Saturday morning preview specials were aired on television annually to present previews of each network's fall lineup of Saturday-morning cartoon children's programming. Like for their new

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

counterpart shows, television networks in the United States and Canada would film a preview special for the fall season. These would often air as part of the regular network schedule, or be made available to their affiliates for airing at any time, especially to fill timeslots which contained programming canceled months before.

Format

The Saturday morning previews were generally aired on the network in prime-time, usually the Friday night before the new schedule began. Specials were staggered between differing time slots and days in order to allow each network's show to stand out. The preview specials are usually hosted by stars of one or more of the network's popular series and feature an array of special guests, with the continuity between each program preview being fictionalized with a small plot or theme to keep viewers interested. The previews were for new and returning series, with each preview featuring the show's opening credits and a scene from that program. They also unveiled a network's new imaging for Saturday morning programming.

History

Hanna-Barbera Productions created a half-hour syndicated film called "Here Comes a Star" (1964) with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera playing themselves promoting its newest series, ''The Magical Gorilla Show''. The program, hosted by '' You Bet Your Life'' announcer George Fenneman, offered an inside look at the animation studio and a peek at the upcoming feature, '' Hey There, It's Yogi Bear''. The first network preview special was ''The World of Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant'' (1965), a 60-minute special airing on NBC in primetime to celebrate Hanna-Barbera's first animated series made for Saturday morning television.

Decline

CBS, which had only irregularly carried preview specials, aired its last in 1985. The other two major networks continued near-annually. NBC's last was in 1991, as by 1992, the network had abandoned cartoons in favor of its teen sitcom block TNBC. ABC continued an annual Saturday preview special as part of its TGIF block through the 1990s, finally ending the practice in 1999, TGIF's last year in its original form.

4Kids Entertainment 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production company that produced English- dub ...

aired preview specials sporadically for its two blocks,

FoxBox 4Kids TV (often stylized as 4K!DSTV and formerly known as FoxBox from September 14, 2002 to January 15, 2005) was an American television programming block and Internet-based video on demand children's network operated by 4Kids Entertainment. I ...

and

The CW4Kids Toonzai (formerly known as The CW4Kids from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010, or stylized as TOONZAi) was an American Saturday morning cartoon children's television block that aired on The CW from May 24, 2008 to August 18, 2012. The block was c ...

. Neither

Fox Kids Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's block programming, programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channel ...

nor Kids' WB continued the practice as an annual tradition, though both had aired one-off preview specials in the 1990s. Because the preview specials incorporated clips from a variety of sources with cross-platform licensing, it was legally impossible to sell them in syndication packages or release them on home video or

streaming service Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

Year-by-year guide

Syndication

* 1964 - Here Comes a Star (hosted by George Fenneman) promoting The Magical Gorilla Show

ABC

* 1969 - Super Saturday Cartoon Preview (hosted by the cast of the Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Jonathan Frid from Dark Shadows) * 1971 - The Brady Bunch Visits ABC (hosted by The Brady Kids from The Brady Bunch) * 1972 - The Brady Bunch Meet ABC's Saturday Superstars (hosted by The Brady Kids from The Brady Bunch) * 1973 - Sneak Peek (hosted by Avery Schreiber and Jack Burns) * 1974 - Funshine Saturday (hosted by Lee Majors from The Six Million Dollar Man) * 1975 - Funshine Saturday (hosted by Jim Nabors and Ruth Buzzi from The Lost Saucer) * 1976 - Sneak Peek (hosted by Jimmy Osmond) * 1977 - All-Star Saturday (hosted by Kaptain Kool and the Kongs) * 1978 - All-Star Saturday (hosted by Jimmy McNichol and

Kristy McNichol Christina Ann McNichol (born September 11, 1962) is an American former actress. She is known for such film roles as Angel in ''Little Darlings'', Polly in '' Only When I Laugh'', and Barbara Weston in the TV sitcom ''Empty Nest''. She won two Emmy ...

) * 1979 - Plastic Man and ABC Saturday Morning Sneak Peek (hosted by Michael Young) - Due to a cartoonists' strike delaying show premieres, this special aired over two weeks before the plugged season debuted, and a second preview special, The Plastic Man Preview Hour, aired on Saturday of the following week. * 1982 - Pac Preview Party (hosted by Dick Clark) * 1983 - Preview Special (hosted by Dick Clark) * 1984 - Saturday Morning Preview Park (hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic) * 1985 - Saturday Sneak Peek & Fun Fit Test (hosted by Tony Danza) * 1988 - (hosted by cast of Mr. Belvedere) * 1989 - Perfectly Strange Saturday Morning Preview (hosted by cast of Perfect Strangers) * 1990 - ABC Saturday Morning Preview (hosted by Roseanne Barr and cast of Family Matters) * 1991 - (hosted by cast of Family Matters) * 1992 - ABC Sneak Peek with Step by Step (hosted by cast of Step by Step) * 1993 - ABC Saturday Morning Preview Special (hosted by cast of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper) * 1994 - Whole New Level of Fun (hosted by cast of Boy Meets World) * 1995 - Saturday Morning Jam Preview Special (hosted by Gary Owens, Marquise Wilson, Raven-Symoné and Zachery Ty Bryan) * 1996 - Saturday Morning Preview Party (hosted by Melissa Joan Hart) * 1997 - One Saturday Morning (hosted by Charlie, played by Jessica Prunell) * 1998 - One Saturday Morning on Friday Night (hosted by Meme, played by Valarie Rae Miller and Salem of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) * 1999 - One Saturday Morning on Friday Night (hosted by Meme, played by Valarie Rae Miller)

CBS

*1969 - CBS Funtastic Preview (hosted by Sebastian Cabot, Johnny Whitaker and Anissa Jones of '' Family Affair''; featuring Sebastian Cabot, Johnny Whitaker and Anissa Jones of '' Family Affair'') *1974 - Socko Saturday (hosted by cast of ''

The Hudson Brothers The Hudson Brothers were an American musical group formed in Portland, Oregon, consisting of brothers Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson. They were discovered by a record producer while recording music at a local studio, and offered a rec ...

''; featuring cast of ''

'') *1975 - Dyn-o-mite Saturday (hosted by Bern Nadette Stanis,

Jimmie Walker James Carter Walker Jr. (born June 25, 1947) is an American actor and comedian. Walker portrayed James Evans Jr. ("J.J."), the older son of Florida and James Evans Sr., on the CBS television series ''Good Times'', which ran from 1974 to 1979, ...

and Ralph Carter from ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

''; featuring Bern Nadette Stanis,

and Ralph Carter from ''

'') *1976 - Hey, Hey, Hey! It's the CBS Saturday Preview Special (hosted by '' Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'', guest starring '' Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' *1977 - The Wacko Saturday Morning Preview and Other Good Stuff Special (hosted by cast of ''

Wacko ''Wacko'' is a 1983 arcade game by Bally Midway. It featured a unique angled cabinet design and a combination of trackball and joystick controls. The player assumes the role of Kapt'n Krooz'r, a small, green alien within a bubble-topped spaces ...

''; featuring cast of ''

'') *1983 - Preview Special (hosted by Scott Baio; featuring the Krofft Puppets, and Scott Baio) *1984 - Saturday's The Place (hosted by Joyce DeWitt; featuring Joyce DeWitt) *1985 - All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular (hosted by

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for hi ...

, featuring

‘s clones)

NBC

*1965 - The World of Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant ( William Hanna and

Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian im ...

introduce ''

The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show ''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'' is an hour-long Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1965 to 1967 for NBC. In fall 1965, the show aired as two independent half-hour programs. ''The Atom Ant Show'' featured th ...

'') *1968 - Saturday Morning Preview Special (hosted by The Banana Splits also known as "Tonight's Special Guest Stars," The Amazing Flying Banana Boys *1972 - Howdy Doody and Friends (featuring the cast of Howdy Doody) *1973 - Starship Rescue (featuring Kevin Tighe and

Randolph Mantooth Randolph Mantooth (born Randy DeRoy Mantooth, September 19, 1945) is an American actor who has worked in television, documentaries, theater, and film for more than 40 years. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he was discovere ...

from '' Emergency!'';

Billy Barty Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti, October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood tall, due to cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast ...

, Johnny Whitaker and Scott Kolden from '' Sigmund and the Sea Monsters''; and characters from the world of

Sid & Marty Krofft Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (born April 9, 1937) are a Canadian sibling team of television creators and puppeteers. Through their production company, Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, they have made numerous children's television a ...

) *1974 - Preview Revue (hosted by Jimmy Osmond; featuring Jimmy Osmond) *1975 - Preview Revue (hosted by The Lockers; featuring The Lockers) *1976 - Smilin' Saturday Morning Parade (hosted by Freddie Prinze; featuring Freddie Prinze) *1977 - C'mon Saturday (hosted by Andrea McArdle from ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

''; featuring Andrea McArdle from ''

'') *1978 - The Bay City Rollers Meet the Saturday Superstars (hosted by

Bay City Rollers The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beat ...

) *1979 - The Thing Meets Casper and the Shmoo (hosted by Gary Coleman) - Due to a cartoonists' strike delaying many season debuts, this special was cancelled and never aired. *1983 - The 1st Annual NBC Yummy Awards (hosted by

Ricky Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

and Dwight Schultz) *1984 - Laugh Busters (featuring Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Kidd Video,

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three s ...

The Snorks ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Pink Panther and Sons, Mr. T

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) and ( K.I.T.T.) from TV series "Knight Rider" *1985 - Back to Next Saturday (starring

Keshia Knight Pulliam Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor, and landed her breakthrough role as Rudy Huxtable, on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), which earned her a nomination for O ...

and Lisa Whelchel, guest starring

and Lisa Whelchel) *1986 - Alvin Goes Back to School *1987 - ALF Loves a Mystery (hosted by Benji Gregory & ALF from '' ALF''; featuring Benji Gregory & ALF from '' ALF'') *1989 - Who Shrunk Saturday Morning? (hosted by cast of '' Saved by the Bell''; featuring cast of '' Saved by the Bell'') *1991 - NBC's World Premiere Cartoon Spectacular

FOX

*1991 -

Preview (This special wasn't aired on television; instead it was discarded and shelved in order to cut costs.) *1999 -

Sneak Preview (hosted by cast of ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series follows a dysfunctional ...

''; featuring cast of ''

'') *2002 - What's Inside the FoxBox? (hosted by cast of ''

Spy Kids ''Spy Kids'' is an American spy family action-adventure comedy franchise created by Robert Rodriguez. The plot follows adventures of Carmen and Juni Cortez, two children who become involved in their parents' espionage organization. The films inc ...

''; featuring cast of ''

'') *2003 - Fight for the FoxBox

The WB

*1995 - ''Welcome Home, Animaniacs!'' - Kids' WB Preview (hosted by Harland Williams; featuring Harland Williams) *1996 - ''Kids' WB! Sneak Peek''

The CW

*2008 - ''

Brand Spankin' New Spectacular Sneak Peek Party'' (hosted by Hudson Horstachio from ''

Viva Piñata ''Viva Piñata'' is a video game franchise created and produced by Xbox Game Studios and Rare. The series' first game, ''Viva Piñata'' (2006), was conceived as a mobile gardening game before Rare was acquired by Microsoft. It was released on ...

; featuring Hudson Horstachio from ''

'') *2010 - ''The CW4Kids Toonzai Friday Fall Preview'' (hosted by

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...

from Sonic X; featuring

from Sonic X)

References

External links

TV: Preview of Saturday Cartoons (1983)
at the '' New York Times'' {{Kids' WB American television specials Children's television series Children's television in the United States Morning Preview special Lists of television series by genre