Insight (TV series)
Insight is an American religious-themed weekly anthology series that aired in syndication from October 1960 to January 1985. Produced by Paulist Productions in Los Angeles, the series presented half-hour dramas illuminating the contemporary search for meaning, freedom, and love. Insight was an anthology series, using an eclectic set of storytelling forms including comedy, melodrama, and fantasy to explore moral dilemmas.
Insight | |
---|---|
Genre | Anthology |
Created by | Fr. Ellwood Kieser CSP |
Written by | Various, including:
|
Directed by | Various |
Presented by | Fr. Ellwood Kieser CSP |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 23 |
No. of episodes | 250 |
Production | |
Camera setup | multiple-camera |
Running time | 22-24 mins. |
Production company | Paulist Productions |
Release | |
Original network | Syndication |
Picture format | Black-and-white; Color |
Audio format | Monaural |
Original release | October 2, 1960 – January 21, 1985 |
The series was created by Catholic priest Ellwood E. "Bud" Kieser, the founder of Paulist Productions. A member of the Paulist Fathers, an evangelistic Catholic order of priests, he worked in the entertainment community in Hollywood as a priest-producer and occasional host, using television as a vehicle of spiritual enrichment. Many of the episodes of the series were videotaped at Television City Studios and then Metromedia Square.
It was the longest-running syndicated weekly show until Soul Train took over in 1996, and ran until 2008 (only Entertainment Tonight is longer). It is also the longest-running religious drama program ever.
Overview
In the United States the series was typically shown on Sunday mornings or late night. Often stations aired Insight in order to meet the Federal Communications Commission's public interest standard for broadcast television. Several episodes are available for purchase from the Paulist Press.
Contributing artists
The anthology format and the religious nature of the program attracted a wide variety of actors, directors and writers to work on the series. In many cases they donated their talents and time.
Actors
- Jack Albertson
- Elizabeth Ashley
- Ed Asner
- John Astin
- Diane Baker
- Billy Barty
- Ed Begley
- Ed Begley, Jr.
- Carl Betz
- Bill Bixby
- Tom Bosley
- Beau Bridges
- Albert Brooks
- Gary Burghoff
- Carol Burnett
- Michael Burns (six episodes)
- Joseph Campanella
- Elisha Cook Jr.
- Robert Culp
- Ann B. Davis
- Laura Dern
- Ivan Dixon
- James Doohan
- Patty Duke
- Irene Dunne
- Wesley Eure
- Marty Feldman
- Norman Fell
- Peter Fonda
- John Forsythe
- Anne Francis
- Vincent Gardenia
- Beverly Garland
- Frank Gorshin
- Louis Gossett Jr.
- Harold Gould
- Mark Hamill
- Barbara Hale
- Jonathan Harris
- Bob Hastings
- Celeste Holm
- Ron Howard
- Jeffrey Hunter
- Ann Jillian
- Brian Keith
- Ricky Kelman
- Jack Klugman
- Robert Lansing
- Michael Learned
- June Lockhart
- Randolph Mantooth
- William Marshall
- Nan Martin
- Raymond Massey
- Walter Matthau
- Maureen McCormick
- Vera Miles
- Roger Mobley
- Ricardo Montalban
- Juanita Moore
- Greg Morris
- Bill Mumy
- Bob Newhart
- Nichelle Nichols
- Carroll O'Connor
- Alan Oppenheimer
- Eve Plumb
- John Ritter
- Marion Ross
- William Shatner
- Michael Shea
- Martin Sheen
- Henry Silva
- Ann Sothern
- James Stacy
- Guy Stockwell
- Barry Sullivan
- Meg Tilly
- Cicely Tyson
- Dick Van Patten
- Cindy Williams
- Flip Wilson
- William Windom
- Deborah Winters
- Jane Wyman
- Keenan Wynn
- Dick York
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Directors
- Lew V. Adams
- Richard C. Bennett
- Richard Beymer
- Robert Butler
- Hal Cooper
- Marc Daniels
- Linda Day
- Mel Ferber
- Arthur Hiller
- Lamont Johnson
- Buzz Kulik
- Norman Lloyd
- John Meredyth Lucas
- Delbert Mann
- John Newland
- Daniel Petrie
- Ted Post
- Michael Ray Rhodes
- Seymour Robbie
- Jay Sandrich,
- Ralph Senesky
- Jack Shea
- Paul Stanley
Writers
- Bernard Abbene
- Michael Crichton
- John T. Dugan
- Harry Julian Fink
- Jack Hanrahan
- Fr. Ellwood Kieser CSP
- John Meredyth Lucas
- Lan O'Kun
- William P. McGivern
- John McGreevey
- James E. Moser
- Gilbert Ralston
- Michael Ray Rhodes
- Rod Serling
- Terrance Sweeney
- E. Sarsfield Waters
- Stanford Whitmore
- John Rester Zodrow
Awards and nominations
Insight was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming in 1972 and 1973, and won the category every year from 1981 to 1984.
External links
- Insight at IMDb
- Insight's channel on YouTube
- Official website
- Paulist Productions
- "William Shatner wrestles with his soul at 4 AM, and this priest has it on videotape" (Chicago Reader, November 6, 2014)
- Insight at CVTA with episode list
- https://www.wotape.com/@Insight_2018 Insight - religious TV drama series at Wotape
- Insight - TV series at tilda.ws
- Insight on Facebook