The Untouchables, which debuted in 1959 and starred Robert Stack, was the most violent television show of its time. It became the target of more protests from viewers than any other regular TV series. To this day, it is the only TV program ever boycotted by mobsters over unfair treatment.

When the irrepressible host of the Howdy Doody show was incapacitated by a heart attack during the show's 1954-55 television season, the puppet's best pal was replaced by Bison Bill, Buffalo Bob's brother. He was portrayed by Ted Brown, who went on to become a leading New York City disc jockey.

The first toilet ever seen on television was on "Leave It To Beaver".

Producing an animated television program is a laborious process, involving dozens of people working hundreds of hours. In traditional animation, still the standard for animated TV shows, every single frame of an animated show must be drawn by hand. The 20 or so minutes of actual footage that make up a typical half-hour program consists of around 30,000 separate frames.

During the 1966 telecast of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Ronald McDonald, the fast-food chain's new mascot, made his first-ever national television appearance. A hot air balloon of Ronald appeared in the 1987 parade.

Playtex International made U.S. history in May 1987 when TV networks began airing its commercials showing women wearing bras. Prior to this, torso mannequins were usually used, or female models could don brassiers provided the undergarments were worn on top of the models' clothing.

The first TV remote control, called "Lazy Bones," was developed in 1950 by Zenith Electronics Corporation (then known as Zenith Radio Corporation). Lazy Bones used a cable that ran from the TV set to the viewer. A motor in the TV set operated the tuner through the remote control. Although customers liked having remote control of their television, they complained that people tripped over the unsightly cable that meandered across the living room floor.

The WB is planning to capitalize on the new popularity of an old show. The Gong Show will air again in a new series that showcased the worst talent, not the best. Chuck Barris was the original host and creator, but sold the rights to the show years ago and will have nothing to do with the new show...

The running time of the average American TV sitcom, with its commercials removed, is 22 minutes.

The first television sitcom couple to ever share the same bed on a regular basis was Lily and Herman Munster.

The Andy Griffth Show was the first spin-off in TV history. It was a spin-off of the Danny Thomas Show.

Of the top 100 watched television shows in history, 18 of them were episodes of 'The Beverly Hillbillys'.

Before he became a home-repair guru on U.S. television, Bob Vila was a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama.

In most of the television milk commercials, a mixture of white paint with a little thinner is used instead of milk.

Gene Barry was originally offered the role of accused murderer Dr. Richard Kimble in the 1960s TV drama The Fugitive, but turned it down for fear of being negatively influenced by the character every week: "He was played very furtively. I thought I had to be more outward." Barry later chose to do Burke's Law, which ran from 1963-1966 and was revived in 1993. David Janssen was selected to play Dr. Kimble, and The Fugitive ran (literally) for four strong seasons.