Despite Spelling’s reputation as a producer of strictly light fare, he did do some work that could be considered dramatic. He produced Family (1976-80), a drama starring Meredith Baxter Birney and Kristy McNichol about the ups and downs of a middle-class family, Day One (1989), about the making of the atomic bomb, and And the Band Played On (1992), based on Randy Shilts' book about the AIDS crisis.
While Spelling never received much critical acclaim for his work, he seemed to take it all in stride: "The knocks by the critics bother you," Spelling told The Associated Press in a 1986 interview. "But you have a choice of proving yourself to 300 critics or 30 million fans. … I think you're also categorized by the critics. If you do something good they almost don't want to like it."
Aaron Spelling certainly created many shows that will continue to attract fans for years to come. He always seemed to have a sense of what television viewers wanted at a given time. Along with numerous television series, Spelling produced over 140 movies for television and was working on a new series at the time of his death titled Split Decision. He will be sorely missed, but his contributions to the cultural lexicon will live on in reruns and on DVD.
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