TV Shows Based on True Stories

[ringadingding]

1. Doogie Howser -- Though not exactly based on a true story, this hit 1980s Hospital Drama WAS, however, based on a REAL-LIFE Person, the youngest to EVER earn his Medical Doctor degree, at age 15. Unlike the title character as played by Neil Patrick Harris, the real-life Doogie Howser (as I will refer to him) DID NOT use his Medical Degree to practice Medicine, but rather for Cancer Research (and lets face it, even if the real-life Doogie Howser DID practice Medicine at age 15, he would be, in real life, legally uninsurable at that age in the event of a Malpractice suit). Despite this fact, Doogie Howser was unique as a Hospital Drama in many ways, including being told from a teen perspective.

2. Growing Pains -- This hit 1980s sitcom was conceived in Winter 1984 and created by Neal Marlens, who based the series on a true story (his own) as a teenager 10 years earlier growing up in Long Island, New York, where his mother was a Psychiatrist and his father was Manager of the local newspaper, New York Newsday. Neal rechristened his real-life family the Seaver family, after his boyhood baseball idol Tom Seaver, and switched familial gender roles for the show, with the patriarch moving his Psychiatric practice in the home while the matriarch returned to work for the local fictional Long Island General newspaper after a 15-year absence.

3. One Day at a Time -- As we all know, earlier this month, we lost Bonnie Franklin, aged 69, after a 5-month battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Her hit 70s sitcom One Day at a Time was created by Norman Lear, who based it on the real-life story of actress Whitney Blake, whom over 2 decades earlier was a real-life single parent raising a teenage daughter of her own, Meredith (as in actress Meredith Baxter, the future star of TVs Family Ties). Norman Lear eventually hired Whitney, still alive at the time, and her then-husband Allan Mannings to write a pilot script based on the conception, with Whitney Blake rechristened Ann Romano (as played by Bonnie Franklin), who, in the series debut, files for divorce from her husband of 17 years and moves with her 2 teenage daughters, Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli) and Julie (Mackenzie Phillips), though its unclear which daughter was based on Meredith Baxter. Also included in the cast during the shows 9-year run included Pat Harrington, Jr. as Building super Dwayne Schneider. In the series finale, which aired on May 28, 1984, after Bonnie Franklin decided, along with Valerie Bertinelli, to leave the show, thus ending the series 9-year run, Schneider, the only regular character to appear in the finale, receives a phone call from his Indianapolis home that his estranged brother suddenly died, and in the process, became the legal guardian of his newly-orphaned niece and nephew (the nephew of whom was played by Corey Feldman) after moving to Florida to help care for them. The finale episode served as the pilot for a proposed spin-off called Another Mans Shoes, which sadly was not picked up to a regular series.

4. The Waltons -- Earl Hamner, Jr. conceived and created the idea for this hit 1970s family drama based on his own true story of growing up as a young teenager. He rechristened the Hamner family The Waltons, and Earl-Boy, his childhood nickname, became John-Boy, as played by actor Richard Thomas.

Those 4 shows, unfortunately, are all I can think of for the moment of TV Shows Based on True Stories. Anymore shows you folks can think of based on real life, you readers please post a response to this. Thanks very much.

[MacLeaper]

Well, there are a number of shows that are based on (or at least set in) real life events- would that count?

i.e. F-Troop (set shortly after the Civil War time period and events),
Hogan's Heroes (set during World War II)
M*A*S*H (set during Korean War)
Tour of Duty (set during Vietnam War)
China Beach (set during Vietnam War)

Outside of shows like that, I do know Punky Brewster is based on a real life story. (I'll just post the Wikipedia page link if anyone wants to read more on it.)

And of course, The Adventures of Superman, Superboy, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville are all based on a real life story.

[Regulus]

Many Police/Detective Series are based on True Stories including:

Dragnet (Both 1950s and 1960s Versions)

Adam-12

The FBI

Public Defender

I Led 3 Lives

[*ROGER*]

Little House on the Prairie = Based on the true life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, her family and her friends.

[treky]

THE FUGITIVE-based on the real-life story of Dr. Sam Shepard.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH-based on a book which was about a real family (named Braden, the show changed it to Bradford)

[jimpickens]

Daniel Boone
Bat Masterson
The Untouchables
Bring em Back Alive based on the real life Frank Buck
Married With Children was based on Chicago couple
The Davy Crockett TV series Disney produced in the 50s was loosely based on the real life Davy Crockett
Serpico was based on true events
The Rat Patrol was based on the long range patrol units in WW2 North Africa

[hulk#1]

Walking Tall the series

[DJM77]

Seinfeld was in a sense. The four main characters were based on real people and a lot of the storylines were based on real life experiences.

[MacLeaper]

America's Funniest Home Videos- true story. I've lived most of the painful and embarrassing moments.

[treky]

THE BIG VALLEY was loosely based on a real family

THE LIFE & ADVENTURES OF WYATT EARP-some of the shows were loosely based on adventures of the real Wyatt Earp.

[dougiezerts]

ONE STEP BEYOND was based on actual supernatural events.

[William Hogan Jr]

The Tall Man: Based on the real lives of Billy The Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett., Death Valley Days were based on true stories of the old west.

[ThomasE]

Grace Under Fire- The show's star Brett Butler much like her character Grace, was in a abusive relationship with her husband and like Grace, was trying to pick up the pieces and start over again.

The Nanny- While Fran Drescher didn't become full time help in real life, her family on the show was loosely based on her family in real life. Some antics and story lines (according to a mutual friend that both Fran and I know) were based on my friend's Jewish mother and Fran incorporated those scenarios into the show.

[jimpickens]

Welcome Back Kotter was loosly based on Gabe Kaplins childhood
Everybody Hates Chris was based on Chris Rocks life