World
Gilligan's Island Creator Sherwood Schwartz Saved Another Iconic TV Series
Sherwood Schwartz was, of course, TV royalty. He created two notable sitcoms in the 1960s, both of which became so enormously popular that they changed the texture of the entire medium. In 1964, he created "Gilligan's Island," a whimsical, silly little sitcom about seven castaways stranded on a deserted tropical island. Then, in 1969, he blew the doors open a second time with "The Brady Bunch," a sitcom about two single parents with three kids each who marry and move into a rather large house together.
This was all presaged by a successful run writing "The Red Skelton Show," a gig that won Schwartz an Emmy. So, when it came to knowing the ins and outs of TV success, Schwartz was no slouch. He even had a few of his relatives go into TV production, including his nephew Douglas, who co-created the TV series "Baywatch" (a show that Sherwood's son Lloyd also wrote for). "Baywatch" was one of the most successful TV series of all time, becoming an international sensation during the 1990s and lasting over a decade. It's odd that we don't talk about "Baywatch" more than we do. Douglas Schwartz and his "Baywatch" co-creators, Michael Berk and Gregory J. Bonnan, believed in the show from the start and knew that it would be a hit. Lighthearted beach capers featuring wildly attractive people in swimsuits? What could go wrong?
Weirdly, though, "Baywatch" wasn't a huge success during its first season. Indeed, it initially did so poorly that NBC threatened to pull the plug. It wasn't until Sherwood Schwartz went to Douglas and encouraged him to buy the rights to his own show, believing it could still become a hit. It was salient, vital advice, as Douglas Schwartz recalled in a 2017 interview with the Austin American-Statesman.
Sherwood Schwartz was, of course, TV royalty. He created two notable sitcoms in the 1960s, both of which became so enormously popular that they changed the texture of the entire medium. In 1964, he created "Gilligan's Island," a whimsical, silly little sitcom about seven castaways stranded on a deserted tropical island. Then, in 1969, he blew the doors open a second time with "The Brady Bunch," a sitcom about two single parents with three kids each who marry and move into a rather large house together.
This was all presaged by a successful run writing "The Red Skelton Show," a gig that won Schwartz an Emmy. So, when it came to knowing the ins and outs of TV success, Schwartz was no slouch. He even had a few of his relatives go into TV production, including his nephew Douglas, who co-created the TV series "Baywatch" (a show that Sherwood's son Lloyd also wrote for). "Baywatch" was one of the most successful TV series of all time, becoming an international sensation during the 1990s and lasting over a decade. It's odd that we don't talk about "Baywatch" more than we do. Douglas Schwartz and his "Baywatch" co-creators, Michael Berk and Gregory J. Bonnan, believed in the show from the start and knew that it would be a hit. Lighthearted beach capers featuring wildly attractive people in swimsuits? What could go wrong?
Weirdly, though, "Baywatch" wasn't a huge success during its first season. Indeed, it initially did so poorly that NBC threatened to pull the plug. It wasn't until Sherwood Schwartz went to Douglas and encouraged him to buy the rights to his own show, believing it could still become a hit. It was salient, vital advice, as Douglas Schwartz recalled in a 2017 interview with the Austin American-Statesman.
