The show takes place in the fictional Hotel Baltimore in
Baltimore, Maryland, and draws its title from the cheap establishment's
neon marquee which has a burned-out letter "E". The half-hour series premiered January 24, 1975, and was produced by
Norman Lear for
ABC. It was the first Lear property to air on ABC. The series had several controversial elements, including two primary characters who were
prostitutes, one of whom was an
illegal immigrant, and one of the first
gay couples to be depicted on an American television series. Because of the subject matter, the show was the first ABC network show to have a warning at its opening, cautioning viewers about mature themes. (
All in the Family, also produced by Lear, ran a similar disclaimer when it debuted in 1971 on CBS, but ceased doing so with its second telecast.) The network supported the show and gave it a full publicity campaign, but it failed to win an audience and was canceled after 13 episodes. Its last telecast was June 6, 1975. This series is notable as the first failure for Lear after a streak of mega-hit TV series, beginning with
All in the Family (1971) and continuing with
Sanford and Son (1972),
Maude (1972),
Good Times (1974), and
The Jeffersons (1975), the last of which premiered six days before this show. It finished the season in 69th place out of 84 shows with an average 14.7 rating. ==Cast==