Poor Little Lambs: The Baa Baa Black Sheep Story

On Tuesday, September 21, 1976, the pilot episode “Flying Misfits” of the series that became Baa Baa Black Sheep, premiered on NBC at 9pm. President of Universal Television Frank Price had obtained the rights to legendary World War Two hero Gregory “Pappy” Boyington’s memoirs, and tasked up-and-coming writer Stephen Cannell to write a script for the two-hour pilot action thriller. Test audiences liked what they saw, and with the studio behind it, the first series was commissioned.

Even before it aired, however, the series seemed doomed to failure. Unsure where to place it in the television listings, the series provoked outrage for its storylines and visual content, which appeared to promote bad language, drinking, and womanising in an era that hadn’t yet defined the parameters of acceptable viewing. Its target audience, however, loved it for the unrivalled and dramatic sequences that featured thrilling and dynamic aerial footage of World War Two aircraft in action. Baa Baa Black Sheep broke new ground and polarized audiences but eventually succumbed to the ratings war. Decades later, the series resurfaced following an article by author Stephen Chapis that featured on the internet.

Decades after it first aired, the series that caused controversy in so many ways has reached new audiences and attained iconic status. Stephen Chapis has spent 15 years researching the series, scouring newspaper and magazine features and conducted dozens of interviews with executives, writers, producers, directors, actors, and pilots who worked on the series. The result is the most in-depth look at Baa Baa Black Sheep, a series that survived a tumultuous era in television history to become a cult classic almost 50 years after it went off the air.