ABC’s “Battle of the Network Stars” Promises Nostalgic Summer Fun

In its 1970’s heyday, ABC’s Battle of the Network Stars was appointment television. Where else would you see the casts of Charlie’s Angels and CHiPs go head to head on a sports field with Mr. Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) of Welcome Back Kotter and Capt. Apollo (Richard Hatch) of Battlestar Galactica?  Without BOTNS those universes would never have collided.  With the Big Three networks all protective of their properties, the chances of multi-network crossovers were impossible – but this show brought them together. The original series of specials ran for 13 years, and there was a brief resurgence of the concept in 2005 by Bravo, which telecast its own six-episode Battle of the Network Reality Stars.  Now, BOTNS will be back for a 10-episode summer fun run beginning June 29; another component of ABC's expanding Summer Fun and Games franchise.