FeTV Request: "Coach"

[stevearino]

Dear Family Broadcasting Corporation,

I have a proposal for FeTV: to make a deal with NBC Universal Television Distribution for FeTV to become the exclusive cable home of the hit 1989-1997 sitcom "Coach," lovingly showcasing all 200 half-hour episodes of this hit football sitcom 100% Complete, 100% Uncut, AND 100% Unedited, just the way that each episode originally aired on the ABC Television Network.

Created by Barry Kemp, "Coach" was a hit '80s sitcom originally airing for 8 seasons on ABC from February 28, 1989 - May 14, 1997; the show was based loosely on Barry's real-life Collegiate Alma Mater, Iowa State University in Iowa City, Iowa, and its long-time head football coach, Hayden Fry.

Heading the cast was Craig T. Nelson as head football coach Hayden Fox, who'd been in that capacity for 4 years at the start of the show's run, along with Jerry Van Dyke as Hayden's Assistant Coach Luther Van Dam, who served in that capacity for one team or another for over 20 years at the start of the series, Bill Fagerbakke as Michael "Dauber" Dybinski, the perennial student who eventually graduated from Minnesota State in 1991, eventually staying on at Minnesota State as Hayden's Defense Coordinator, and Shelley Fabares as local news anchor Christine Armstrong; the series was set at the fictional Minnesota State University college campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At the start of the series, after a 16-year absence from full-time parenthood after his ex-wife, Beth (Lenore Kasdorf), divorced him, Hayden's young-adult daughter, Kelly (Clare Carey), enrolled at Minnesota State as a Freshman, further complicating Hayden's life as he struggled between instant full-time parenthood and his responsibilities as football coach for Minnesota State.

Hayden also struggled with his courtship with Christine--at one point they even broke up--but eventually they married each other in May 1993.

At the start of Season 7 in September 1995, Hayden left Minnesota State and Minneapolis behind to accept a head football coach position for the fictional Orlando Breakers pro NFL Football Team, owned by widow Doris Sherman (Katherine Helmond), whom Luther eventually started dating.

The following season, at the start of Season 8, after 7 years airing Tuesday nights at 9 P.M. ET on ABC after "Roseanne," "Coach" moved permanently to Saturday nights at 9 P.M. ET as the lead-in to the extremely short-lived 1996 sitcom "Common Law," starring Greg Giraldo and based on Greg's real-life experiences as a lawyer before becoming a stand-up comedian; that December, after "Common Law" was cancelled, "Coach" moved permanently to Wednesday nights at 8 P.M. ET after "Grace Under Fire" on ABC.

By then, however, Barry Kemp, after 8 seasons and 198 episodes (including 2 hour-long episodes split into 2 parts for DVD and Syndication), decided to permanently bench "Coach" from Network TV, with Season 8 being its last.

In the Hour-Long Series Finale telecast on May 14, 1997 at 8 P.M. ET, a number of events occurred--among other things, after a series of job offers, Hayden turned them all down and left Orlando to permanently retire from coaching and returning to his Minneapolis cabin along with Christine and their newly adopted baby boy, Tim (adopted at the start of Season 8); Luther likewise retired and opened his own version of Graceland in Orlando; Howard Burleigh (Ken Kimmins), the Breakers' Athletic Director who previously served in that capacity at Minnesota State, was Fired by Doris, and with wife Shirley (Georgia Engel) opened a Dinner Theater in Jupiter, Florida (where Burt Reynolds grew up from Infancy up after being born in Lansing, Michigan); and Dauber became a Broadcaster for ABC's "Monday Night Football," and in the final scene, 10 years into the future, baby Tim became just like Hayden.

A few interesting tidbits: the first episode ABC aired of "Coach" was "Kelly and the Professor," telecast at 9 P.M. ET on February 28, 1989 right after "Roseanne" as a Special Preview episode, with the Pilot episode filmed in 1988 telecast the following evening on March 1, 1989 at 9 P.M. ET

Also: according to https://pbspeakers.com/speaker/craig-t-nelson-2/ Craig T. Nelson's real name is Craig Nelson--as in Craig Richard Nelson, the name he was given on April 4, 1944 after he was born in Spokane, Washington.

Craig's dad, Armand, was Bing Crosby's original Drummer who died at age 64 in 1964, when Craig was 20 years old; 7 years later, in 1971, Craig's mother, Vera, also died, when Craig was 27 years old.

Upon registering in Screen Actors Guild (now part of SAG-AFTRA) in the late '70s, after a series of short-lived jobs in Northern California, Craig Nelson discovered there were TWO different actors named Craig Nelson--including a character actor named Craig Richard Nelson--who registered before him, Craig Richard Nelson adopted the fake middle initial T, and has been credited since then from hereon out as Craig T. Nelson, registering as Craig Theodore Nelson.

Likewise: Jerry Van Dyke's role on "Coach" was conceived with him in mind, having been cast on the show without EVER auditioning for his "Coach" role, and thus earning him his first big hit series at age 57, after decades of being overshadowed in eternal fame by his more famous brother, Dick Van Dyke.

Tentatively, just in time for football season, FeTV shall add "Coach" to its regular lineup starting on Saturday, September 2, 2023 with a 3-day long "Coach Bowl" Marathon showcasing some of the best episodes ever made of "Coach," after which FeTV shall air "Coach" Weekdays at 2 P.M. ET

Sincerely,
Steve Arino