On this day March 16 1981 the groundbreaking sports drama The White Shadow aired its final episode on CBS after three seasons and 54 episodes. The show followed former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves played by Ken Howard who became the head coach of a high school basketball team in an inner-city Los Angeles school.
The White Shadow was praised for tackling social issues such as racism poverty and drug abuse while maintaining strong character development and compelling basketball action. Though it wasn’t a huge ratings success it became a cult favorite and influenced later sports dramas.
80s insight: The White Shadow was one of the first TV series to feature a predominantly African American cast in leading roles helping pave the way for more diverse storytelling in television.