Out of the Blue (1979 TV series)
| Out of the Blue | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom/Fantasy |
| Created by |
Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett |
| Written by | Barry Kemp |
| Directed by |
Peter Baldwin Jeff Chambers Duncan Scott McGibbon John Tracy |
| Starring | See: #Cast list |
| Theme music composer | Charles Fox |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 (4 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Austin Kalish Irma Kalish |
| Location(s) | Paramount Studios |
| Editor(s) | C. Cory M. McCrum-Abdo |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Miller-Milkis Productions Paramount Network Television |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 9 – December 16, 1979 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by |
Love, American Style Happy Days |
| Related shows |
Laverne & Shirley Blansky's Beauties Mork & Mindy Joanie Loves Chachi The New Love, American Style |
Out of the Blue is an American fantasy sitcom that aired on ABC during the fall of 1979. It is chiefly notable as having featured a Mork & Mindy crossover, and for the controversy surrounding its status as a spin-off of Happy Days.
The series stars Jimmy Brogan as Random, an angel-in-training who is assigned to live with (and act as guardian angel for) a family and work as a high school teacher. The series aired from September 9 to December 16, 1979. Nine episodes had been aired at the time of cancellation. Some completed material was never broadcast.
Out of the Blue has engendered debate amongst some viewers concerning its precise relationship to Happy Days. The controversy arises from the fact that the first episode of the show was broadcast a little over one week prior to an episode of Happy Days featuring Jimmy Brogan as the character Random. Television observer and owner of Sitcoms Online, Todd Fuller, maintains that because "Chachi Sells His Soul" aired on September 18, 1979, Random's appearance on this Happy Days episode was a crossover. He goes on to postulate: "The Happy Days episode was likely a promotional tool for Out of the Blue to make the character more known."
Thom Holbrook, who has a website devoted to TV crossovers and spin-offs, sees the arguments against calling it a spin-off, but ultimately concludes: "Making it a crossover would be basing things all on an odd bit of scheduling decades ago. The intent was spin off. The tone of the Happy Days episode is that of a dry run on the character, that of a pilot episode."
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