Mr. Dugan

[1] In early 1978, producer Norman Lear felt his long-running comedy Maude was getting stale, so he decided to enliven things by moving the show to Washington, D.C., and making the title character a congresswoman.

Lear, however, still believed in the concept and filmed a new pilot titled Onward and Upward, with essentially the same script and cast—except with John Amos (as a black former professional football star running for the United States Congress) replacing Arthur.

Creative differences between Amos (who had co-starred in Lear's Good Times) and the producers led to the actor bowing out; the show was renamed Mr. Dooley and finally Mr. Dugan.

Cleavon Little (best known as the sheriff in the classic movie comedy Blazing Saddles) was hired as the title character, a fledgling black congressman.

Mr. Dugan had been scheduled for a March 11, 1979, premiere, and was heavily promoted by CBS, complete with ads and listings in TV Guide and other publications.