I am wondering what some of the earliest original series on US cable channels (basic or premium) were.

For example, HBO had a series titled First and Ten that ran from 1984 to 1990. after that, they had The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998).

Off the top of my head

Fraggle Rock on HBO
Dream On on HBO
Not Necessarily The News on HBO

The Showtime episodes of The Paper Chase (1983-1986)?

The TBS sitcom "Down to Earth", best remembered for its theme song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT5ghnY3Prw), premiered in 1984.

The Catlins (1983) on TBS

another life cbn early 80s

Pretty sure this one pre-dated all of them, on Showtime, 1982.

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20084224,00.html

Another very early made-for-cable series was HBO's The Hitchhiker (1983-1987, later moving to USA Network).

Brothers ran on Showtime from 84-89.

Brothers ran on Showtime from 84-89.

That was one of the first ones I thought of when I saw this thread. I remember watching this with my family when it was on.

Fraggle Rock on HBO
Yay for Fraggle Rock!:) :cool:
I also remember Another Life- one of the few soap operas I could get into.:) :cool:

This list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest-running_U.S._cable_television_series) might be helpful- it presents the longest-running shows on US Cable TV. Looks like The 700 Club tops the list- it's been running since 1977 on Christian Broadcasting Network (and it's gone from there to The Family Channel/Fox Family/ABC Family). I didn't realize it had been running that long. I like to watch it here and there sometimes- Pat Robertson and his cohosts can be funny and entertaining and they usually do have some great, encouraging testimonies of how Christ has worked in people's lives- and they are always sure to present The Gospel of Jesus in each episode and I certainly love that!:) :cool:
"Inside the NFL" on HBO and later Showtime is also tied for longest-running cable show, having also premiered in 1977. Both shows are up to 36 seasons now.

This list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest-running_U.S._cable_television_series) might be helpful- it presents the longest-running shows on US Cable TV. Looks like The 700 Club tops the list- it's been running since 1977 on Christian Broadcasting Network (and it's gone from there to The Family Channel/Fox Family/ABC Family). I didn't realize it had been running that long. I like to watch it here and there sometimes- Pat Robertson and his cohosts can be funny and entertaining and they usually do have some great, encouraging testimonies of how Christ has worked in people's lives- and they are always sure to present The Gospel of Jesus in each episode and I certainly love that!:) :cool:

I only wish that there was a similar show about how religion is nothing but brainwashing and how people are just deluding themselves believing in supernatural beings.

I liked Another Life and I consider myself more of a spiritual person than religious. The acting was pretty good for a low-budget soap and they were one of the first to include supernatural story angles (albeit of a Christian nature) years before Days of Our Lives and others followed suit. You really didn't have to be into religion to enjoy it.

Nickelodeon aired several series in the 90's which became very popular:

Fifteen (1991-1993)
Clarissa Explains It All (1991-1994)
Salute Your Shorts (1991-1992)

And when Fox was just beginning, they had 21 Jump Street which began in 1987 and aired until 1991. The spinoff, Booker, aired from 1989-1990.

And when Fox was just beginning, they had 21 Jump Street which began in 1987 and aired until 1991. The spinoff, Booker, aired from 1989-1990.FOX isn't cable, they've always been a broadcast network.

hmm, a Christian soap opera. I didn't know there were any.

If you're counting non-scripted (I.E. 700 Club), HBO debuted both On Location (Stand Up Comedy) and Standing Room Only (Variety) in 1976. Inside NFL was mentioned in another post, they also had Race for the Pennant (covering MLB) which debuted the same year (1978).

Starcade (Arcade themed game show) is another worth mentioning. It debuted in 1982 on TBS before moving to syndication.

Brothers ran on Showtime from 84-89.
I remember they used to show reruns of that in syndication in the early 90s.