Reilly Column week of Sept. 7

Sixty years ago this week, on Sept. 8, 1966, to be exact, a new hour-long TV series premiered on NBC. The network didn't really want it. Critics were dismissive. (They even mocked one main character's hairdo.) After the first episode aired, its Neilsen ratings declined precipitously and NBC tried to cancel it after the second season. Meanwhile, it shortchanged the show's budget so badly that the producers had to constantly reuse old sets and costumes.