Boomer TV: The Monkees debut (1966)

It's fall preview week on the tube. And while we're excited about all the new shows coming up, we can't help but think about fall previews of the past, back when the fall preview of TV Guide was the size of the Manhattan phone book.

For the next two weeks we'll celebrate some notable anniversary premieres, starting today with "The Monkees," which launched 45 years ago this week (Sept. 12, 1966).

Truth be told, back in the day, I thought they were little more than bad Beatles knock-offs. Obviously, a lot of other kids disagreed. I changed my mind as I got older and will happily sing the theme song for you if you ask...