Battle of the Network Stars
In 1976, just a year after Lynda Carter had taken on the role of Wonder Woman, she was asked to appear in a TV special that would act as a precursor to reality TV as we know it today.
Titled Battle of the Network Stars, the special featured stars from all three major television networks of the day; ABC, CBS and NBC.
In it, celebrities like Farrah Fawcett, Jimmie Walker, Melissa Sue Anderson, Grady Demond Wilson and Ron Howard made up teams which represented their respective networks, and competed in a variety of challenges including swimming relays, tennis, golf, an obstacle course and a tug of war.
Fittingly, Lynda’s ABC team won that year, thanks in no small part due to her efforts.
Canceling the Show
Despite Wonder Woman’s success, as well as Lynda Carter’s rising status, in 1978 the show’s producers decided to take it off the air.
After a mere three seasons, Wonder Woman was no more.
“The show was larger than the executives realized at the time,” Carter said in a 2018 interview, explaining why she thought the show’s cancellation was a mistake. “I was getting buckets of fan mail.”
Still, Linda Carter’s role as Wonder Woman was far from over.