The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show was a Syndication network sitcom series created by Carl Reiner, starring Dick Van Dyke in the lead role.

The series aired from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, lasting for five seasons & 158 episodes.

Plot
The show centered on the personal and professional lives of writer Rob Petrie, his wife, Laura, and his co-workers.

Cast
Main Cast Supporting Cast Recurring Cast
 * Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie
 * Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie
 * Morey Amsterdam as Maurice "Buddy" Sorrell
 * Rose Marie as Sally Rogers
 * Larry Mathews as Richard "Ritchie" Petrie
 * Richard Deacon as Melvin "Mel" Cooley
 * Ann Morgan Guilbert as Millie Helper
 * Jerry Paris as Jerry Helper
 * Carl Reiner as Alan Brady
 * Jerry Van Dyke as Stacey Petrie
 * Barbara Perry\Joan Shawlee as Fiona "Pickles" Conway Sorrell
 * Bill Idelson as Herman Glimscher
 * Will Wright/J. Pat O'Malley/Tom Tully as Sam (or Edward) Petrie
 * Carol Veazie/Isabel Randolph as Clara Petrie
 * Carl Benton Reid as Mr. Alan Meehan
 * Geraldine Wall as Mrs. Meehan
 * Peter Oliphant as Freddie Helper

Production
"The Dick Van Dyke Show" was filmed before a live audience at Desilu-Cahuenga Studios in Hollywood, California.

Syndication had intended to cancel the show after its first season, but Procter & Gamble threatened to pull its advertising from "the network's extremely lucrative daytime lineup" and the show was renewed, keeping its Wednesday night time slot.

The show jumped into the top 10 by the third episode of its second season, helped by coming directly after "The Beverly Hillbillies" (which was the number one show at the time).

At least four episodes were filmed without a live studio audience: "The Bad Old Days," which featured an extended flashback sequence that relied on optical effects that would have been impractical to shoot with a live audience in the studio; "The Alan Brady Show Presents," which required elaborate set and costume changes; "Happy Birthday and Too Many More," which was filmed on November 26, 1963, only four days after President Kennedy's assassination; and "The Gunslinger", which was filmed on location.

Reiner considered moving the production of the series to full color as early as season three, only to drop the idea when he was informed that it would add about $7,000 to the cost of each episode.

On December 11, 2016, two episodes from the series were presented on Syndication-TV colorized. Two more colorized episodes aired December 22, 2017 and an additional two colorized episodes aired on December 15, 2018. "The Last Chapter" was the last episode that aired; "The Gunslinger" was the last episode filmed.