Throwback Thursday: ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, ‘Elementary’, ‘Dexter’, and ‘Alias’

With the start of October comes many things: fall foliage, sweater weather, and some great Fall TV premieres. This Throwback Thursday we’re taking the look at September 27th – October 3rd.

This week was the start of some really great, shows such as Cheers, Murder, She Wrote, and The Andy Griffith Show. Shows that are still in syndication to this day. We also see great primetime programs such as Friday Night Lights, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal, Felicity, and Ugly Betty.

Our major TV moments highlight some great character introductions on Fringe and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, while Sons of Anarchy says goodbye to a central member of the club.

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

Major TV Moments:

Hello, Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 Episode 3, “School Hard”) (September 29, 1997)

On the seminal teen classic, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, some vampires are almost as famous as the slayer herself. One such vampire; is Spike.

The show first introduces him during a Parent-Teacher night at the high school in early Season 2, launching an attack to rid the world of the latest slayer.

Over time, Spike becomes a potential love interest for Buffy and continues to have a role throughout the run of the show, going on to become a major fan favorite.

The Observers are always watching (Fringe Season 1 Episode 4, “The Arrival”) (September 30, 2008)

One of the most central characters on Fringe — outside of the main 4 — is September, the Observer. They are supposed to rarely interact with the world they are observing, but September has a habit of interacting.

September is integral to the story of Walter, Peter, and Olivia because of a mistake he makes in 1985 where he made his presence known at the wrong time and caused Walternate to miss an opportunity to cure his son Peter. This creates the chain of events that leads to the Fringe team coming together at the start of the series.

Once we meet September during Season 1, fans can go back to other episodes and find traces of him throughout. He is always present, always observing, always ensuring the timeline carries out the way he and his fellow code-named scientists want it.

Opie Winston Laid to Rest (Sons of Anarchy Season 5 Episode 4, “Stolen Huffy”) (October 2nd, 2012)

From the very first episode, Opie Winston was coined as a central member of the Redwood Sons of Anarchy crew. He is the son of a founding member and the best friend of Jax Teller. 

His death, on the previous episode, is a moment of pure sacrifice for the better of the club and would go down as a heartbreaking moment for the club. However, his wake is even more heartwrenching because we have the added effect of his wife’s heartbreak.

The wake is also a memorable music moment for the show with the song, The Lost Boy by Greg Holden. The lyrics really hit home for who Opie was and cause the tears to flow as the club members carry his casket through the clubhouse one last time. 

Premieres:

Even though Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered 33 years ago the impact it has had on pop culture is still being felt the world over. It paved the way for many to really feel seen, heard, and understood.

Other big premieres this week in history are Elementary, Scrubs, The Twilight Zone, Pushing Daisies, Alias, Homeland, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. And we can’t forget such shows as Suburgatory, American Dreams, and Cold Case which had their small followings but never really became household names.

The younger crowds have some important premieres this week as well with hits like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Pinky and the Brain, and Jessie.

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

• 1958 – Yogi Bear
• 1959 – The Twilight Zone
• 1960 – The Flinstones
• 1960 – The Andy Griffith Show
• 1961 – The Dick Van Dyke Show
• 1962 – The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
• 1982 – Cheers
• 1984 – Charles in Charge
• 1984 – Murder, She Wrote
• 1985 – MacGyver
• 1986 – Designing Women
• 1987 – Star Trek: The Next Generation
• 1991 – The Jerry Springer Show
• 1992 – Mad About You
• 1993 – Grace Under Fire
• 1994 – Wild C.A.T.s
• 1995 – Pinky and the Brain
• 1996 – Sabrina the Teenage Witch
• 1998 – Felicity
• 2000 – Yes, Dear
• 2001 – Alias
• 2001 – Law & Order: Criminal Intent
• 2001 – Scrubs
• 2002 – American Dreams
• 2003 – Cold Case
• 2004 – Boston Legal
• 2004 – Desperate Housewives
• 2006 – Dexter
• 2006 – Friday Night Lights
• 2006 – Ugly Betty
• 2007 – Pushing Daisies
• 2009 – The Middle
• 2011 – Homeland
• 2011 – Jessie
• 2011 – Suburgatory
• 2012 – Elementary
• 2013 – MasterChef Junior
• 2013 – Masters of Sex
• 2015 – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
• 2015 – Code Black

Finales:

Preacher – September 29, 2019

After four intense seasons, Preacher came to an end last year, but what should have been a huge apocalyptic ending turned out to just fizzle upon impact.

The ending for Jesse, Tulip, Cassady, and Starr is less than what fans were expecting from such a stellar consistent show. It’s unfortunate when finales don’t live up to the potential of the show as a whole. 

Despite some of its drawbacks, the show definitely made sure the finale was action-packed and worth remembering.

Tell-Tale TV Archives:

As we take a journey through the site’s history we came across some fascinating content.

Five years ago we spoke to Emily Deschanel and Michael Peterson about what fans could expect from Bones Season 11. Then in 2018, we got the opportunity to talk with Violett Beane about the upcoming God Friended Me. 

We even have a list of British TV shows that we hope you will look at.

2015

Bones: Michael Peterson and Emily Deschanel Talk Season 11 Shake-Ups, Focus on Booth and Brennan

2017

10 British Shows You Have to Watch

2018

Violett Beane Previews New CBS Series ‘God Friended Me’ [Exclusive Interview]

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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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