MovieChat Forums > The Monroes (1966) Discussion > Why only one season?

Why only one season?

posted 15 years ago by bsvlark
6 replies | jump to latest

This show must have been awful if it only lasted one season!

Anybody remember it? I don't.

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading". -Henny Youngmam

[–] goleafsgo27 14 years ago

My goodness! The fact that a show lasted but one season is hardly reason to conclude, unseen, that it was "awful." TV history is filled with shows that many viewers recall fondly that for any of a number of reasons did not last long. Some shows are simply ahead of their time, or get bounced from one time slot to another or are preempted by "specials" or sports events before they can develop a large following, or run into problems with sponsors or network politics or production conflicts or a key cast member falls ill, and so on. And conversely, most of us can think of shows that lasted several seasons that we now look back on and wonder what the appeal could possibly have been.

"Be nice to each other." Anon.

[–] loves_the_oldies 13 years ago

Hi i remember it well at it was a great show lasting i think around 26 episodes which isnt a bad size series compared to some. i would love to get a copy of the full series to watch again.I think sometimes its hard to get a full cast back of in demand stars for a second series due to work commitments and contracts etc.

[–] rycki1138 12 years ago

I didn't see it during it's original run. It ended the week before I was born, but CBN (which is now ABCFamily) used to air this show back in the mid 80's. They aired it for a long time and I never realized it was only a one season show.

I liked the show. I wish a network would show it again. But now networks usually won't air a show unless it ran at least 100 episodes unless it's a syndication perennial like The Honeymooners, Star Trek(1966) or Gilligan's Island.

(knock,knock,knock) Penny (knock,knock,knock) Penny (knock,knock,knock) Penny

[–] LetsPoddy 12 years ago

The Monroes was one of my all-time favorite shows when I was a kid. I've never forgotten the series, even after all these years.

I've been watching it on YouTube the past few weeks. Even though the quality is poor, I'm thrilled to re-live fond childhood memories.

This is the info I found as to why the show only lasted one season:

"The Monroes premiered at 8 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, September 7, 1966. Though it benefited from the lead-in of ABC’s popular Batman series, The Monroes faced stiff competition against the last hour of NBC’s The Virginian and CBS’s second half of Lost in Space and The Beverly Hillbillies. The series was unable to develop sufficient audience to remain on the air, and its concluding episode aired on March 15, 1967. Although not a ratings success, Michael Anderson, Jr. and Barbara Hershey both won American Heritage Awards for their work on the series."

Perhaps if it had been on a different night and up against different shows, there may have been more seasons. It's too bad as I thought it was a great show!

[–] sjbradford 12 years ago

This show must have been awful if it only lasted one season!

Oh yes, because everyone knows that only popular things are good.

[–] mitchrmp 11 years ago

It wasn't awful. Maybe not as good as Gunsmoke or The Rifleman but it was still a good television show. It had a lot of levels of good and bad in it.