Throwback Thursday: ‘Chicago Fire’, ‘American Horror Story’, ‘Arrow’, and ‘Gilmore Girls’
My oh my, what a week of throwbacks! This week on our Throwback Thursday we are looking at the dates October 4th through October 10th.
We are talking big-name shows such as Gilmore Girls, American Horror Story, Chicago Fire, and Beverly Hills 90210. There are even a few superhero dramas to premiere this week — The Flash, Batwoman, and Arrow.
When it came down to major TV moments we had to celebrate the fantastic way in which The West Wing handled a high stakes situation so early in the series, and Jodie Whittaker taking over as the Doctor on Doctor Who. Plus, who could forget the moment that Ron Swanson met Diane — who would later become his wife — on Parks and Recreation?
Fasten your seatbelts…it’s going to be a bumpy ride through TV history.
Major TV Moments:
Who’s Been Shot? (The West Wing Season 2 Episodes 1 and 2, “In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen: Parts 1 and 2”) (October 4, 2000)
In this harrowing Season 2 opener, The West Wing proved early on that they weren’t afraid to pull any punches. In the aftermath of a gunman shooting on the President and his staff viewers watch with bated breath to find out the outcomes for several members of the administration — including President Bartlet himself.
The most nail-biting part of these episodes is how the show handled the outcome of Josh Lyman’s injuries. All through Part 1, and most of Part 2, we aren’t sure he will make it. This isn’t helped by the use of flashbacks.
Of course, anyone who knows anything about the show knows that Josh Lyman ends up being fine. However, the anxiety levels are still high as we watch these scenes; wanting nothing more than a favorable outcome for one of our favorite staffers.
Ron Meets Diane (Parks and Recreation Season 5 Episode 3, “How a Bill Becomes a Law”) (October 4, 2012)
Fans of Parks and Recreation are well versed in the Ron and Tammy saga. So, when Ron meets Diane on Season 5 we are all delightfully surprised to find him forming a bond with the single mother who is also a school principal.
Ron is probably the one character no one ever saw meeting a single mom and actually enjoying her company. Which is what makes this meet-cute that much more profound.
Even though Ron hits and misses a bit with Diane in the beginning, fans could easily see the appreciation she hid under the surface for Ron being a take-charge type of man. As the series progresses, it is nice to see Diane and her daughters soften up this gruff government employee.
Meet the new Doctor (Doctor Who Season 11 Episode 1, “The Woman Who Fell To Earth”) (October 7, 2018)
Fans of the classic science fiction program, Doctor Who, are no strangers to recasts. However, no recast has held such a high honor as the one which took place during the Season 11 premiere.
After years and years of seeing only male incarnations of the Doctor, fans were finally treated to a female — played by Jodie Whittaker. Peter Capaldi regenerated during the Christmas Special back in December of 2017, but her first full-length episode wasn’t until the new season premiered in October 2018.
This marks a historical turn for such a huge, mainstream show. It gave audiences everywhere the representation they’d been itching to see for years!
Premieres:
As we move into October it becomes what everyone likes to call “spooky season.” The premieres from this week in history definitely reflect that.
We have spooky favorites such as Unsolved Mysteries, Charmed, Angel, and Roswell all premiering more than 20 years ago. There are also shows such as American Horror Story and Ghost Hunters who have made the paranormal and freaky very entertaining to viewers.
However, the premieres this week aren’t only about the scares. For the last thirty years, Beverly Hills 90210 has been comforting those of us who grew up with the show back in the 90s.
Then there is the still popular Gilmore Girls which turns 20 this week. Talk about some binge-worthy television throwbacks.
Here are a few TV shows that premiered this week in TV History:
- 1952 – American Bandstand
- 1957 – Leave It to Beaver
- 1957 – Zorro
- 1984 – Thomas & Friends
- 1985 – Jem
- 1988 – Unsolved Mysteries
- 1990 – Beverly Hills, 90210
- 1996 – Hey Arnold!
- 1998 – CatDog
- 1998 – Charmed
- 1999 – Angel
- 1999 – Roswell
- 2000 – Gilmore Girls
- 2000 – CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- 2000 – Ed
- 2001 – Reba
- 2004 – Ghost Hunters
- 2005 – Little Einsteins
- 2008 – The Real Housewives of Atlanta
- 2010 – Family Game Night
- 2011 – American Horror Story
- 2012 – Arrow
- 2012 – Chicago Fire
- 2012 – Nashville
- 2014 – The Flash
- 2019 – Batwoman
- 2019 – Nancy Drew
Tell-Tale TV Archives:
Considering we are a column all about highlighting important moments in TV this week we decided to highlight one of our articles from 2016 that highlights the major moments in TV from this week.
While we are in the celebrating mood, let’s continue to show Gilmore Girls some love with an article about Team Christopher and why it’s the ideal ship. Also, we should celebrate another spooky show, iZombie with an article previewing the final season.
2015
Gilmore Girls: Why Christopher Was Always the Perfect Guy for Lorelai
2016
2018
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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.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.