Jerry Golod, Tales From the Darkside producer, dies at 87

Jerry Golod, the network executive turned producer who helped bring Tales From the Darkside to television, has died at 87.

He died on Wednesday at his home in Rancho Mirage following a brief battle with cancer, according to Variety. His daughter, Dori Golod Howell, confirmed the death to The Hollywood Reporter.

Golod was born in the Bronx on Dec. 26, 1938. He graduated from City College of New York before building a career that moved between the control room and the boardroom.

In 1975, he became vice president of children's programmes at CBS. The role put him in charge of what the network ordered and scheduled for young viewers. In 1979, he joined NBC Entertainment as vice president and national program director. That job covered programme planning across the network's stations.

In the early 1980s, Golod set up on his own with JayGee Productions. An independent production company of that kind develops shows and then sells them to networks. Through JayGee, he worked with director Romero and producer Richard P. Rubinstein to bring Tales From the Darkside to television.

The series ran for four seasons. An executive producer credit, the title Golod held on much of his later work, means overseeing both the creative team and the budget and schedule behind a show.

His later executive producer credits included Brass for CBS in 1985. He also executive produced the 1991 revival of Land of the Lost. That return of the earlier family adventure series ran for two seasons.

In 2013, Golod was attached to executive produce a proposed Tales From the Darkside reboot in development at The CW, according to an earlier report in The Hollywood Reporter. A reboot in this sense means a new version of an existing series.

What stands out across those moves is a working life spent on both sides of the commission. He ordered shows as a network executive. Then he made them as an independent producer. His daughter is Dori Golod Howell.