Inside Dick Van Dyke’s Forgotten 1970s Sitcom
What To Know
- The New Dick Van Dyke Show, created by Carl Reiner and starring Dick Van Dyke, aired from 1971 to 1974 and followed the comedic life of a Phoenix TV host and his family. It ran for three seasons and 72 episodes.
- Despite a strong start and several cast and setting changes, the show struggled with declining ratings due to unfavorable timeslots and was extensively retooled in its third season to boost viewership.
- The series ended after creative conflicts with CBS over content led to Reiner’s departure, and Van Dyke chose not to renew his contract.
Dick Van Dyke became a comedy icon during his five seasons on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. In the years that followed the show’s finale, Van Dyke focused on a film career that included a star turn in 1968’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But by 1971, he was ready to head back to the small screen, premiering The New Dick Van Dyke Show on September 18, 1971.
This new sitcom reunited Van Dyke and Dick Van Dyke Show creator Carl Reiner, and blended the same warm humor fans loved from the actor with a completely fresh setting that happened to mirror his real life: He and his family were living in Cave Creek, Arizona, at the time, so CBS agreed to film the entire production nearby so he would not have to uproot his life. Though it is largely forgotten today, The New Dick Van Dyke Show ran for three seasons and 72 episodes, making it one of Van Dyke’s bigger TV successes.
What happened on The New Dick Van Dyke Show?
The story followed Dick Preston, a Phoenix television host balancing life at KXIV TV with the everyday chaos of raising a family. Hope Lange played his wife, Jenny, with Angela Powell as their daughter, Annie, and a rotating cast of friends and coworkers who filled out the world. The Prestons also had a college-aged son named Lucas, played by Michael Shea in the first two seasons and Wendell Burton in the third, and Jenny gave birth to a second son, Chrissy, during the first season.
Carl Reiner returned to create the series and was very hands-on during its early years, writing and directing episodes.
What happened to The New Dick Van Dyke Show?
Everett Collection
The show premiered on Saturday nights at 9pm, part of a powerhouse CBS lineup that also included All in the Family, Funny Face and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The first season performed well enough, but CBS expected stronger numbers because of the shows surrounding it. When the sitcom was moved to a weaker Sunday night lineup during its second season, ratings slipped, partly due to a difficult timeslot and partly because Sunday nights were never a strong night for CBS. Still under contract with Van Dyke for three years, the network opted to retool the series rather than cancel it outright.
Season three changed the series dramatically. The show moved its setting and production to Hollywood, where Dick Preston joined the cast of a fictional medical soap opera, Those Who Care, playing Dr. Brad Fairmont. Nearly the entire supporting cast was replaced, with only Hope Lange and Angela Powell remaining alongside Van Dyke. New faces included Dick Van Patten as producer, Barry Gordon as writer, Henry Darrow as stage manager, Barbara Rush as the show’s star, and Richard Dawson and Chita Rivera as the Prestons’ neighbors. CBS gave the retooled series a strong lead in by scheduling it after Here’s Lucy on Monday nights at 9:30pm, and ratings did improve for a while.
Why did The New Dick Van Dyke Show end?
Ivan Nagy/TV Guide/Everett Collection
Behind the scenes, however, things were less smooth. One episode, titled “Lt. Preston of the 4th Cavalry,” featured an off-camera moment in which young Annie walked in on her parents during an intimate moment. CBS refused to air it, saying it did not fit Van Dyke’s wholesome image. Reiner was so frustrated by the decision, especially given that the network allowed far more provocative content on other shows, that he chose to leave the series and vowed not to work with CBS again. Without Reiner and unhappy living away from Arizona, Van Dyke opted not to renew his contract, and the series ended in March 1974 after 72 episodes.
Where can you watch The New Dick Van Dyke Show?
The first season of the series is currently streaming on Tubi.
Remind 
100 Years of Dick Van Dyke
April 2025
Dick Van Dyke is a trailblazer like no other and one of the greatest of the golden age of television.
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