Extreme was an action adventure series starring James Brolin

James Brolin

James Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...

 and centered around a Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

 search and rescue operation.

Debuting on ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 on January 29, 1995, Extreme was the lead-out program which followed the network's coverage of Super Bowl XXIX

Super Bowl XXIX

Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...

. After its low-rated premiere the network put Extreme on hiatus, and canceled the series after seven episodes aired. The final episode aired on April 6, 1995, with six episodes left unaired.

Following the downfall of Extreme, the Big Four networks have largely steered themselves away from premiering new programming after the Super Bowl and have instead chosen to run special episodes of their own programming. After Extreme, it wasn't until Super Bowl XXXIII

Super Bowl XXXIII

Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football...

 that a network elected to premiere a new series following the game; in addition to a special episode of The Simpsons

The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

, Fox aired the premiere episode of Family Guy

Family Guy

Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...

, "Death Has a Shadow

Death Has a Shadow

"Death Has a Shadow" is the first episode of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States after Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999. The episode is based on series creator Seth MacFarlane's original pitch to Fox, The Life of Larry, and is a remake of...

" as part of a 60-minute postgame comedy block. The network did the same thing in 2005, with the premiere of American Dad!

American Dad!

American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...

(created by Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane

Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...

, also the creator of Family Guy) following another Simpsons episode. The most recent series to premiere after the Super Bowl was Undercover Boss

Undercover Boss

Undercover Boss is a television franchise series that has been released in multiple countries, originating in 2009 on the British Channel 4...

, which premiered on CBS following their broadcast of Super Bowl XLIV

Super Bowl XLIV

Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...

.

Characters

• Reese Wheeler (James Brolin
  James Brolin
  James Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...
  
  ), a former downhill racer, is the seasoned leader of the Steep Mountain Rescue Unit. Wheeler is both manager of and father-figure to the group.
• Farley Potts (Tom Wright
  Tom Wright
  Tom Wright may refer to:*Tom Wright , American film and Broadway actor*Tom Wright , Australian actor*Tom Wright , Victorian Football League player...
  
  ), a soft-spoken Vietnam vet and helicopter pilot.
• Kyle Hansen (Cameron Bancroft
  Cameron Bancroft
  Cameron Bancroft , sometimes credited as Cam Bancroft is an actor known for playing Joe Bradley on the TV Series Beverly Hills, 90210. He was on the show from 1995 to 1996....
  
  ), newest member of the team is grappling with the tragic death of his fiancee.
• Lance Monroe (Justin Lazard
  Justin Lazard
  Justin Lazard is an American actor, producer, director, and model.-Early life:Lazard was born in New York, but was raised in Connecticut. His father, Sidney Lazard, is a former foreign correspondent, and his mother, Julie , is a photographer. In 1974, the family relocated to Paris where his father...
  
  ), a suave self-promoter who will stop at nothing to get what he wants