More than 100 stars from TV's formative years bring their stories to life in season three of the Emmy®-nominated documentary series PIONEERS OF TELEVISION. Narrated by Ryan Seacrest, each episode melds compelling interviews with irresistible archival clips to offer a fresh take on TV's breakthrough celebrities.
This season's four new episodes…
Funny Ladies - This episode offers surprising new insights about television's most-beloved variety star Carol Burnett. Funny Ladies also looks at the backstory behind Lucille Ball's breakthrough, I Love Lucy and the sitcom stars who followed, including Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White and Marla Gibbs. Featured television standups include Joan Rivers and the late Phyllis Diller - whose final interview was for this episode. The episode also includes interviews with contemporary actresses Tina Fey and Margaret Cho.
Primetime Soaps - Dallas and Dynasty kicked off the nighttime soap frenzy in the late 1970s, a phenomenon that continued through the last season of Knots Landing in 1993. Interviewees in this episode include Larry Hagman, Joan Collins, Linda Evans, Diahann Carroll, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Michele Lee, Joan Van Ark, and Donna Mills.
Superheroes - Superheroes crosses many eras: Superman in the 1950s, Batman in the '60s, Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk in the '70s, and The Greatest American Hero in the '80s. The episode features in-depth interviews with Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar, Lynda Carter, Lou Ferrigno, William Katt, and others.
Miniseries - Miniseries still rank among the top-rated programs in television history. Roots was the biggest - interviewees about that groundbreaking series include LeVar Burton, Louis Gossett Jr., Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen, John Amos, Georg Stanford Brown, and Ed Asner.
This episode also considers the very first miniseries, Rich Man, Poor Man as stars Peter Strauss and Susan Blakely offer fresh insights. All of the key stars from the landmark miniseries The Thorn Birds appear.
Special Bonus Features include…
Disc #1
- The time Carol Burnett fired Harvey Korman
- When Maria Gibbs fired D.L. Hughley
- Larry hagman opens up about Carroll O'Connor's influence
- When Dynasty jumped the shark
Disc #2
- Adam West makes his case to be in the next Batman movie
- Burt Ward's origin story
- Louis Gossett Jr. on the impact of receiving an Oscar
- How John Amos' African accent almost got him killed
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