September 7 (1978-09-07) – October 6, 1978 (1978-10-06)
Joe Namath (top center) and The Waverly Wonders
The Waverly Wonders is an American sitcom starring Joe Namath that aired Fridays at 8:00 pm on NBC from September 7 to October 6, 1978.
Premise
Conceived as a vehicle for Namath (who had retired from the Los Angeles Rams after the 1977 NFL season), the show focused on the misadventures of Joe Casey, a washed-up professional basketball player who now teaches history at Waverly High School (in Eastville, Wisconsin) and coached the school's basketball team, the Waverly Wonders.
Casey wasn't much of a teacher (he knew nothing about history) and his team wasn't much on the court (they hadn't won a game in three years); about the only decent player they had was a girl, Connie (Kim Lankford). Other "Wonders" included Tate (Charles Bloom), Faguzzi (Joshua Greenrock) and Parks (Tierre Turner). Ben Piazza co-starred as stodgy former coach George Benton, who served as a foil to Casey.
Story by : Roger Garrett & Sally Wade Teleplay by : Deborah Zoe Dawson & Victoria Johns
October 6, 1978 (1978-10-06)
5
"Joe Checks Out the Librarian"
Dick Martin
Alvin Eisenstock & Larry Mintz
N/A
6
"The Kiss"
Dick Martin
Story by : Stephen Neigher Teleplay by : Dennis Koenig, Thad Mumford, John Rappaport and Dan Wilcox
N/A
7
"Joe Goes to Press"
Dick Martin
Deborah Zoe Dawson & Victoria Johns
N/A
8
"The Revolution"
Dick Martin
Jim Rogers
N/A
9
"Mock Marriage"
Dick Martin
Story by : Brook Smith Teleplay by : Brook Smith and Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox
N/A
Ratings
Up against Donny and Marie on ABC and Wonder Woman on CBS, The Waverly Wonders drew poor ratings. A total of nine episodes were produced. However, only three were shown from September 22 through October 6, 1978.[1][2][3] Less than two months after The Waverly Wonders failed, a new show with a similar premise -- The White Shadow—started its three-year run as a 60-minute comedy-drama on CBS. Meanwhile, at NBC, its time slot was replaced by a more successful TV series, Diff'rent Strokes, which in its first year, got to Number 27 of 114 prime time shows that year.
Namath never starred in another TV series, although he did do guest spots on such programs as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.
^McNeil, Alex. Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. 4th ed. New York: Penguin, 1996.
^(subscription required) (4 October 1978). ABC Racks Winnings In Latest Nielsens, Fort Walton Beach Playground Daily News (Associated Press) (The show was in the basement of the Nielsen rating for the week of September 25-October 1, 1978: "The six programs at the bottom of the ratings were new this season — NBC’s "Waverly Wonders” and CBS' "American Girls,” tied for 62nd")
^(subscription required) Hanauer, Joan (12 October 1978). NBC juggles lineup as ratings booster, Salina Journal (Associated Press) (episode which aired the week of October 2–8, 1978 was the fourth-least watched prime time program of the week)
