about two Vegas performers that tried their best to handle work and family responsibilities.
Linda Goodfriend and Caren Kaye lived together in a small Las Vegas apartment and worked in the same club. Their co-stars, Jim Belushi and Scott Baio, added a comedy factor to the show. However, none of this was enough to keep the show running; viewers were not very impressed by the story, and NBC pulled it off the air after only eleven episodes.
Big Hawaii
Another NBC show from the '70s that barely lasted two months was 'Big Hawaii.' Released in 1977, the show came out shortly after a pilot film, 'Danger in Paradise,' which aired in May of that same year. Starring Cliff Potts, John Dehner, and Lucia Stralser, 'Big Hawaii' followed the story of the wealthy Fears family, who owns the lavish Paradise Ranch in Hawaii.
Drama ensued, but unfortunately, it wasn't exciting enough to keep the show from being canceled after just 12 episodes, out of which only 9 aired.
The Ernest Angley Hour
Ernest Angley is an American Christian pastor and televangelist that had a one-hour weekly show back in the '70s, called 'The Ernest Angley Hour.' Although it had a decent beginning, things started to take a wrong turn when Angley was accused of leading a cult and being abusive to its members.
Angley claimed that he could heal any ailment by simply placing his hand on a person's forehead. But not many people believed it anymore once he was accused of inappropriate behavior and harassment. Finally, in 1996, Angley confessed to an assistant that he had had physical relations with a man that worked for his church in Ohio. Ironic since Angley was openly vocal about t homosexuality being the greatest sin known to man.
In the Beginning
Norman Lear became famous after producing hit TV shows like 'All in the Family' and 'The Jefferson's Fame.' Unfortunately, he didn't have the same success as a producer for 'In the Beginning.' It was a controversial show about a very conservative priest and a liberal nun, and out of 9 produced episodes, only five were ever aired.
The priest, played by McLean Stevenson, had a very odd relationship with Sister Agnes, portrayed by Priscilla Lopez. Despite their conversations being quite entertaining, the comedy wasn't enough to keep viewers' attention. Barely a month after it was released, CBS pulled it off the air.
Struck by Lightning
CBS released 'Struck by Lightning' in September 1979 and canceled it one month later. The series' plot was inspired by the Frankenstein story, and it followed Jeffrey Kramer, who played a science teacher that inherits an old, creepy-looking Victorian Inn. Right before selling it, Kramer discovers that Frank, the Inn's handyman, is actually Frankenstein's monster.
Out of the eleven episodes produced, only 3 were aired since American audiences heavily disliked the show. In England, however, it was slightly more successful, with all eleven episodes being aired in 1980.