[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Jun 15 2005, 03:13 PM\']If you've been watching the ABC Feud for the past week, you've heard Richard's countless reminders to watch
Bizarre, a pilot he taped that was to air on 3/20/79. If you were curious,
The Complete Prime-Time Directory ... (I'll edit the full title in when I have the book in front of me) has no record of the show ever airing.
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I actually found a review of it. I can't link to it, but I think I can get away with some excerpts of a 26 year-old AP story:
[font=\"Times\"]
'Bizarre' not average television sitcom[/font]by Peter J. Boyer
AP Television Writer
Just when it seemed that television was bound to become an indistinguishable, sugar coated parts, here comes something different. It's a half hour comedy show. . .not a sitcom. . .which is different enough.
And the comedy. . .well, the show is called "Bizarre." But it's not just hip college humor aimed at a specialized audience, a la "Saturday Night Live". The host is mainstream, regular-guy Richard Dawson, and the aim is to get clearly mainstream, regular-guy prime-time audiences to issue forth belly laughs.
. . .
The best thing about "Bizarre" is its style. It was created by two certifable lunatics, Allan Bye and Bob Einstein, alumni of "The Red Foxx Show" and the "Smothers Brothers", and their show takes pains to avoid formula comedy.
. . .
ABC decided to give "Bizarre" a try Tuesday because it had a half-hour slot to fill, behind their new sitcom spin-off "The Ropers". Even at that, the network doesn't seem that excited about the show, not even giving "Bizarre" the standard publicity sheet blizzard.
The network ordered only one show, but when "Bizarre" was tested in front of an audience, it fared well enough to earn a promise from ABC that good ratings Tuesday might result in a series.
(taken from
The Frederick Post, Frederick Maryland, 20 March 1979).
It aired at 10:30 that night (the title may still have been up in the air, because the TV listings just say "Pilot"). Also, looking over the schedule for the curious: Card Sharks and TPIR didn't clear in Baltimore, Hollywood Squares didn't clear in Baltimore or Hagerstown, Match Game and Pyramid didn't clear in any of the markets (the above two + D.C. and Lancaster, PA).
--Mike