It started with "All in the Family" at 8, followed by "MASH," "Mary Tyler Moore," "Bob Newhart" and finally "Carol Burnett." It might have been the best night of TV, start to finish, in history. If not, it's on the very short list.
Times change. Saturday nights are now sports, news magazines, and "repurposed" shows. We will never see a line up, like the one CBS offered, ever again.
Speaking of Tim Conway, a TV critic offered a conspiracy theory the other day. Like a lot of people, I watched Carol Burnett just to see if Harvey Korman would keep a straight face during sketches with Conway. He rarely did, and that was part of the fun. The critic theorized that because Korman knew what lines and moves were coming through rehearsals, his break ups were staged.
It's possible. I like to think Korman's reactions were sincere. Korman and Conway are both gone. I doubt remaining living members of the cast will spill the beans, and I hope they never do.
