January 18, 1979: 𝘿𝙀𝙇𝙏𝘼 𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙀 debuted on ABC-TV.
While NBC was offering bizarre live-action superheroes, ABC aired 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙖 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 immediately following 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙮 at 8:30/7:30pm Central.
In the wake of the popularity of 1978 film 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚, every TV network rushed out their copycats: CBS had 𝘾𝙤-𝙀𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, NBC birthed 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨; while ABC brought back producers Marty Simmons and Ivan Reitman, as well as four members of the cast for this sitcom TV adaptation of the film that started it all. John Vernon was back as Dean Vernon Wormer; Stephen Furst as beanied sad sack Kent "Flounder" Dorfman; Bruce McGill was motorcyclist Daniel Simpson Day; and James Widdoes returned as head prankster Robert Hoover. Of course, missing was John Belushi, unavailable to return...so Josh Mostel stepped in as Bluto's younger brother "Blotto" Blutarsky. Michelle Pfeiffer also appeared in the show as "The Bombshell," and while it did not last, it gave her exposure and helped her career.
The theme song for 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙖 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 was written by Jim Steinman, with lyrics by Tony Hendra and Sean Kelly. The show's episodes featured various plots involving the Delta fraternity's pranks on the Omega House and their conflicts with Dean Wormer. The sitcom aimed to capture the spirit of the movie, but it just wasn't the same; especially having to run up against television standards and practices, as writers played the 'what will they let us leave in' game with ABC's Susan Futterman. The raunchy humor, sexual references, and foul language which made 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 what it was were thus watered down to be "family hour" friendly.
13 episodes were filmed with laughtrack added.
