Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart (Television Series)

Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart was an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1958 to 1971, again from 1973 to 1978 and 2001 - 2009, it also aired on ABC from 1982 to 1990 and again from 1992 - 2000.

Background
It is the world's longest running situation comedy, airing for a total of 48 seasons and 960 episodes.

Only one cast member appeared in all 960 instalments, comedian Jeffrey O'Donovan played George for the show's entire run, O'Donovan passed away a week after the broadcast of the show's finale, aged 111, at the time he was believed to be the oldest person in the world to hold a regular role on television.

Anna Marie Wallace initially held the record for most appearances by a female, featuring in over 920 episodes from 1958 until her death in 2007 aged 105. But she was surpassed in the show's final season by Louise Trinket, who made her 940th appearance in the show's finale. Trinket was introduced in the show's second season and had appeared in every episode since. Trinket died in October 2011, aged 102.

The series was based on Goodnight, Darlin', a British situation comedy that aired from 1955 to 1985, airing a total of 180 episodes, only 7 of those episodes inspired the American adaptation. The American adaptation was developed by famed television producer Vincent Tangent, who was only 24 at the time. He produced the series for its entire run, NBC initially cancelled the series when Tangent came out as Gay in late 1970, but it was brought back in 1973 after a backlash from viewers and a new executive of NBC was hired. NBC cancelled the series a second time when Tangent quit the network.

Tangent, after years of independent television writing, was hired by ABC in 1982 and he revived the series for a third run, which lasted until 1990. The following year, ABC hired a new head of programming, who ordered a fourth revival of the series, which remained on air until 2000, when Tangent quit the network over a dispute with the network's director about his sexuality. Tangent moved back to NBC, who commissioned the series once again, it remained on air until 2009, when Tangent decided to retire the series due to Jeffrey O'Donovan's ill health.

Tangent married his long time partner Gary Schwartz, who starred on the series from 1968 - 2000, on his 80th birthday in 2014. Shortly afterwards, he confirmed he'd be developing a new sitcom with NBC about an elderly gay couple called Golden Oldies, it premiered during the 2015/16 fall season to critical acclaim and continues to air as of early 2017.