Jerry Golod, ‘Tales From the Darkside’ Producer Who Helped Bring Romero’s Horror to TV, Dies at 87
The longtime television executive and producer also worked on Adderly, Return to Green Acres and the 1990s revival of Land of the Lost.
Jerry Golod, the television executive and producer who helped transform the spirit of George A. Romero’s Creepshow into the cult anthology series Tales From the Darkside, has died at 87.
Golod died Wednesday at his home in Rancho Mirage following a brief battle with cancer, his daughter, Dori Golod Howell, told The Hollywood Reporter.
His career stretched across more than four decades and included senior programming roles at CBS and NBC before he moved into independent production. Along the way, Golod developed projects ranging from horror and adventure series to family television and made-for-TV movies.
How ‘Tales From the Darkside’ came to television
Golod played a key role in getting Tales From the Darkside off the ground after the success of Creepshow, the 1982 horror anthology written by Stephen King and directed by Romero.
Golod approached Romero and producer Richard P. Rubinstein about bringing the film’s distinctive horror-anthology approach to television. Rights issues meant they could not simply turn Creepshow into a television series, but the concept eventually developed into something of its own.
Romero co-wrote the pilot episode, “Trick or Treat,” which was directed by Bob Balaban. Tales From the Darkside premiered in first-run syndication in 1983 and ran for four seasons through 1989.
The series became a cult favorite, featuring stories and scripts connected to writers including King, Harlan Ellison, Clive Barker, Robert Bloch and Michael McDowell.
Golod remained connected to the franchise decades later. In 2013, CBS Television Studios and The CW began developing a new version of Tales From the Darkside, with Golod among the producers alongside Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Joe Hill, King’s son. A pilot was filmed in 2015, although the revival ultimately did not become a series.
From a book character to ‘Adderly’
Another unusual Golod project began with a book.
While reading Elliott Baker’s 1971 novel Pocock and Pitt, Golod became interested in a secondary character named Adderly, an intelligence operative whose injured hand had changed the direction of his career.
That character inspired the television adventure series Adderly, starring Winston Rekert.
Produced in Toronto in association with Orion Television, the series was part of an early effort to produce original dramatic television in Canada at significantly lower costs than comparable Hollywood productions. Adderly ran for two seasons, from 1986 to 1988, airing on CBS in late night as well as during a summer primetime run.
A television career before producing
Golod was born Jerome Golod in the Bronx on Dec. 26, 1938. He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and City College of New York before beginning his professional career at advertising agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample.
By the early 1970s, he had risen to vice president and associate director of programming and also spent three years running a television production company affiliated with the agency.
He joined CBS in 1975 as vice president of children’s programs, overseeing programming that included Captain Kangaroo, CBS Children’s Film Festival, CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People, What’s It All About? and In the News.
His CBS work also included programs that introduced young audiences to institutions and performers including the Alvin Ailey dance company and the New York Philharmonic, with some programs conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.
Golod later took responsibility for primetime variety development before moving to NBC Entertainment in 1979 as vice president and national program director. His NBC responsibilities included daytime and children’s programming, specials, variety and West Coast late-night programming. He remained with NBC through 1980.
Later work included ‘Land of the Lost’ and ‘Return to Green Acres’
Golod continued producing television after his network executive years.
For CBS, he executive produced the 1985 television movie Brass, starring Carroll O’Connor, Lois Nettleton and Vincent Gardenia. He also executive produced the 1990 Return to Green Acres, which reunited Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor with other performers from the classic 1960s sitcom.
In 1991, Golod became an executive producer on a revival of Sid and Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost. The new series introduced a different family of characters to the dinosaur-filled world of the original 1970s children’s program and ran for two seasons.
During the 1990s, he also became involved with the proposed Pet Television Network, serving as co-chairman and co-owner of a cable and satellite service aimed at animal enthusiasts.
Golod is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ruth; their children, Dori and Jason; son-in-law Doug; daughter-in-law Danielle; grandchildren Gavin, Ramey, Morgan and Madison; great-grandsons Everett and Winslow; and numerous nieces and nephews.
His legacy spans network television, independent production and several distinctly different genres, but his connection to Tales From the Darkside remains one of his most recognizable contributions: helping take the creative DNA of a successful horror film and turn it into a television anthology that found an audience of its own.
