Insight (American TV series)

Insight is an American religious-themed weekly anthology series that aired in syndication from October 1960 to 1983.^[1] Insight holds a unique place in the history of public service television programming.^[2] Produced by Paulist Productions in Los Angeles, it was an anthology series, using an eclectic set of storytelling forms including comedy, melodrama, and fantasy to explore moral dilemmas.

The series was created by Catholic priest Ellwood E. "Bud" Kieser, the founder of Paulist Productions. A member of the Paulist Fathers, an evangelistic Catholic order of priests, he worked in the entertainment community in Hollywood as a priest-producer and occasional host, using television as a vehicle of spiritual enrichment. Many of the episodes of the series were videotaped at Television City Studios and then Metromedia Square.

It is the longest-running religious drama program ever, and the longest-running weekly syndicated program until Soul Train surpassed it in 1996 (only Entertainment Tonight, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! and Extra have had longer runs).

Early episodes were produced at CBS Television City. Some of the very earliest episodes were largely videos of Kieser speaking, similar to Fulton J. Sheen's East Coast program, although even these episodes were interspersed with episodes that were dramatized stories. By the second season, Kieser switched to an anthology series focused solely on dramatized stories; the approach was more humanist, than strictly Catholic. The program slowly began to attract well-known writers, directors, and actors, may of whom donated their services or worked for union scale. Kieser appeared in each episode through the 1960s to discuss the program's theme -- usually after an opening teaser, and again at the program's end. This practice was dropped by the early 1970s, though Kieser remained the show's executive producer throughout its long run, and occasional script writer.

Typically shown on Sunday mornings or late night, the program aired nationally for well over two decades. Often stations aired Insight in order to meet the Federal Communications Commission's public interest standard for broadcast television. In its heyday Insight was played in syndication on over 195 stations. Occasionally it was even broadcast at prime-time in major markets as "holiday specials".^[3]

Actor Patrick McGeehan narrated several episodes. Actress Lola Lane sold the Paulists a property on Pacific Coast Highway that had previously belonged to her late husband, director Roland West.^[4]

The anthology format and the religious nature of the program attracted a wide variety of actors, directors and writers to work on the series, drawn by the show’s reputation for consistently stretching the creative boundaries of television.^[2] In many cases they donated their talents and time.

Offbeat and experimental by design, the series won numerous Emmy Awards and received critical praise for addressing social issues.^[2] Insight was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming in 1972 and 1973, and won the category every year from 1981 to 1984.

In 2003, UCLA Film and Television Archive became custodian of Paulist Productions’ physical inventory of Insight videos and films. "'Insight' represents something that doesn’t exist anymore: faith-based, scripted, quality TV programming, delivered free to television stations for broadcast,” said Father Frank Desiderio, Kieser's successor at Paulist Productions.^[4] Episodes are available for purchase from the Paulist Press.

• Insight at IMDb  "William Shatner wrestles with his soul at 4 AM, and this priest has it on videotape" (Chicago Reader, November 6, 2014)
• The Insight Series on YouTube