Sept. 13, 2021

This Day in Halloween: Influential cult classic series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" debuts on ABC in 1974. / Illustration by Emily Park

Kolchak: The Night Stalker debuts on ABC in 1974. The show stars Darren McGavin as a newspaper reporter investigating various bizarre and supernatural stories. Though it only ran for a single season, it remains popular in syndication and served as the inspiration for “The X-Files” 20 years later.