Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985 TV series)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Title card
Genre
Presented byAlfred Hitchcock (colorized stock footage)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes76 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Christopher Crowe
  • Jon Slan
  • Michael Sloan
Producers
  • Alan Barnette
  • Mary Kahn
  • Barbara Laffey
  • David Levinson
  • Susan Whittaker
Production locationsToronto, Ontario, Canada
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 29, 1985 (1985-09-29) –
May 4, 1986 (1986-05-04)
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseJanuary 24, 1987 (1987-01-24) –
July 22, 1989 (1989-07-22)
Related
Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alfred Hitchcock Presents, sometimes called The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents, is an American television anthology series that originally aired on NBC for one season from September 29, 1985 to May 4, 1986, and on the USA Network for three more seasons, from January 24, 1987, to July 22, 1989, with a total of four seasons consisting of 76 episodes. The series is an updated version of the 1955 eponymous series.

Background

In 1985, NBC aired a new made-for-television film based upon the series, combining newly filmed stories with colorized footage of Alfred Hitchcock from the original series introducing each segment. The segments were "Incident in a Small Jail," adapted and directed by Joel Oliansky, "Man from the South," adapted and directed by Steve De Jarnatt, "Bang! You're Dead!," adapted by Harold Swanton and Christopher Crowe and directed by Randa Haines, and "An Unlocked Window," adapted and directed by Fred Walton. The film was a ratings success.

Format

A new Alfred Hitchcock Presents series debuted on September 29, 1985 and retained the same format as the film – newly filmed stories (a mixture of original works and updated remakes of original series episodes) with colorized introductions by Hitchcock. The new series lasted only one season before NBC cancelled it, but it was then produced for three more seasons by USA Network (which is now co-owned with NBC under NBCUniversal), and shifted production from Los Angeles to Toronto, where the show's new Canadian producing partner Paragon Motion Pictures was based, along with several budget cuts to the series.[1][2] Directors who helmed episodes included Tim Burton, David Chase, Burt Reynolds, Atom Egoyan, Joan Tewkesbury, and Thomas Carter.

Production

Despite garnering good reviews, NBC cancelled Alfred Hitchcock Presents as according to then NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff the series didn't pair well with Amazing Stories on Sunday nights as parents looking for an "electronic babysitter" for their children were taken aback by the colorful whimsy filled fantasies presented in Amazing Stories that would then segue into stories of murder on Alfred Hitchcock Presents with parents opting to put on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which started before Alfred Hitchcock Presents for uninterrupted family viewing meaning that Amazing Stories target audience was being siphoned off. The series was saved from cancellation by USA Network who had been running the original Alfred Hitchcock Presents and ordered a 13 episode second season.[3]

Episodes

Main article: List of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985 TV series) episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
Pilot film4May 5, 1985 (1985-05-05)NBC
122September 29, 1985 (1985-09-29)May 4, 1986 (1986-05-04)
213January 24, 1987 (1987-01-24)April 18, 1987 (1987-04-18)Syndication
321February 6, 1988 (1988-02-06)August 6, 1988 (1988-08-06)
420October 8, 1988 (1988-10-08)July 22, 1989 (1989-07-22)


Notable guest stars

Series pilot

Other episodes

References

  1. ^ Schneider, Steve (September 28, 1986). "CABLE TV NOTES; Five Series to Bow on USA Network". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Boyer, Peter J.; Times, Special To the New York (July 29, 1986). "PRODUCERS CUT COSTS OF ACTION SHOWS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Kelley, Bill (October 1986). "Genre tv—the new season". Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
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