It debuted on 1/6/1975 / THU 11-19-20 / Peaceful rustic scene / Long-running TV series set in Las Vegas / ADA compliance option / Noted retiree of '03 / Country that has no rivers / Memorable hurricane of 2017 / People who are tight in modern lingo / Room opposite kitchen on Clue board

I took one look at that "MRVGR-" combo up top, then I took another look at it, then I realized, "nope, those letters are all solid, something weird is clearly going on with the theme." Then, since the MRVGR- clue referred to 55-Across, I looked at 55-Across, and though the date didn't tell me much, the fact that I was dealing with a "creator" and a "debut" told me a TV show was involved, and Merv Griffin came right to mind (I wonder if younger people are as familiar with his name as I am. He had his own afternoon talk show when I was a kid). And that was that. You've got that vowel question as your anchor. The concept here is cute, but in the end the theme is something of a miss, first because I was basically done before I began, which made filling in most of the other themers a rote exercise. But the bigger problem is the phrasing of the question. Really feels like "I'D LIKE TO BUY A VOWEL" is the phrase that people say. Really really feels that way. Here, the phrase has been fudged into a question, purely for structural reasons (so it can be 13 letters long and sit dead center, and so the "N" and "W" can sit in positions that allow for the symmetrical crosses (MRVGRFFN, WHLFFRTN). Over before it began, and *clank* on the marquee answer. OK idea, iffy execution.

Only a couple trouble spots. Weirdly, the answer that fought me the most was SEEDBED (25A: Groundwork of a plant manager?). Had -EED- and went for WEEDING. Then, later, WEEDBED (!?). Is a SEEDBED just an area that has been recently seeded? Oh, I see that it's the ground that has been prepared for seeding. Ok. I have heard the term. But I still like WEEDING, which is definitely work that a "plant manager" does, and it's a word in common use. No idea who the NEAL actor was, though looking at pictures, I've seen him in things a bunch. He's basically the "hey, *that* guy" of contemporary TV (I have a lot of these in the older movies I watch). Had -ETFISH and honestly no idea what that first letter was supposed to be (41D: Aquarium denizen). Thought there might be a species called the JETFISH. But no ...it's a PET ... FISH :( Pat Sajak helped me there, which helped me finish off the eastern section. SST gave me trouble (24A: Noted "retiree" of '03). Never flew on one, really shaky on the dates they were operational. I actually refused to anagram WINTER'S O'S and got SNOW TIRES from crosses (9D: Apt anagram of WINTER'S O'S). Something about having to stop my solve to rearrange letters felt insulting. Because I forgot "Bankrupt!" was a SPIN option, not knowing FAN (60A: Geisha's accessory) had me struggling slightly in the SW. After OBI, I'm fresh out of ideas for 3-letter Geisha accessories. FAN, you say? OK. The end. (Somehow this write-up wasn't any shorter than my regular write-ups; habit is a strong force...)