Throwback Thursday: ‘Fringe’, ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, and ‘Star Trek’

So many exciting things happened this week on TV that we had to narrow down our focus a bit. For this Throwback Thursday we looked at events and premieres that occurred between September 6th and 12th. 

The month of September is when the TV landscape really starts to pick up steam. There are so many premieres that we have to limit ourselves to the 30 most memorable ones over the years. 

This means shows like Star Trek and Fringe which were both TV changing Sci-Fi programs but premiered 42 years apart. The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and Maury also premiered this week along with many other genres of TV.

When it comes to memorable TV moments there is one major TV News moment that has forever changed the world. We are talking about the 1972 Munich Olympic Tragedy.

Fasten your seatbelts…it’s going to be a bumpy ride through TV History.

Major TV Moments:

Jim McKay Announces the 1972 Munich Olympic Tragedy (September 6, 1972)

The Olympics are supposed to be a happy time when countries come together for a bit of healthy competition. The world comes together to celebrate the best of the best in sports. 

However, at the Munich Games in 1972 tragedy struck that shocked the whole world. Jim McKay — best known for his broadcasting on the Wide World of Sports was tasked with taking the lead on a breaking story about the kidnapping of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists. It was the first-ever televised terrorist attack.

Throughout the night of September 5, McKay gave live updates on the situation. Unfortunately, during the early hours of the morning on September 6, McKay had to get back on the air and announce that all of the athletes had been killed — 11 Israelis in total.

Deputy Hale is Killed (Sons of Anarchy Season 3 Episode 1, “So”) (September 7, 2010)

Sons of Anarchy is always good for an intense season premiere and finale. With the premiere of Season 3 came the start of the long Ireland storyline surrounding Abel’s kidnapping and getting him back.

Part of that is due to the shit that was stirred up in Charming by Zobelle and his guys in an attempt to put a stop to the club’s actions. This led to the death of one of their own — Half Sack. 

It is at Half Sack’s memorial service that there is a drive-by shooting on the club.  Deputy Hale gets out of his vehicle to fire back at the attackers and protect the club when he is gunned down. 

For all the trouble the club got into with the law, Deputy Hale was an honest and fair cop — especially considering his boss Unser was paid off by the club. His death starts the show’s real downward slide into darkness, death, and mayhem. 

Benji Comes Out (Young & Hungry Season 2 Episode 14, “Young & Oh, Brother”) (September 9, 2015)

Sofia’s brother comes to town during an episode of Season 2. While he is there, Sofia begs Gabi not to get involved with him and make their friendship a complicated mess.

Of course, Gabi isn’t expecting Benji to be all grown up and attractive so when he asks her on a date, she accepts thinking she’s not going back on her word to her best friend. Through hi-jinks throughout the evening, Gabi comes to realize that Benji is gay.

She encourages him to come out to his sister telling him that she will accept him. Eventually, he is convinced and sits Sofia down to tell her, and as Gabi had said — Sofia accepts him readily.

Premieres:

TV fanatics love the month of September and all the promise that comes with a new fall season. There is just so much new content that we find ourselves satisfied with all realms of TV viewing pleasures. 

There are the classic shows that all premiered this week back in the 50s — Lassie, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. Then there are more modern favorites such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ally McBeal, and Nikita.

If the late 2000s taught us anything it’s that the vampire craze was all the rage thanks to movies like Twilight. In fact, two very different vampire shows — True Blood and The Vampire Diaries premiered within a year of each other back in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Here are a few TV shows that premiered this week in TV History:

• 1954 – Lassie
• 1955 – Gunsmoke
• 1959 – Bonanza
• 1966 – Star Trek
• 1967 – The Carol Burnett Show
• 1974 – Little House on the Prairie
• 1975 – Welcome Back, Kotter
• 1978 – Taxi
• 1986 – The Oprah Winfrey Show
• 1990 – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• 1991 – Darkwing Duck
• 1991 – Maury
• 1993 – The X-Files
• 1993 – Bill Nye the Science Guy
• 1993 – Saved By The Bell: The New Class
• 1994 – Party of Five
• 1996 – Access Hollywood
• 1997 – Ally McBeal
• 2003 – The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• 2004 – Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide
• 2004 – Jack & Bobby
• 2005 – The War at Home
• 2005 – The Tyra Banks Show
• 2007 – iCarly
• 2008 – Fringe
• 2008 – True Blood
• 2009 – The Vampire Diaries
• 2010 – Nikita
• 2015 – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• 2019 – The Kelly Clarkson Show

Tell-Tale TV Archives:

Here at Tell-Tale TV, we love a good list. This week we look back at two very exciting lists of two very different natures.

One list looks at TV couples that writers thought would be a hit and ended up being a miss. Then we look at all the episodes of Friends and rank the 25 Best Episodes. 

It’s also time that we look at an article from 2017 where we announced the plans for Grey’s Anatomy favorite, Jason George to join a spin-off series involving firefighters. Take a look back with us and enjoy!

2015

7 TV Couples That Should Never Have Happened

2017

Grey’s Anatomy: Jason George to Star in Firefighter Spinoff

2019

Friends: The 25 All-Time Best Episodes, Ranked!

—

What are some major TV premieres, finales, or moments you remember? Sound off in the comments below and your choice just might be featured in a future Throwback Thursday column.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Battle of the Ships 2020: Results! ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Wynonna Earp’ Have This Year’s Winning Couples