Jerry Golod, Creators of ‘Tales From the Darkside,’ Dies at 87

Jerry Golod, the television producer and former CBS and NBC executive behind “Tales From the Darkside” and other series, has died at 87.

Golod passed away on Wednesday at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, following a brief battle with cancer, according to Variety.

Throughout a distinguished career, Golod served as an executive at both CBS and NBC. In the early 1980s, he established JayGee Productions. Inspired by the success of Stephen King’s 1982 film “Creepshow,” he partnered with director George Romero and producer Richard P. Rubinstein to adapt the concept for television. Their collaboration resulted in “Tales From the Darkside,” which aired for four seasons and developed a significant cult following.

Before his producing work, Golod held several high-profile roles in network television. In 1975, he became vice president of children’s programs at CBS. Two years later, he moved to NBC Entertainment as vice president and national program director, where he supervised daytime and children’s programming, specials, variety shows, and West Coast late-night content.

Golod also contributed to the development of “Adderly,” an adventure series starring Winston Rekert that ran for two seasons on CBS. He was inspired to pursue the project after reading Elliott Baker’s 1971 novel “Pocock and Pitt” and becoming interested in the secondary character of the same name.

His producing credits include the 1985 CBS drama “Brass,” the 1991 revival of “Land of the Lost,” and “Return to Green Acres,” which brought back cast members from the 1960s sitcom. He also worked with CBS Television Studios and The CW in 2015 to develop a revival of “Tales From the Darkside,” although the project stalled after a pilot was filmed.

Born in the Bronx on December 26, 1938, Golod graduated from City College of New York. He began his career at the advertising agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, eventually becoming vice president and associate director of programming. He also spent three years overseeing a television production company affiliated with the agency.

In the 1990s, he served as co-chairman and co-owner of Pet Television Network, a cable and satellite service targeting animal enthusiasts.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ruth; their children, Dori and Jason; son-in-law Doug; daughter-in-law Danielle; grandchildren Gavin, Ramey, Morgan, and Madison; great-grandsons Everett and Winslow; and nieces and nephews Jill, David, Elise, Renee, Celia, Ari, and Ava.