‘Firehouse’ was very unsuccessful. It was loosely based on NBC’s very popular show, ‘Emergency!’. Released in 1974, ‘Firehouse’ was an adventure drama TV show about a father-like firefighter veteran that takes younger, newly-recruited firefighters under his wing. The cast included James Drury, Brad David, Michael Delano, Richard Jaeckel, and more.
Even though the spin-off was also inspired by the best-selling book, ‘Report from Engine Co. 28’, written by an actual veteran firefighter, it was extremely unsuccessful as a TV show. ABC canceled the show after 13 disastrous episodes.
Lanigan's Rabbi
The American crime drama series 'Lanigan's Rabbi' was more of a film series than a TV show, and it aired as part of NBC's Sunday Mystery Movies. It had a hilarious and talented cast that included Art Carney, Bruce Solomon, Janet Margolin, and Janis Paige, and it centered around a rabbi that helped the police solve several crimes.
Unfortunately, only four episodes were ever aired since the plot, and the production just weren't good enough to keep up with viewers. The original story was inspired by Harry Kemelman's mystery novels, which were a huge hit, contrarily to the show.
Another Day
Producers thought that a TV show about a middle-class family trying to make ends meet would hit it big with audiences, but they were wrong. In 1978, CBS released 'Another Day,' a series that told the story of Don Gardner, a young, hard-working businessman, his lovely wife Ginny (Joan Hackett), and their two kids.
Unfortunately, the show got canceled after four episodes, and even though it had a cast of known names, such as Hope Summers, Al Eisenmann, and Lisa Lindgren. The story just wasn't enticing enough, and the network had no option but to pull the plug.
Hee Haw Honeys
The 1978 TV show 'Hee Haw Honeys' was released as a spin-off to the original and far more successful, 'Hee Haw.' The original show had featured star-studded guests like Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, but the show's permanent cast, which also included stars like Misty Rowe and Kathie Lee Gifford, wasn't enough to take the spin-off to hit status.
'Hee Haw Honeys' was listed by TV Guide as one of the worst shows ever made and received plenty of bad reviews. However, a lot of viewers seemed to love it. But, that was clearly not enough, and the show was pulled off the air after just one season.
The Fitzpatricks
'The Fitzpatricks' was an American drama series that aired on CBS in 1977. The coming-of-age story followed a traditional, Irish-catholic family of six that lived in Michigan. But, despite its moral lessons and cheery actors, viewers weren't impressed.
After just thirteen episodes, the show was pulled off the air in January 1978, proving a failure against its same time-slot competitors from other networks, 'Happy Days' and 'Laverne & Shirley.'