Gilligan's Island is an American
sitcom created and produced by
Sherwood Schwartz via
United Artists Television. The show had an
ensemble cast that featured
Bob Denver,
Alan Hale, Jr.,
Jim Backus,
Natalie Schafer,
Russell Johnson,
Tina Louise, and
Dawn Wells. It aired for three seasons on the
CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967. Originally sponsored by
Philip Morris & Co and
Procter & Gamble, the show followed the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempted to survive the island on which they had been shipwrecked. Most episodes revolve around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their unsuccessful attempts, for whose failure Gilligan was frequently responsible, to escape their plight.