The Bob Crane Show
A sitcom about a middle-aged man returning to medical school.
The Bob Crane Show is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from March 6 to June 19, 1975. The series starred Bob Crane as Bob Wilcox, a man in his 40s who abruptly quits his job as an insurance company executive to enter medical school. It was produced by MTM Enterprises and featured a supporting cast including Patricia Harty as his wife Ellie.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Norman S. Powell
- Martin Cohan
- Jim Allen
- Starring
- Bob Crane; Patricia Harty
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 14
- Camera
- Multi-camera
Facts from the source article.
Production
The series was originally titled Second Start and was slated by NBC for fall 1974. The Federal Communications Commission re-instituted its Prime Time Access Rule, limiting networks to programming three of four prime time hours, which caused NBC to delay the show until January 1975. Crane reshot the pilot, pushing the debut further to March 1975. Crane wanted the show to be what he called "hard comedy," describing it as comedy that "goes for the fences" and is a "take-a-risk comedy" where a miss means failure. MTM Enterprises produced the series, filming it with three cameras in front of a studio audience; audience responses were "sweetened" with a laugh track.
Reception
The Bob Crane Show finished the season in 65th place with a 14.9 Nielsen rating, a disappointment to NBC, which canceled the series after 13 weeks. Crane attributed the failure to a lack of chemistry among the characters, comparing the show unfavorably to fellow MTM series The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. He stated, "I had nobody to talk to....In my series, I had no Bill Daily."
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created The Bob Crane Show?
The Bob Crane Show was created by Norman S. Powell, Martin Cohan and Jim Allen.
How many episodes of The Bob Crane Show are there?
The Bob Crane Show has 14 episodes across 1 season.
More in Television Series by MTM Enterprises
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