Battle of the Network Stars

Lore & Background

The first Battle was broadcast on ABC starting in November 1976. The program proved popular and continued for an additional eight and a half years, with subsequent episodes airing approximately every six months until May 1985. One final competition aired in December 1988. Typically, episodes were aired twice per calendar year, once during the spring and once during the fall during Nielsen Ratings sweeps weeks. Sports broadcaster Howard Cosell hosted or co-hosted all but one of the first nineteen competitions (he did not host the 1985 edition due to a falling-out with ABC, but he returned for the final edition in 1988), and commented on the action with a semi-serious version of the style for which he was famous. All but one of the competitions took place at the sports facilities of Pepperdine University located overlooking Malibu, California. The only exception was the 18th (XVIII) which was held in Ixtapa, Mexico. Each network was represented by eight or ten of its stars from various series, and one of those people from each team would be elected to serve as the network's team captain. Some of the events were modeled after those used on Superstars. Regular events included swimming, kayaking, volleyball, golf, tennis, bowling (on custom-made outdoor lanes), cycling, 3-on-3 football, the baseball dunk, running, and the obstacle course. Also featured as a regular event was a game of 'Simon Says', directed by Catskill hotel Grossinger's entertainer Lou Goldstein. Each network received points based on how it performed in the event. After the regular events were over, the lowest scoring network was eliminated from further competition and the two remaining networks determined the day's winner with the final event, the Tug of War. Total overall wins – ABC: 7, CBS: 6, NBC: 6.

Reader's Guide

The series is notable for its multiple revivals after cancellation. In 2003, NBC attempted to revive Battle of the Network Stars with a two-hour special. In 2005, Bravo premiered a revived version of the show named Battle of the Network Reality Stars. Also in 2005, ESPN premiered a sports-themed spinoff version of Battle of the Network Stars as Battle of the Gridiron Stars featuring twenty players from the AFC and NFC competing in a variety of tasks that had nothing to do with football. In 2017, ABC revived the series as a summer series, which ran from June 29 to September 7, 2017. For the 2017 edition, two teams of five celebrities competed each week with a professional athlete as their coach. The teams were typically assigned based on the genre or role of the celebrities' notable TV credits. For example, one episode pitted prime-time soap opera stars against actors associated with comedies, while another had actors who played lawyers vs. those who played White House employees. Teams often included at least one veteran actor or actress who had previously competed in the original Battle of the Network Stars and archive footage of their previous appearance(s) was shown. The venue remained Pepperdine University, as it was in the original. Each episode began with a remake of the opening sequence of ABC's Wide World of Sports.

Did You Know?

• The 18th competition was held in Ixtapa, Mexico; all others were at Pepperdine University.
• In 2005, Bravo premiered a revived version named Battle of the Network Reality Stars, and ESPN premiered Battle of the Gridiron Stars.