Today in History: Thursday, January 11, 2024

Television
CBS drama “Daktari,” which was filmed in Africa, debuted in 1966. It aired for four seasons.

“The Night Stalker” starring Darren McGavin was first televised on ABC as a TV movie in 1972. It led to the weekly series “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” in 1974, but that only ran for one season. Yet, it remains a cult favorite and it provided the inspiration for “The X-Files” on Fox.

Considered America’s first reality television series, “An American Family” premiered on PBS in 1973. The 12-episode docuseries chronicled the trials and tribulations of the Loud family. Crews filmed the clan across a 7-month period in 1971…“Gunsmoke” spinoff, “Dirty Sally”, starring Jeanette Nolan, opened on CBS in 1974. It was described as a comical half-hour western and ran for 14 episodes.

On CBS’ “Dallas” in 1980, Cliff (Ken Kercheval) believed he was the father of Sue Ellen’s (Linda Gray) baby son but it was revealed that the father was J.R. (Larry Hagman)…The original ”Dynasty” bowed on ABC in 1981 and eventually moved ahead of the then top-rated show in primetime, “Dallas” on CBS…Educational program “The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross” premiered on PBS in 1983. Its original run of episodes lasted 11 years; it still airs in reruns, as of today…Made-for TV movie “Evil in Clear River” aired on ABC in 1988. It starred Lindsay Wagner…The WWE’s mainly weekly flagship program “Monday Night Raw” launched on USA Network in 1993. From 2000-05, it aired on The National Network/Spike TV. “Raw” returned to USA in October 2005 where it has remained there since…The broadcast network The WB opened in 1995 with sitcom “The Wayans Bros.“

Jon Stewart replaced Craig Kilborn as host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in 1999…Kids comedy “Drake & Josh” starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck premiered on Nickelodeon in 2004. It aired for five seasons across three years…”Banshee” starring Antony Starr and Ivana Milicevic debuted on Cinemax in 2013. The action drama about an ex-con-turned-small town sheriff in Pennsylvania Amish country ran for 38 episodes over four seasons…

The inaugural season of British comedy “Sex Education” was released on Netflix in 2019. The series, inspired by classic American high school comedy films and shows, stars Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey and Gillian Anderson. 24 episodes across three seasons have been produced thus far.
 
Music:
The Beatles released singles “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why”.

Sports:
The Denver Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns 23-20 in overtime in the AFC Championship Game in 1987. In NFL lore, it’s most famous for “The Drive” where the Broncos — with John Elway as their quarterback — drove 15 plays for 98 yards to tie the game 20-20 with 37 seconds remaining in the game. Until January 2019, this matchup was the only AFC Championship Game to enter into overtime.

News:
Amelia Earhart flew non-stop from Honolulu to Oakland, California in 1935.

 
Celebrity Birthdays:
Actress Kim Coles (“Living Single”) is 62; TV hostess Julie Moran (“Entertainment Tonight”) is 62; actress Dawn Lyn (“My Three Sons”) is 60; reality star Kyle Richards (“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) is 55; R&J singer Mary J. Blige is 53; actress Amanda Peet (“Jack and Jill”) is 52; actor Rockmond Dunbar (“9-1-1”) is 51; actress Aja Naomi King (“How to Get Away with Murder”) is 39; singer Cody Simpson is 27.

Did You Know?
Erin Moran, pre-“Happy Days” and then 8-years old, was featured in the fourth – and final – season of “Daktari.” She played Jenny, a young orphan who joined the Tracy household…“The Night Stalker” was rebooted in 2005 with Stuart Townsend inheriting the role of Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter whose wife was murdered. Ten episodes were produced, but only six aired.