Editing That's Incredible!

{{Short description|American reality television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = That s incredible 1980-show.jpg
| caption              = John Davidson (left), Cathy Lee Crosby (middle) and Fran Tarkenton (right); from ABC promotional photography.
| genre                = [[Reality television|Reality]]
| creator              = [[Alan Landsburg Productions]]
| director             = 
| creative_director    = 
| developer            = 
| presenter            = [[John Davidson (entertainer)|John Davidson]]<br>[[Fran Tarkenton]]<br>[[Cathy Lee Crosby]]
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 5
| num_episodes         = 
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = [[Alan Landsburg]]
| editor               = 
| location             = 
| cinematography       = 
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 60 minutes
| network              = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| company              = [[Alan Landsburg Productions]]
| first_aired          = {{start date|1980|3|3}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|1984|4|30}}
| related              = [[#Revival|''Incredible Sunday'']]
}}

'''''That's Incredible!''''' is an American [[reality television]] show that aired on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television network from 1980 to 1984. In the tradition of ''[[You Asked for It]]'', ''[[List of Ripley's Believe It or Not! TV series|Ripley's Believe It or Not!]]'' and ''[[Real People (TV program)|Real People]]'', the show featured people performing stunts and reenactments of allegedly [[paranormal]] events. The show also often featured people with unusual talents, such as speed-talker [[John Moschitta Jr.]], who made his first national television appearance on the show, as well as scientific, medical, and technological breakthroughs such as the [[Taser]] and cryogenic corneal reshaping by lathe [[keratomileusis]]. The show's catchphrase said by one of its hosts at the conclusion of a particularly amazing segment was the same as its title: "That's incredible!"

Despite accusations of being "sadistic",<ref name="brooks1">{{cite book |first1=Tim |last1=Brooks |first2=Earle |last2=Marsh |year=2007 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present |edition=9 |location=New York |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |title-link=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22That's+Incredible!+Documentary%22&pg=PA1373 pp.&nbsp;1373-1374] {{access-date|2024-10-24}}</ref> the series was a huge success and influenced many entertainers.

==Synopsis==
The show was co-hosted by [[Fran Tarkenton]], [[John Davidson (entertainer)|John Davidson]] and [[Cathy Lee Crosby]], and was produced by [[Alan Landsburg Productions]]. Originally aired as an hour-long program, episodes were later re-edited into 30-minute segments for [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]]. It debuted on March 3, 1980.<ref name="onerev">Smith, Fred L. (3 March 1980). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2506&dat=19800303&id=entJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gAsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1347,751823 TV Talk: "That's Incredible!" Starts Tonight; A Step Backwards], ''News & Courier''</ref>

A number of the stunts performed were dangerous, including juggling knives, staying inside a small box for hours, and one involving a man supposedly [[Bullet catch|catching a bullet]] between his teeth. The dangerous nature of these stunts eventually prompted producers to augment the footage with the caption "Do Not Try This Yourself". [[Steve Baker (illusionist)|Steve Baker]], also known as "Mr. Escape", was frequently featured on the show.

In 1980, [[Tiger Woods]] appeared on the show at the age of 5, displaying his ability to putt a golf ball into a hole from different areas.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/kfTY5xUFaJs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120405011514/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfTY5xUFaJs&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Fran Tarkenton and Tiger Woods |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfTY5xUFaJs |website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Nielsen ratings==
The show ranked in the top 30 for its first four seasons, and ranked at #3 during its first season, but fell out of the top 50 during its final season.

# 1979&ndash;80: #3 (25.8 rating)
# 1980&ndash;81: #22 (20.5 rating)
# 1981&ndash;82: #28 (18.4 rating)
# 1982&ndash;83: #22 (18.3 rating)
# 1983&ndash;84: #58 (14.6 rating)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/03/1983-84-ratings-history.html|title=The TV Ratings Guide: 1983-84 Ratings History}}</ref>

==Spin-off==
''Those Amazing Animals'' is a [[reality television series]] about animals and their extraordinary lives. It was hosted by [[Burgess Meredith]], [[Jim Stafford]] and [[Priscilla Presley]]. Also appearing were explorer [[Jacques-Yves Cousteau]], undersea photographers [[Ron Taylor (diver)|Ron]] and [[Valerie Taylor (diver)|Valerie Taylor]], and [[Joan Embery]] of the [[San Diego Zoo]]. The series aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] on Sunday nights from August 24, 1980, to August 23, 1981.<ref name="brooks2">{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Those+Amazing+Animals+Animals%22&pg=PA1386 |date=2007 |publisher=The Ballantine Publishing Group |location=New York |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |pages=1386–1387 |edition=9th}}</ref>

==Revival==
''That's Incredible!'' was revived for the [[1988–89 United States network television schedule|1988–89 season]], hosted by Davidson, [[Cristina Ferrare]] and [[Tracey Gold]], as ''Incredible Sunday''.

==Syndication==
The show was seen weekends on [[Retro Television Network]]. It was also broadcast overseas in Australia and New Zealand.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0080291|title=That's Incredible!}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0094485|title=Incredible Sunday}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0080293|title=Those Amazing Animals}}

[[Category:American Broadcasting Company reality television shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Alan Landsburg Productions]]
[[Category:1980s American reality television series]]
[[Category:1980 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1984 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]