Casting a Long Shadow

[ClassyCo]

In watching the 13 Week Theatre series on YouTube, I stumbled upon the episode featuring SQUARE PEGS, the early-80s sitcom centering on a group of "square pegs" trying to fit into the popular crowd in a fictional valley high school. The host's theory is that while SQUARE PEGS just lasted twenty episodes, it "cast a long shadow", meaning it has had an impact far beyond its original longevity.

This lead me to the question -- Could other shows fit that description?

Of course, I immediately think of something like GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, the mid-60s sitcom about seven castaways stranded on an island, which is often credited with being the most rerun television show in history, despite lasting just three seasons.

What say you?

Is there something to this?

Do shows with shorter runs cast longer shadows than their original run?

 

[Daniel Avery]

Star Trek certainly refused to go quietly into the night after its initial run. Another sci-fi show that seems to live on in the fans' minds is Firefly.

Though Square Pegs was a comedy, "teen angst" inspired a lot of dramas that fit this category, like My So-Called Life that only lasted a year.

 

[Crimson]

I immediately think of something like GILLIGAN'S ISLAND

A lot of those 60s sitcoms only ran a couple years and then lingered in syndication for ages. ADDAM'S FAMILY and THE MUNSTERS only lasted for 2 seasons each, and GIDGET only one. GIDGET kind of faded after the 80s, but the other two still carry some impact 60 years later.

Of course it helped those shows had 30-ish episodes per year.

 

[ClassyCo]

ADDAM'S FAMILY and THE MUNSTERS only lasted for 2 seasons each, and GIDGET only one.

All three of these shows have had a healthy second-life in syndication.

Both THE ADDAMS FAMILY (64 episodes) and THE MUNSTERS (70 episodes) aired two black-and-white seasons from 1964 to 1966, and GIDGET (32 episodes) aired in full-color from 1965 to 1966.

I have the complete series of all three of these shows, and you're right, they each produced more episodes in a single season that some shows do their entire duration. It's amazing how times have changed.

Similarly, MAMA'S FAMILY had just thirty-five episodes when NBC cancelled it in 1984. Those episodes drew good numbers of reruns, leading it to be revived and thrive in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1990. Too bad a show like GIDGET didn't get a revival on another network.

 

[Crimson]

Too bad a show like GIDGET didn't get a revival on another network.

Boomer nostalgia for beach movies/TV peaked in the mid-80s; this was around the same time Frankie & Annette made another beach flick.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Pardon the pun but I think Dark Shadows would fall into this category. It’s original run on daytime was from 1966 - 71 (relatively short in the daytime soap genre) but it subsequently spun off two feature films in the 70’s, novels, magazines, comic books, toys, a 1991 TV revival and a 2012 feature film remake. As recently as 2020, there were attempts to revive the series on the CW and I imagine we’ll eventually see a revival of it again.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I started to add DS to my original post but decided not to since it made a huge mark on the TV landscape during its run. When it was hot, it was REALLY hot. I misunderstood (I think) and thought we were naming shows that were not really popular when they aired but became more popular after their demise in an "absence makes the heart grow fonder" sort of way. That was most certainly the case with Square Pegs, since it only attracted attention after its leads (Jami Gertz and Sarah Jessica Parker) went on to other things and people suddenly "discovered" a show that had never tried to hide itself.

Fun fact: Jami Gertz now co-owns the Atlanta Hawks with her husband and is worth $8 billion!

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I misunderstood (I think) and thought we were naming shows that were not really popular when they aired but became more popular after their demise in an "absence makes the heart grow fonder" sort of way.

I actually may have misunderstood the theme of this thread too, so this one may not fit the criteria either. Police Squad was originally cancelled after only 4 of the six produced episodes aired. It did however spawn the Naked Gun trilogy and then a continuation in 2025, which collectively have grossed nearly $600m worldwide.

Fun fact: Jami Gertz now co-owns the Atlanta Hawks with her husband and is worth $8 billion!

Oddly enough, I’d never heard of Jami Gertz before and this is now the second time I’ve seen her mentioned online today.