This '80s Horror Show Helped Launch An Entire Television Network

The FOX Television Network hit the airwaves back in October of 1986 and quickly gained ground to become the fourth major network alongside the big three: ABC, CBS, and NBC. FOX reached parity in the mid-1990s and even overtook the trio in ratings with younger viewers. It was the first competitive network to challenge the big three after the DuMont network ended in 1956.

By 1987, FOX was pushing hard with original content to help establish itself as an alternative to its peers. Shows like "Married With Children" pushed boundaries, "21 Jump Street" helped build the network's edgy branding, "The Tracey Ullman Show" was comedic gold, and then there was "Werewolf."

"Werewolf" was billed as a horror show, something fresh for the time on network television, as it wasn't an anthology series like many shows with horror elements before it. The show was similar in many ways to "The Incredible Hulk," centering around a man who transforms into a werewolf and spends the series trying to rid himself of the curse. The series was also unique in that it was released in half-hour episodes, something mostly done for comedy programming at the time.

The show centers around Eric Cord (John J. York) on his quest to break the curse of his lycanthropy by killing a grizzled ship's captain known as Janos Skorzeny, the apparent progenitor of his bloodline. Skorzeny was played by athlete turned  film and TV star Chuck Conners in one of his last recurring television roles before his passing in 1992.

Created by Frank Lupo of "The A-Team" and "Hunter" fame, "Werewolf" lasted only a single 29-episode season on the upstart network before being canceled. It was an impressive and innovative show, one that I found myself captivated by upon watching the pilot that's floating around on YouTube.

The series quickly faded into obscurity, overshadowed by FOX shows like "The X-Files." Several attempts were made to release the show on DVD, but these failed due to licensing issues until 2021, when French company Elephant Films secured the rights for a release. Today, there are entire networks dedicated to horror with major streaming sites like Apple even getting in on the fun, but in its early days, FOX was a true pioneer in the genre.