Accidental Family

[1] The program consistently lost in the Nielsen ratings to both the CBS Friday Night Movies and the ABC Western The Guns of Will Sonnett, and as a result was cancelled midseason.By October 13 — the airdate of the fourth episode — Van Dyke was already declaring defeat in the Arizona Daily Star.When he was on the road, Sandy was under the care of the farm's manager, divorcee Sue Kramer (Lois Nettleton), who had a daughter the same age as Webster's son.It had a low-key, slapstick humor; a touching but non-cloying evolvement of the father-son relationship; some clever, knowing conversations between the two adults, both in the same marital and parental boat; it had an almost hip quality."The piece also said, "It was different in several ways from the current crop of comedies — it didn't hang itself on a gimmick — no witches with twitches, no defrosted ancestors, no broadly slapstick broads-in-law.
SitcomMelville ShavelsonJerry Van DykeLois NettletonEarle HagenSheldon LeonardSy GombergMulti-camera1967–68 U.S. television seasondocumentariesnot considered an auspicious timeslotNielsen ratingsWesternThe Guns of Will Sonnettgame showHollywood SquaresArizona Daily StarcomedianSan Fernando ValleyLas VegasPasadena Star-Newswitches with twitchesdefrosted ancestorsbroadly slapstick broads-in-lawApril 1968Dick Van DykeTeddy QuinnLarry D. MannBen BlueBob SweeneyJames L. BrooksMary LoosSaul TurtletaubEarl BellamyPerry GrantPhiladelphia InquirerThe Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows