A Petrie Dish! Celebrating “The Dick Van Dyke Show”

About this episode

The episode explores the behind-the-scenes challenges and transformations that led to the success of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'.

A classic sitcom can look effortless, but behind the scenes can tell a different story. A failed pilot. A total recast. A “Hail Mary” save from first season cancellation. All true events that happened to one of the benchmarks of classic situation comedy: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" . We follow the legendary sitcom back to its origin story: Carl Reiner’s original pilot, why it didn’t sell, and how Sheldon Leonard helps transform the exact same core idea into one of the most respected comedies in ...

People in this episode

Hosts: Brad Shreve, Tony Maietta

Topics covered

• sitcom history
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
• television production
• comedy
• classic television

Keywords

• Dick Van Dyke
• sitcom
• Carl Reiner
• Sheldon Leonard
• television history
• comedy
• pilot
• recast

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Dick Van Dyke Show

More episodes of Going Hollywood - Movies and Television from the Golden Age to Today

• Vagabond Shoes: "New York, New York" (1977) with Special Guest Brandon Davis · June 10, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Celebrating Marilyn: “Something’s Got to Give” (1962) · June 3, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Race Relations: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) · May 27, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Miss Independence: "That Girl" (ABC, 1966-1971) · May 20, 2026 · 1h 26m
• Daughter Dearest: “Mildred Pierce” (1945) · May 13, 2026 · 52 min
• “The Trip To Bountiful”(1985) with Special Guest Del Shores · May 6, 2026 · 55 min