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Arthur L. Annecharico | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Producer, director, and writer |
| Known for | Television and film production |
Arthur L. Annecharico is a producer, director and writer. He is known for having produced revivals of popular 1960s television series in the 1990s, namelyThe Munsters,Dragnet, andAdam-12.
Annecharico's involvement in the entertainment industry has spanned more than 32 years. His company,The Arthur Company, had a multimillion-dollar partnership withMCA TV for development of new productions across the board in film and television, with more than $40,000,000 in on-the-air commitments in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Before forming The Arthur Company, Annecharico was appointed the head of comedy development forMetromedia Producers Co. and then president of Cinemaworld Productions.[1] On network television, his first credit as a co-creator was for the 1983 CBS TV movieAce Diamond, Private Eye (1983). Shortly after, Annecharico entered into a deal withTurner Broadcasting Systems to develop half-hour sitcoms at one-fourth of the cost of network television programs.
With the development ofDown to Earth (1984-1987), the first sitcom he produced for TBS, Annecharico formed The Arthur Company as his production arm.Down to Earth, which was created byStar Search grand champion singerSam Harris and Bruce H. Newberg, was immediately successful on TBS, and soon, two other sitcoms from The Arthur Company followed on the cable network:Rocky Road (1984-1987), which was created and produced by Annecharico, andSafe at Home (1985-1987).[2]
Aside from these three series, Annecharico had other sitcom pilots in development at TBS, includingThe O'Briens (1985), which starredDarren McGavin as a work-from-home sports journalist and widower raising his three sons, who were played byPeter Billingsley (McGavin's co-star fromA Christmas Story),Sean Astin, andJason Hervey;[3] andHere to Stay (1986), a comedy about a grandfather (Robert Mandan) who moves with his daughter's yuppie family. The cast featuredHeather O'Rourke,Jerry Houser,Dianne Kay, andNanette Fabray. Neither of these projects were picked up as series.
The Arthur Company finished a £28,000,000 order for 271 half-hour sitcom episodes for TBS and a $10,000,000 order for 24 episodes of the hour-long action adventure series,Airwolf, forUSA Network.[4]
Annecharico produced the syndicated sitcomThe Munsters Today (also known asThe New Munsters)[5] for three seasons from 1988 to 1991. The pilot episode bridged the gap between the original 1966The Munsters series and the newThe Munsters Today show.[6] The show's second season was met with some criticism fromMunster fans as Annecharico changed the format of the show's first season and the original series to bring the Munster family into the 1990s. While the show continued to use its original premise, notable changes were made.[6]
In 1989 and 1990, Annecharico produced two 26-episode season revivals of theJack Webb seriesDragnet andAdam-12. These series,The New Dragnet andThe New Adam-12 respectively, had completely different characters, music, and formats from the originalMark VII series, and only ran for a single year each.[5]
Annecharico produced the filmsRun For Blue,The Eagle, andGrains of Sand. In network television, he is credited withWhat a Dummy,The Deepest Dive, andThe Huddle. His writing credits include the featuresCamp Bow Wow,Father Forgive Me, and the television specialTanya.
Annecharico is a three-timeEmmy Award recipient.[7]
Annecharico was the recipient of the 1988Salvation ArmyEvangeline Booth Award;[8] Annecharico also serves on the California Salvation Army Board of Directors.
Annecharico is the recipient of awards of recognition fromMothers Against Drunk Drivers for the donated production of 16 different public service announcements and has been recognized by both the City and County of Los Angeles for his contributions in anti-drunk driving campaigns.[9]