Premiering on ABC in January 1975, ‘Karen’ was a comedy series that followed the life of Karen Angelo, played by Karen Valentine. Angelo was a single, hard-working woman with a job at a Washington D.C.-based organization called ‘Open America.’ The organization sought to expose corrupt politicians and lobby for civil rights, and Angelo was at the forefront.
Unfortunately, an interesting premise and good acting weren’t enough to keep the audiences’ interest, so just six months after its release, ABC pulled the show off the air. A star-studded cast included Denver Pyle, Dene Dietrich, Oliver Clark, Aldine King, and more.
Dusty’s Trail
This show had it rough from the very start, as no network wanted to release it. 'Dusty's Trail' was a cheap attempt to copy 'Gilligan's Island' but set it in the old west. The show was released in 1973, to very bad audience reviews.
The cast wasn't properly matched, the production and the script were weak, and it was just an overall failure. This is why it's a real mystery that it lasted for 26 episodes and a whole year on the air. A cast that included talented actors like Jeannine Riley, Lori Saunders, and Bob Denver wasn't enough to keep this show alive.
Co-Ed Fever
This CBS sitcom was such a disappointment that, out of the six episodes produced, only one ever aired. With a cast that included Alexa Kenin, Cathryn O’Neill, Heather Thomas, Tracy Phillips, and Jillian Kesner, 'Co-Ed Fever' followed the story of a group of young girls that lived in a dorm at Baxter College.
What's worse is that 'Co-Ed Fever' was meant to be one part of a three-part "frat house" comedy series, but the plot and production were so disastrous that all three of them were a flop.
Gibbsville
Released in 1976, the action-drama series 'Gibbsville' was about a cub reporter that worked for the Gibbsville Courier in Pennsylvania. The show was set in the 1940s, and NBC had high hopes of it being a hit. Unfortunately, only six out of the 13 produces episodes were ever aired.
A cast that included Gig Young and John Savage as the lead roles weren't enough to save this boring show. It was based on a film that was written and directed by Frank D. Gilroy, called the 'The Turning Point of Jim Malloy.'
Bearcats!
CBS released 'Bearcats!' in 1971, in an attempt to get into the western TV show craze. The problem was that, by 1970, the interest in westerns had substantially gone down, and so the show was only on the air for thirteen episodes.
Its lead actors, Dennis Cole and Rod Taylor, played two adventurers riding around in a Stutz Bearcat in the American Southwest in 1914. CBS spent a lot of money on marketing the show, but it was all for nothing since, clearly, viewers weren't interested in a story set in 1914 anymore.