Today in History: Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Television
The Saturday morning NBC sitcom “Saved by the Bell” debuted in 1989, producing 86 episodes in four seasons, and two spin-offs, both on NBC: “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” in primetime from 1993-94 and “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” on Saturday mornings. The series also spawned two TV movies and a short-lived comic book series, and was rebooted for one season on streamer Peacoc

The first TV show version of theatrical “Parenthood” debuted on NBC in 1990. Executive produced by the film’s director, Ron Howard, it starred starred Ed Begley, Jr., Jayne Atkinson, David Arquette, Thora Birch and Leonardo DiCaprio. It lasted only 12 episodes.

Also in 1990, two decades before “Glee”, NBC debuted the high school musical drama “Hull High” which featured “Dirty Dancing’s” Kenny Ortega as its choreographer. The series concluded by December 1990.

News outlet Al Jazeera America launched on several cable systems in 2013, replacing the short-lived Current TV. Low viewership and minimal nationwide distribution led to its closure just three years later…Family comedy “The Detour” starring Jason Jones and Natalie Zea concluded its four-season, 42-episode run in 2019 on TBS. The series was created by the husband-and-wife team of Jones and “Full Frontal” host Samantha Bee.

Music:
The Rolling Stones released their single “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (their 1st #1 US hit) in the UK in 1965…The upbeat dance song “Best of My Love” by The Emotions hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977.

News:
Nelson Rockefeller was selected as US Vice President by President Gerald.

Sports:
A preliminary meeting was conducted in Akron, Ohio to form American Professional Football Association and elect officers, installing Jim Thorpe as president in 1920…George Steinbrenner stepped down as the New York Yankees owner in 1990… in 2018, ESPN expanded their Bottomline news ticker to a two-line, two-pane display; its right-side pane meant for promotional or programming notes.

Celebrity Birthdays
News anchor Connie Chung is 78; actor Ray Wise (“Twin Peaks”) is 78; Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant is 77; actor John Noble (“Fringe”) is also 77; actor Peter Horton (“thirtysomething”) is 72; “Today” Show’s Al Roker is 71; actress Joan Allen is 69; director David O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playback”) is 67; actor James Marsters (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 63; actor Billy Gardell (“Bob Hearts Abishola”) is 56: Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst is 55; Oscar winner Amy Adams ins 51; actor Misha Collins (“Supernatural”) is also 51; actor Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-Man”) is 42; singer Demi Lovato is 33.

Did You Know?
At its height, “Saved by the Bell” attracted more teenage viewers on Saturday mornings than the number one show on television at the time, NBC’s “The Cosby Show,“ did in primetime.