Oklahoma native James Garner among featured TV stars in PBS’ “Pioneers of Television” series

James Garner, actor (Original photo has library stamp of 02/05/58, ran 09/14/58 E, 09/01/57, 02/16/58)

Just a reminder: PBS’ “Pioneers of Television” returns for a second season from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays from Jan. 18 through Feb. 8.

Oklahoma native James Garner, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Angie Dickinson, Bill Cosby, Robert Culp, Stefanie Powers, Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Robert Conrad, Linda Evans, Mike Connors, Fess Parker and writer Stephen J. Cannell are among those interviewed for the series.

The four-part series, narrated by Kelsey Grammer, takes viewers behind the scenes for a look at the inception of four of the most popular genres in television: science fiction, westerns, crime dramas and local kids’ TV, according to a PBS news release.

“Pioneers of Television” employs new interviews with legendary stars, along with never-before-seen images and timeless footage that is still entertaining decades later.

PBS provided the following descriptions of each hour-long “Pioneers of Television” episode:

“SCIENCE FICTION” (7 p.m., Tuesday, January 18): 
Storytellers Gene Roddenberry, Irwin Allen and Rod Serling created the
storylines and characters behind the best-loved futuristic television of
their time. But as Roddenberry’s “Star Trek” competed for ratings with
Allen’s “Lost in Space,” each show’s creator aimed for a very different
direction. This episode explores how Roddenberry and Serling (of “The
Twilight Zone”) used the future as a stage for modern morality plays,
and William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols and other
science-fiction stars describe how they prepared to interact on-camera
with a malevolent alien force… or, perhaps, a giant radish.

“WESTERNS” (7 p.m., Tuesday, January 25):
 Known everywhere as the quintessential American cultural identity,
westerns filled small screens across the country night after night and
were some of the most successful television shows in history. Fess
Parker’s portrayal of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett channeled the
bravery, independence, honesty and rugged individualism of a young
nation — and made Walt Disney enough money to build an empire. Westerns
introduced James Garner, who starred in the television hit “Maverick,”
where he developed the reluctant hero character that would cement his
successful TV and film career. Garner, in his only recent interview, and
Parker tell their stories, and Linda Evans recalls how two strong female
characters emerged with her onscreen interaction with Barbara Stanwyck
in “The Big Valley.”  This episode also examines the success of Robert
Conrad in “The Wild Wild West,” the popularity of “Bonanza” and the
creation of the classic series “Gunsmoke” with James Arness — one of
the longest-running television series of all time.