Jun 2, 2013 6 min read

As we often do on a post-Memorial Day, Pirate-less night, my family was engaged in a minimarathon of old television series. This particular evening we were viewing season two of “Quantum Leap.”

In “A Portrait for Troian,” a housekeeper scurries to another room, trailing off with the words, “I’ve got to redd up the kitchen.” There wasn’t as much as a raised eyebrow by my wife or son, but the puzzled look on the face of series star Scott Bakula was priceless, even after he was told, “She’s from Pennsylvania.”

Donald P. Bellisario was at it again. The Cokeburg native, today best known for producing television’s No. 1 drama, “NCIS,” had imprinted his personality into the proceedings of one of his early shows. While that injection has usually been limited to experiences from his military background, Bellisario once re-created his father’s bar for a “Quantum Leap” episode, a fact he revealed during a 2005 interview with yours truly.

The “redd up” incident later prompted a discussion with a friend on Washington County’s influence on the television industry, one that has often been overshadowed by the area’s preponderance of sports and singing stars.

But since the 1950s, the county has produced three extremely influential television producers and creators: Cokeburg’s Bellisario and Washington’s Bud Yorkin and Abraham Higginbotham. Together, they are responsible for many mold-breaking series in television history. That’s not hometown pride speaking; it’s a fact.

Yorkin, who was born in 1926, first worked on “The Tony Martin Show” and “The (Tennessee Ernie) Ford Show,” admittedly boilerplate variety series. But he found his niche with partner Norman Lear in sitcoms – and changed them forever with “All in the Family,” “Maude,” Good Times,” Sanford and Son” and Yorkin’s own “What’s Happening” and “Carter Country,” among many others.

Bellisario, born nine years after Yorkin, first made his mark with “Magnum P.I.,” “Airwolf,” “Quantum Leap,” “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “Tales of the Gold Monkey,” before sailing in television’s high seas with “JAG” and its spin-off “NCIS.”

Relative newcomer Higginbotham, a Trinity High School graduate born in 1967, has his name on such shows as the highly regarded “Arrested Development,” “Will & Grace,” “Ugly Betty,” “Family Guy” and “Modern Family.”

Like Bellisario, Higginbotham likes to write what he knows. He has used his openly gay lifestyle in many scripts, particularly “Modern Family.” And his series reflect his personal memories as well. “Back to You” (Kelsey Grammer) was set in a Pittsburgh TV station with multiple Pittsburgh references filtered into each episode. Also, a character in his short-lived “Do Not Disturb” was based on a family friend: Washington’s Joyce Ellis.

The week I was to interview Higginbotham was the same week “Do Not Disturb” was axed, so the interview understandably never took place. I was more fortunate with Yorkin, whom I interviewed twice – once at the height of his success in 1973, when “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son” and “Maude” were the No. 1, 2 and 4 shows in America.

Although his politically, racially and sexually charged comedies forever changed the TV landscape, Yorkin said, “I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to do when I lived in Washington, although I used to spend my Saturdays watching movies five or six times at the State and Court theaters.” That experience no doubt triggered an interest in filmmaking.

While Yorkin did make several movies (he is most proud of the cult classic “Start the Revolution Without Me” with Gene Wilder) his forté was setting the traditional sitcom on its ear. In one memorable early “All in the Family” episode, a character is killed at the end of the show, a radical departure for a comedy.

When asked about that daring decision, Yorkin said, “You can incorporate violence into a comedy show if you do it right. Because we know how to do it right, we don’t have to worry about imitators. There will be six or seven similar new shows in the fall like ours, but ours will stay on top. I have enough of an ego to know that we know how to do it right.” Yorkin was correct, of course. When pinpointing the change in TV comedies, historians point to the originators: Yorkin and Lear.

Bellisario’s game-changing status in TV land may not be as dynamic as that of Higginbotham or Yorkin, but he is responsible for three of the longest-running dramas ever: “Magnum P.I.,” “NCIS” and “JAG,” the last of which is well-known for switching its entire format when it moved from NBC to CBS.

I interviewed Bellisario twice in the span of a few years, and in both instances, he lamented the scant publicity given to “JAG.” When I called in early 2005 – just after “JAG” had been axed – I asked what he thought of CBS canceling the long-running series.

“I think ‘NCIS’ is terribly underrated,” Bellisario said without missing a beat.

“Seriously,” Bellisario added, “‘JAG’ could have had a few more good years. But there are 227 episodes. My God, that’s right up there in the hall of fame, the top 20 dramas of all time.

“It still has terrific numbers for a total audience, but the demographics aren’t there, at least not the demographics CBS has been seeking. The average person watching “JAG” is in his mid-50s. CBS wants people watching who are in their mid-30s, so that’s what did it in.”

Oddly enough, one of the current selling points of “NCIS” has been its ability to draw younger audiences even though it is very much considered “an old people’s show.”

Bellisario also objected to CBS promoting the then ratings-challenged “NCIS,” as a “JAG” spin-off, saying it was much closer in content to “Magnum P.I.”

“A couple critics called (‘NCIS’) the most underrated show on TV, and said CBS didn’t promote it correctly,” Bellisario said. “They’re right. ‘NCIS’ has a lot of humor, a mystery and a good twist at the end. I hope people think again about watching it.”

Obviously they have. “NCIS” was this year’s No. 1 drama, and will be returning for its 11th season this fall.

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