3 Moments of ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Controversy and How They Changed the Show
Gilligan’s Island is a famous classic TV sitcom. From 1964 to 1967, viewers tuned in to CBS to watch the hilarious antics of their favorite castaways. Onscreen the whos provided laughter, but behind the scenes, it was marred in controversy.
Controversy between ‘Gilligan’s Island’ cast members
One major controversy for many TV shows is cast members not getting along, and that’s what happened on the set of Gilligan’s Island. Tina Louise was already an established Hollywood and Broadway star before she took the role of Ginger Grant. As it turns out, Louise was a bigger diva than her character.
According to History Collection, Louise believed she would be the show’s star, not a supporting character. Louise didn’t like playing second fiddle to her castmates and alienated herself from her co-stars behind the scenes. During the show’s first season, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells’ names were missing from the opening credits because of a clause in Louise’s contract.
While the show made Louise a household name, she was unfortunately typecast as Ginger. Louise didn’t reprise her role as Ginger for the film spinoffs, but she did reunite with her castmates for a few TV reunion specials.
‘Gilligan’s Island’ controversy surrounding ‘Gunsmoke’
Gilligan’s Island was a huge success for three seasons for the CBS network. It switched time slots several times throughout the show’s run before settling in on Monday nights at 7:30 pm. After the third season finale, creator Sherwood Schwartz was promised the show would be renewed for a fourth season.
Initially, plans were to cancel the Western drama Gunsmoke in favor of the sitcom. However, CBS President William Paley’s wife was a fan of the Western and demanded it be saved. So the network moved Gunsmoke to the Monday night timeslot and canceled Gilligan’s Island.
‘Gilligan’s Island’ was meant to be political
The beloved classic sitcom provided plenty of wholesome content as the castaways adjusted to life on the island. The group consisted of seven people from different backgrounds, including millionaire Thurston Howell and his wife lovey (Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer). Unbeknownst to fans, the show was designed as a political experiment.
According to Mental Floss, Schwartz came up with the idea in college. A New York professor asked students, “If you were stranded on a desert Island, what one time would you like to have?” Years later, when Schwartz was working as a TV writer, he remembered the question and used it to create Gilligan’s Island.
Schwartz’s premise was to have a group of different individuals work and live together while stranded on an Island. He later explained that the show was “a social microcosm and a metaphorical shaming of world politics in the sense that when necessary for survival, yes, we can get along.”
Schwartz’s political premise for the show made it a timeless classic and earned a spot in TV and pop culture history.
