NBC had a big problem in the ’70s; TV audiences wanted to spend their days — happy or otherwise — with a completely different network. Two separate ABC properties, “Happy Days” and “Laverne & Shirley,” were already leaving their marks as the <a href="https://www.tvline.com/2080481/tv-shows-70s-defined-decade/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>defining TV shows of the ’70s, starting 1976 as the first and second most viewed shows in America, respectively. What was a network to do in the face of this complete ratings blowout?
NBC’s answer was “Cliffhangers,” an ambitious, Kenneth Johnson-created program that promised “three continuing, action-packed stories in one show” in its promo. Inspired by classic Hollywood serials, each episode of the series, which premiered February 1979, added a new chapter to its trio of unrelated narratives: “The Curse of Dracula” was a classic vampire TV show that saw Dracula working as a college professor, “Stop Susan Williams” followed a journalist unraveling a sinister international plot, and “The Secret Empire” was a tale of cowboys and aliens. “How do you go up against ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ two of ABC’s biggest winners?” then-NBC executive Myron “Mike” Weinblatt asked in a 1978 New York Times report about the network’s upcoming slate. “We decided to go after the same audience — the youngsters and older people — because the ABC shows are now five years old.”
Unfortunately for NBC, the powers of Dracula, Susan Williams, and sci-fi buckaroos combined were not enough to stop ABC’s juggernauts. “Cliffhangers” was canceled in May 1979 after a mere 10 episodes.
Cliffhangers’ vampire and journalist storylines found new life as TV movies
Critics did not care for “Cliffhangers.” A 1979 New York Times review, for example, laid into the show for being significantly more asinine than its promos let on. Despite these jeers, however, NBC still had a treat for fans dying to know if the show’s storylines would land on their feet.
In 1979, both the series’ “The Curse of Dracula” and “Stop Susan Williams” segments were reconfigured into standalone TV movies, titled “The World of Dracula” and “The Girl Who Saved the World” respectively. The movies, unlike the show, didn’t force viewers to sit through storylines they were less interested in to get to the ones they actually cared about. “The World of Dracula” starred “Flashdance” actor Michael Nouri as the titular count, while “The Girl Who Saved the World” starred Susan Anton as the journalist-hero.
“The most daunting part about playing Dracula was that we filmed only at night,” Nouri said in a March appearance on the podcast “Harvey Brownstone Interviews…” He continued, “I looked at the call sheet, and I realized, [it said] ‘Report to set at 5 p.m.’ And we would wrap at 5 a.m. Other than that, it was a wonderful experience.”
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