I remember a short lived two season sitcom, called Carter Country. It starred Victor French, Kene Holiday, and Richard Paul. It was a parody on the movie In The Heat of the Night before Dean Hargrove created the one hour weekly drama ten years later.
It took place in a fictional Georgia town called Clinton Corners with Victor French playing Chief Roy Mobey, Chief of Police of the Town with a small force for a small rural community with Kene Holiday playing Sergeant Curtis Baker, a well educated officer forced to be hired by the town, to help improve the department in many ways, and Richard Paul playing Mayor Teddy Burnside, the quirky town mayor. Also included was a great array of supporting characters, all creating a great chemistry to create comic antics.
It was forgotten as no company ever printed DVDs for it and most of all no one this day and age talks too much about.
Any others you missed and would like to share.
Spin City was something I enjoyed when Michael J Fox stared in it.
I rewatched a few episodes of Davis Rules. Kind of depressing, since I thought it was hilarious as a kid. Discovered that was because it has three funny jokes in it per episode rather than maybe one in its contemporary sitcoms.
Two Guys, A Girl, And a Pizza Place put Ryan Reynolds on the map, but that’s about all anyone remembers about it.
Holmes & Yoyo, about a bumbling police detective and his android partner. Ran for only about a dozen episodes in the mid-'70s. I vaguely recall that I liked it, although I believe it's regarded as one of the worst TV series made.
Back in 1986, there was a sitcom called 'Me & Mrs. C'. I remember my parents watching it once. All I remember is that a man on the show had a catchphrase: "It goes on...and on...and on...and on...and on!" Just a few years ago, a friend blogged about old TV shows, and I think I mentioned this show in the comments.
I remember back around 1981, there was a sitcom called 'Maggie' that my mom just hated hated hated hated hated! The only thing I remember is a scene where a kid on the show got bashed in the mouth and it knocked his teeth out, and all the blood that resulted. It's probably the most graphic scene I've ever seen in a sitcom.
In the mid-'80s, there was some short-lived sitcom we were watching one evening, and my brother burst out laughing because a man on the show looked just like one of his high school teachers.
Also in the mid-'80s, there was a sitcom called 'Spencer', which was about some high school kid.
There was another sitcom in the mid-'80s set in a high school where I think the teacher was played by Howard Hesseman, who was best known as Johnny Fever of 'WKRP In Cincinnati'.
I remember a sitcom in the early '80s set in an elementary school where kids kept chewing bubble gum and misbehaving.
Anyone remember 'Me And Maxx'?
There was also a sitcom where I think a school principal or teacher was played by the bald, mustachioed actor from 'The Electric Company'. I'm not 100% sure if it was him though.
I thought of another one, but this wasn't really a sitcom. It was more like a drama.
Back around 1999 or 2000, there was some TV show about some kid who was about 15. The weird thing about this show is that he would often talk directly to the viewer. I remember the actor was in some commercial too.
Anyone else remember this?
I didn't watch this show regularly, but I remember how I kept seeing it when I was flipping through the channels.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 19, 2022, 09:37:06 PM
I thought of another one, but this wasn't really a sitcom. It was more like a drama.
Back around 1999 or 2000, there was some TV show about some kid who was about 15. The weird thing about this show is that he would often talk directly to the viewer. I remember the actor was in some commercial too.
Anyone else remember this?
I didn't watch this show regularly, but I remember how I kept seeing it when I was flipping through the channels.
You sure you're not thinking about Malcolm In The Middle? That was a sitcom, and decidedly is not forgotten.
Quote from: Takumi on March 19, 2022, 10:01:14 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 19, 2022, 09:37:06 PM
I thought of another one, but this wasn't really a sitcom. It was more like a drama.
Back around 1999 or 2000, there was some TV show about some kid who was about 15. The weird thing about this show is that he would often talk directly to the viewer. I remember the actor was in some commercial too.
Anyone else remember this?
I didn't watch this show regularly, but I remember how I kept seeing it when I was flipping through the channels.
You sure you're not thinking about Malcolm In The Middle? That was a sitcom, and decidedly is not forgotten.
It wasn't 'Malcolm In The Middle'. I think this show was around just before 'Malcolm In The Middle' debuted.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 19, 2022, 10:09:31 PM
Quote from: Takumi on March 19, 2022, 10:01:14 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 19, 2022, 09:37:06 PM
I thought of another one, but this wasn't really a sitcom. It was more like a drama.
Back around 1999 or 2000, there was some TV show about some kid who was about 15. The weird thing about this show is that he would often talk directly to the viewer. I remember the actor was in some commercial too.
Anyone else remember this?
I didn't watch this show regularly, but I remember how I kept seeing it when I was flipping through the channels.
You sure you're not thinking about Malcolm In The Middle? That was a sitcom, and decidedly is not forgotten.
It wasn't 'Malcolm In The Middle'. I think this show was around just before 'Malcolm In The Middle' debuted.
I remember this show using "What It's Like" by Everlast for one scene.
I think I figured out what it was. I think it was 'Get Real'.
One that came to mind for me was once from the early 1970's called "Arnie", about a blue-collar worker being promoted into a white-collar management position. Herschel Bernardi and Sue Ane Langdon were in it.
I remember liking the show, but I haven't seen any mention of it - positive nor negative - in many years.
Forgotten sitcoms are good for the soul.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096556/ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096556/)
Quote from: wxfree on March 20, 2022, 12:56:08 AM
Forgotten sitcoms are good for the soul.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096556/ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096556/)
Don't forget this one: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118473/
Anyone remember 'Amen'?
Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990-1993)
The New Adventures of Beans Baxter (1987-1988)
Life with Lucy (1986-1986)
The Piglet Files (1990-1992)
How about Checkin In, that was a failed spin off of the Jeffersons. It aired mid season and was Florence Johnston of The Jefferson's leaving George and Louise to become Executive Housekeeper of a nearby hotel. The show never made it past Summer of that season, so Marla Gibbs was able to return to The Jefferson's before the next Fall Season began and retain her job with only a couple of episodes missed.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 20, 2022, 09:53:41 AM
Anyone remember 'Amen'?
with the George Jefferson character playing a Philadelphia lawyer.
Quote from: Big John on March 20, 2022, 11:17:14 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 20, 2022, 09:53:41 AM
Anyone remember 'Amen'?
with the George
Jefferson character playing a Philadelphia lawyer.
It was part of NBC's Saturday Night Line Up in the late eighties. Starting with Facts of Life, it aired with them and Empty Nest. Then later the Golden Girls joined them as well.
Anybody else watch "Head of the Class"? The redhead on there was my first childhood crush.
Did anyone see a "one and done" show from this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_series_canceled_after_one_episode
Quote from: kurumi on March 20, 2022, 01:22:20 PM
Did anyone see a "one and done" show from this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_series_canceled_after_one_episode
NBC's The Paul Reiser Show was cancelled after two episodes. I'd say that's pretty well forgotten. Also, Whitney on NBC.
I remember a sitcom that I believe was on Fox in the mid-'90s where the main selling point was that the dad on the show told lots of poo jokes. I never got to see this show though, and only heard about it from the previews and critics. It didn't last long.
Around that same time, there was also a sitcom where the mom told lots of poo jokes. I think this was also on Fox. I never got to see this show either.
Also, does anyone remember '704 Hauser'?
I remember watching the premiere of the Dana Carvey Show. A sketch show and not a sitcom, but still somewhat legendary for how hard it got cancelled by ABC/Disney despite a murders row of writing and comedic acting talent. I genuinely didn't see what the BFD was regarding their supposedly 'controversial' content. Just seemed like another, "Oh the grown-ups have ruined something again. Too bad."
Quote from: triplemultiplex on March 20, 2022, 03:08:43 PM
I remember watching the premiere of the Dana Carvey Show. A sketch show and not a sitcom, but still somewhat legendary for how hard it got cancelled by ABC/Disney despite a murders row of writing and comedic acting talent. I genuinely didn't see what the BFD was regarding their supposedly 'controversial' content. Just seemed like another, "Oh the grown-ups have ruined something again. Too bad."
I watched that, too. Went off the air very quickly.
Quote from: cabiness42 on March 20, 2022, 11:49:27 AM
Anybody else watch "Head of the Class"? The redhead on there was my first childhood crush.
Khyrstyne Haje?
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on March 20, 2022, 03:48:37 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on March 20, 2022, 11:49:27 AM
Anybody else watch "Head of the Class"? The redhead on there was my first childhood crush.
Khyrstyne Haje?
Yes, her.
Quote from: Rothman on March 20, 2022, 03:26:17 PM
Quote from: triplemultiplex on March 20, 2022, 03:08:43 PM
I remember watching the premiere of the Dana Carvey Show. A sketch show and not a sitcom, but still somewhat legendary for how hard it got cancelled by ABC/Disney despite a murders row of writing and comedic acting talent. I genuinely didn't see what the BFD was regarding their supposedly 'controversial' content. Just seemed like another, "Oh the grown-ups have ruined something again. Too bad."
I watched that, too. Went off the air very quickly.
There's a documentary about it on Hulu called Too Funny To Fail that's well-worth your time.
And the streaming service Crackle has a delightful assortment of crap sitcoms. I started watching The Gregory Hines Show, which was completely unremarkable other than the fact that it also starred a pre-The Wire Wendell Pierce.
The late Norm Macdonald had two short-lived sitcoms. Norm/The Norm Show was somewhat known around the turn of the century, but his second one, A Minute With Stan Hooper, was cancelled after the first few episodes.
John Mulaney's sitcom, Mulaney, was a ripoff of Seinfeld and I think John himself even prefers it not be brought up.
I liked "Buffalo Bill", a Dabney Coleman vehicle in which he played a TV talk show host in Buffalo. It looks like it ran on NBC as a summer fill-in in 1983 and then had a brief regular run in the 1983-1984 season. One of the minor players was a young and very cute Geena Davis in one of her first roles, as a production assistant on the talk show.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 19, 2022, 11:48:08 AM
I remember a short lived two season sitcom, called Carter Country. It starred Victor French, Kene Holiday, and Richard Paul. It was a parody on the movie In The Heat of the Night before Dean Hargrove created the one hour weekly drama ten years later.
It took place in a fictional Georgia town called Clinton Corners with Victor French playing Chief Roy Mobey, Chief of Police of the Town with a small force for a small rural community with Kene Holiday playing Sergeant Curtis Baker, a well educated officer forced to be hired by the town, to help improve the department in many ways, and Richard Paul playing Mayor Teddy Burnside, the quirky town mayor. Also included was a great array of supporting characters, all creating a great chemistry to create comic antics.
It was forgotten as no company ever printed DVDs for it and most of all no one this day and age talks too much about.
Any others you missed and would like to share.
I do remember Carter Country. It played in syndication in the 80s and maybe the early 90s. Kene Holiday eventually went on to play on Matlock.
Quote from: Big John on March 20, 2022, 11:17:14 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 20, 2022, 09:53:41 AM
Anyone remember 'Amen'?
with the George Jefferson character playing a Philadelphia lawyer.
It was not the George Jefferson character; it was the actor who played George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley).
Anybody remember Living Dolls? It was Halle Berry's first big break and Leah Remini's breakthrough. The show only lasted one season.
Quote from: golden eagle on March 21, 2022, 08:46:44 AM
Anybody remember Living Dolls? It was Halle Berry's first big break and Leah Remini's breakthrough. The show only lasted one season.
One of two or three attempted spin-offs from Married...with Children.
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 21, 2022, 10:42:10 AM
Quote from: golden eagle on March 21, 2022, 08:46:44 AM
Anybody remember Living Dolls? It was Halle Berry's first big break and Leah Remini's breakthrough. The show only lasted one season.
One of two or three attempted spin-offs from Married...with Children.
A spin-off of Who's the Boss?.
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 21, 2022, 10:42:10 AM
One of two or three attempted spin-offs from Married...with Children.
I do remember "Top of the Heap" . - which seemed to be about trying to out-crass Married With Children. They weren't established characters, but simply an episode of Married With Children mostly focused on the new show's characters.
Two other early Fox sitcoms (not MWC spinoffs) I can at least recall the existence of was "Get a Life" - I remember liking that (but can only really remember the episode with "SPEWEY"). I also enjoyed "Herman's Head" - at the time it aired I mostly remembered it had Yeardley Smith "in person" (probably best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson) - and I thought it was an interesting premise.
Quote from: Mr_Northside on March 21, 2022, 02:51:03 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 21, 2022, 10:42:10 AM
One of two or three attempted spin-offs from Married...with Children.
I do remember "Top of the Heap" . - which seemed to be about trying to out-crass Married With Children. They weren't established characters, but simply an episode of Married With Children mostly focused on the new show's characters.
Two other early Fox sitcoms (not MWC spinoffs) I can at least recall the existence of was "Get a Life" - I remember liking that (but can only really remember the episode with "SPEWEY"). I also enjoyed "Herman's Head" - at the time it aired I mostly remembered it had Yeardley Smith "in person" (probably best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson) - and I thought it was an interesting premise.
Top Of the Heap had Matt Leblanc, who'd later go on to have much success on Friends. I also remember Herman's Head. Was Get A Life with Chris Elliott?
What about the 1990s version of Get Smart? this was more like "Get Smart: TNG" as the story focused on Max's son, who is now a spy at CONTROL. one episode referred to "The Love Boat" (Bernie Kopell was on both shows).
Quote from: golden eagle on March 21, 2022, 04:58:08 PMWas Get A Life with Chris Elliott?
Yes, and it's a wonder it stayed on the air as long as it did, considering (a) it would probably still be ahead of its time today and (b) at the time, Fox wasn't showing the most cerebral shows.
Quote from: golden eagle on March 21, 2022, 02:32:41 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on March 21, 2022, 10:42:10 AM
Quote from: golden eagle on March 21, 2022, 08:46:44 AM
Anybody remember Living Dolls? It was Halle Berry's first big break and Leah Remini's breakthrough. The show only lasted one season.
One of two or three attempted spin-offs from Married...with Children.
A spin-off of Who's the Boss?.
Oops, yeah, that's right.
How about the Sanford Arms? It was supposed to be a continuation of Sanford and Son, with all the recurring characters from that show plus Theodore Flicker playing the main character who bought the Sanford and Son Junkyard and turned it into a hotel. Apparently Red Foxx and Demond Wilson both didn't want to do a season seven of Sanford and Son, so they created a spin off sort of like Mayberry RFD for the Andy Griffith Show continuing that show for this show.
Unfortunately it never worked out like Mayberry, that lasted three full seasons until CBS created the Rural Purge cancelling all the rural sitcoms of the sixties and early seventies including Green Acres.
Another forgotten one was the Sanford and Son spin-off called Grady, where Grady moved out of Watts and moved to Westwood to be with his daughter and grandchildren. Like Sanford Arms, it bombed after a few episodes.
The Tortellis was a failed Cheers spinoff that focused on Rhea Perlman's character (Carla) and her extended family. It was basically a carbon copy of the far more successful Frasier (with Kelsey Grammer in the title role).
Fox threw a lot of stuff at the wall in its early days. Maybe it still does, I don't really watch it anymore except for sports. Some it stuck, some didn't.
It took me a while to realize Head of the Class was Welcome Back, Kotter but with the smart kids.
Newhart was sort of like a remake of Green Acres two decades earlier. Same format, a man from New York moves to a rural town and has hard time fitting in with the locals. Also in both sitcoms the townsfolks are all morons and have no clue about reality outside the boundaries of their communities.
Though Green Acres was more cartoonish and set in an unknown state, Newhart was at least set in a real state despite the town being fictional and more real. Also in the former the lead character was not prosperous and made a living with no income, while in the latter he was prosperous making a living with means to support.
Then for the finale of Newhart, producers copied Dallas' Season Nine finale and made the entire run a dream just as Dallas producers made their ninth show production a dream.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 22, 2022, 11:34:57 AM
Then for the finale of Newhart, producers copied Dallas' Season Nine finale and made the entire run a dream just as Dallas producers made their ninth show production a dream.
'Dallas' was ruined after that. My mom used to watch 'Dallas' all the time, and I was in the room when my mom was watching the episode where they revealed the whole season was "a horrible dream." I think that was pretty much the end of 'Dallas' in our household.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 11:37:54 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 22, 2022, 11:34:57 AM
Then for the finale of Newhart, producers copied Dallas' Season Nine finale and made the entire run a dream just as Dallas producers made their ninth show production a dream.
'Dallas' was ruined after that. My mom used to watch 'Dallas' all the time, and I was in the room when my mom was watching the episode where they revealed the whole season was "a horrible dream." I think that was pretty much the end of 'Dallas' in our household.
It was for me too. There were plenty of options available to bring Bobby back, but show brass want to stick it to Phillip Capice, the Season Nine Producer. So what better way than to erase his hard work. Plus Hagman didn't help either as he fought big with Capice.
JR became a loser after that dream revelation and storylines became so ridiculous including the final season.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 22, 2022, 11:34:57 AM
Newhart was sort of like a remake of Green Acres two decades earlier. Same format, a man from New York moves to a rural town and has hard time fitting in with the locals. Also in both sitcoms the townsfolks are all morons and have no clue about reality outside the boundaries of their communities.
Though Green Acres was more cartoonish and set in an unknown state, Newhart was at least set in a real state despite the town being fictional and more real. Also in the former the lead character was not prosperous and made a living with no income, while in the latter he was prosperous making a living with means to support.
Then for the finale of Newhart, producers copied Dallas' Season Nine finale and made the entire run a dream just as Dallas producers made their ninth show production a dream.
...referring to his original show...
Yeah, it's always sad when networks keep a show around too long to try and wring a few more bucks out of the IP while the quality takes a dive because major actors or writers have left. We've had that thread already though, so no need to rehash examples.
Remember in the 90's when every network seemed to have like 18 sitcoms about attractive people working at a magazine in the big city? Talk about beating an idea into the ground. Just like how every other sitcom in the 80's was about some kind of adopted kid. Such a copy cat industry.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 22, 2022, 11:42:41 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 11:37:54 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 22, 2022, 11:34:57 AM
Then for the finale of Newhart, producers copied Dallas' Season Nine finale and made the entire run a dream just as Dallas producers made their ninth show production a dream.
'Dallas' was ruined after that. My mom used to watch 'Dallas' all the time, and I was in the room when my mom was watching the episode where they revealed the whole season was "a horrible dream." I think that was pretty much the end of 'Dallas' in our household.
It was for me too. There were plenty of options available to bring Bobby back, but show brass want to stick it to Phillip Capice, the Season Nine Producer. So what better way than to erase his hard work. Plus Hagman didn't help either as he fought big with Capice.
JR became a loser after that dream revelation and storylines became so ridiculous including the final season.
The "Deliverance"/"Cool Hand Luke" story line (when JR was lusting after Cally) was a prime example of the ridiculous.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 22, 2022, 12:02:21 AM
How about the Sanford Arms? It was supposed to be a continuation of Sanford and Son, with all the recurring characters from that show plus Theodore Flicker playing the main character who bought the Sanford and Son Junkyard and turned it into a hotel. Apparently Red Foxx and Demond Wilson both didn't want to do a season seven of Sanford and Son, so they created a spin off sort of like Mayberry RFD for the Andy Griffith Show continuing that show for this show.
Unfortunately it never worked out like Mayberry, that lasted three full seasons until CBS created the Rural Purge cancelling all the rural sitcoms of the sixties and early seventies including Green Acres.
Another forgotten one was the Sanford and Son spin-off called Grady, where Grady moved out of Watts and moved to Westwood to be with his daughter and grandchildren. Like Sanford Arms, it bombed after a few episodes.
I remember a Sanford and Son spin-off called called Sanford.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 22, 2022, 12:02:21 AM
How about the Sanford Arms? It was supposed to be a continuation of Sanford and Son, with all the recurring characters from that show plus Theodore Flicker playing the main character who bought the Sanford and Son Junkyard and turned it into a hotel. Apparently Red Foxx and Demond Wilson both didn't want to do a season seven of Sanford and Son, so they created a spin off sort of like Mayberry RFD for the Andy Griffith Show continuing that show for this show.
Unfortunately it never worked out like Mayberry, that lasted three full seasons until CBS created the Rural Purge cancelling all the rural sitcoms of the sixties and early seventies including Green Acres.
Another forgotten one was the Sanford and Son spin-off called Grady, where Grady moved out of Watts and moved to Westwood to be with his daughter and grandchildren. Like Sanford Arms, it bombed after a few episodes.
And then there was a reboot called
Sanford that lasted parts of two seasons (1980-81) that included Red Foxx and Nathaniel Taylor (Rollo). LaWanda Page reprised her role as Aunt Esther in the 2nd season.
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
I wasn't allowed to watch it at first, though I saw it in reruns. A main controversy was t had the first openly gay character and many people were terrified.
Anyone remember the reboot of What's Happenin'? It was called What's Happenin' Now. It was about Roger, Rerun, Dewayne and Shirley reopening Rob's Place. It was the show that Martin Lawrence got his breakthrough role, as well as Anne-Marie Johnson, who went on to place Althea on the TV version of In the Heat Of the Night.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Definitely remember "Soap". Watched it religiously during its run.
Unfortunately, they had several cliff-hangers in the final episode of the last year. The show was subsequently cancelled, and there was no resolution to the cliff-hangers. Left to be unresolved for eternity.
Do people remember "Soap"'s spin-off - "Benson"?
Everyone remembers Benson.
Benson ended with a question. Who won the Governor Race?
Quote from: dlsterner on March 22, 2022, 11:36:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Definitely remember "Soap". Watched it religiously during its run.
Unfortunately, they had several cliff-hangers in the final episode of the last year. The show was subsequently cancelled, and there was no resolution to the cliff-hangers. Left to be unresolved for eternity.
Do people remember "Soap"'s spin-off - "Benson"?
As I noted in another thread, "Soap" is best known these days for launching the career of a young Rod Roddy (who would later become the announcer of
Press Your Luck and
The Price Is Right).
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 23, 2022, 01:02:31 AM
Quote from: dlsterner on March 22, 2022, 11:36:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Definitely remember "Soap". Watched it religiously during its run.
Unfortunately, they had several cliff-hangers in the final episode of the last year. The show was subsequently cancelled, and there was no resolution to the cliff-hangers. Left to be unresolved for eternity.
Do people remember "Soap"'s spin-off - "Benson"?
As I noted in another thread, "Soap" is best known these days for launching the career of a young Rod Roddy (who would later become the announcer of Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right).
Nah. Robert Guillaume and Benson.
Wasn't 'Benson' the first American sitcom ever to mention the Internet?
Apparently, 'Leave It To Beaver' was the first American sitcom ever to show a toilet.
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 23, 2022, 01:02:31 AM
Quote from: dlsterner on March 22, 2022, 11:36:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Definitely remember "Soap". Watched it religiously during its run.
Unfortunately, they had several cliff-hangers in the final episode of the last year. The show was subsequently cancelled, and there was no resolution to the cliff-hangers. Left to be unresolved for eternity.
Do people remember "Soap"'s spin-off - "Benson"?
As I noted in another thread, "Soap" is best known these days for launching the career of a young Rod Roddy (who would later become the announcer of Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right).
The original announcer was Casey Kasem (of American Top 40 fame), but Kasem objected to the content of the show, and Roddy was added.
A few years after Soap ended, the same producers brought out Hail to the Chief, which was a similar format and had Patty Duke playing the first woman president.
Quote from: Rothman on March 23, 2022, 06:44:43 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 23, 2022, 01:02:31 AM
Quote from: dlsterner on March 22, 2022, 11:36:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Definitely remember "Soap". Watched it religiously during its run.
Unfortunately, they had several cliff-hangers in the final episode of the last year. The show was subsequently cancelled, and there was no resolution to the cliff-hangers. Left to be unresolved for eternity.
Do people remember "Soap"'s spin-off - "Benson"?
As I noted in another thread, "Soap" is best known these days for launching the career of a young Rod Roddy (who would later become the announcer of Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right).
Nah. Robert Guillaume and Benson.
Billy Crystal, anyone?
"Just the Ten of Us" with Bill Kirchenbauer is one. It was a spin off of Growing Pains that never gained much steam.
It was on early on in the TGIF block on ABC in the late 80s/early 90s and I think it's cancellation led to the eventual creation of "Step by Step" with Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Sommers, which is another show that has been somewhat forgotten (probably because Full House and Family Matters overshadowed it).
Quote from: Big John on March 22, 2022, 09:46:12 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
I wasn't allowed to watch it at first, though I saw it in reruns. A main controversy was t had the first openly gay character and many people were terrified.
I remember reading on a website that there was a sitcom around 1980 that was like 'The Brady Bunch' except the couple was a lesbian couple. But it only lasted 4 episodes or something.
Quote from: I-39 on March 23, 2022, 11:50:43 AM
"Just the Ten of Us" with Bill Kirchenbauer is one. It was a spin off of Growing Pains that never gained much steam.
It was on early on in the TGIF block on ABC in the late 80s/early 90s and I think it's cancellation led to the eventual creation of "Step by Step" with Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Sommers, which is another show that has been somewhat forgotten (probably because Full House and Family Matters overshadowed it).
Fun fact about Step By Step: Actress Staci Keanan, who played Dana on the show, is now the deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County. She serves under her given name, Anastasia Love Sagorsky.
Quote from: Rothman on March 23, 2022, 06:44:43 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 23, 2022, 01:02:31 AM
Quote from: dlsterner on March 22, 2022, 11:36:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Definitely remember "Soap". Watched it religiously during its run.
Unfortunately, they had several cliff-hangers in the final episode of the last year. The show was subsequently cancelled, and there was no resolution to the cliff-hangers. Left to be unresolved for eternity.
Do people remember "Soap"'s spin-off - "Benson"?
As I noted in another thread, "Soap" is best known these days for launching the career of a young Rod Roddy (who would later become the announcer of Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right).
Nah. Robert Guillaume and Benson.
Who?
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 23, 2022, 01:25:45 PM
Quote from: Rothman on March 23, 2022, 06:44:43 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 23, 2022, 01:02:31 AM
Quote from: dlsterner on March 22, 2022, 11:36:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
Definitely remember "Soap". Watched it religiously during its run.
Unfortunately, they had several cliff-hangers in the final episode of the last year. The show was subsequently cancelled, and there was no resolution to the cliff-hangers. Left to be unresolved for eternity.
Do people remember "Soap"'s spin-off - "Benson"?
As I noted in another thread, "Soap" is best known these days for launching the career of a young Rod Roddy (who would later become the announcer of Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right).
Nah. Robert Guillaume and Benson.
Who?
Rafiki in The Lion King.
No one's mentioned Bosom Buddies, which spring boarded Tom Hanks' career. When I watched it as a kid, it seemed like a less funny Perfect Strangers.
Quote from: golden eagle on March 23, 2022, 01:15:50 PM
Quote from: I-39 on March 23, 2022, 11:50:43 AM
"Just the Ten of Us" with Bill Kirchenbauer is one. It was a spin off of Growing Pains that never gained much steam.
It was on early on in the TGIF block on ABC in the late 80s/early 90s and I think it's cancellation led to the eventual creation of "Step by Step" with Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Sommers, which is another show that has been somewhat forgotten (probably because Full House and Family Matters overshadowed it).
Fun fact about Step By Step: Actress Staci Keanan, who played Dana on the show, is now the deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County. She serves under her given name, Anastasia Love Sagorsky.
I remember hearing that. Stark contrast to Brandon Call who played JT, he seems to have completely disappeared from the spotlight and is current whereabouts are unknown.
Honestly, other than Cody and occasionally Al, Step by Step seemed pretty bland. If it weren't for the former, it probably would have been cancelled after Season 2 or 3.
Step by Step was horrible.
The only thing I remember about Step By Step was that it took place in Wisconsin and they had a shot of rollercoaster at Cedar Point, Ohio in the opening credits.
I liked Step by Step. It proved that actor Patrick Duffy can do more than drama as his previous role as Bobby Ewing on Dallas.
Him and Suzanne Somers both had chemistry together and the love hate sibling relationship with JT and Dana was great and the doofus Cody were the show.
Quote from: Rothman on March 23, 2022, 03:08:03 PM
Step by Step was horrible.
It wasn't horrible, but it was pretty bland outside of Cody and Al. Again, absent the former, I think it would've ended after a season or two. Yes, Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers had chemistry, but their characters didn't seem to develop too much over the course of the series. Dana and Karen were annoying IMO, JT was a bigger doofus than Cody and Brendan and Mark were just fillers for the most part.
Quote from: triplemultiplex on March 23, 2022, 03:51:30 PM
The only thing I remember about Step By Step was that it took place in Wisconsin and they had a shot of rollercoaster at Cedar Point, Ohio in the opening credits.
I thought that was Six Flags Magic Mountain with Lake Michigan superimposed onto the parking lot?
There were no funny jokes on Step by Step. It was horrible.
It's a matter of opinion what is good and bad in anything.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 23, 2022, 07:44:23 PM
It's a matter of opinion what is good and bad in anything.
Sure. There are those that have the opinion that Step by Step was not horrible and they are wrong.
Quote from: Rothman on March 23, 2022, 07:45:51 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 23, 2022, 07:44:23 PM
It's a matter of opinion what is good and bad in anything.
Sure. There are those that have the opinion that Step by Step was not horrible and they are wrong.
So it was wrong. I'm sure you can find people out there who thought Seinfeld was horrible despite being popular in the ratings.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 23, 2022, 07:51:05 PM
Quote from: Rothman on March 23, 2022, 07:45:51 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 23, 2022, 07:44:23 PM
It's a matter of opinion what is good and bad in anything.
Sure. There are those that have the opinion that Step by Step was not horrible and they are wrong.
So it was wrong. I'm sure you can find people out there who thought Seinfeld was horrible despite being popular in the ratings.
I wouldn't call it horrible, but I tried watching it a few times and just couldn't get into it.
Two come to mind that I didn't see here in a quick scan:
"A Year at the Top" (1977), starring Paul Shaffer and Greg Evigan as musicians who sold their soul to the devil (in "Bwah-ZAY," Idaho!) for success. No episodes are circulating afaik, only this brief promo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0mOhnLXvlQ
Somewhat more easily available but never reaired is The Powers That Be (1992-1993), an uneven political comedy (hilarious at times, offensive at others) including John Forsyth and a young David Hyde Pierce. An episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shpKqvX9raw
Edit to add: Oh, one more! "On the Air" (1992), created post-Twin Peaks by Mark Frost and David Lynch. Also walks a fine line between funny and offensive. Episode 3:
https://vimeo.com/660141227
What about the one where Brian Keith and Cloris Leachman starred together in a sitcom where they played heads of a household that aired for a couple episodes on NBCi in either the late eighties or early nineties.
Then Joes World on NBC in the early eighties that featured Chris Knight from the Brady Bunch as a supporting actor.
Joe and Sons in the mid seventies. Richard Costalano from The Godfather and co starred Jerry Stiller and Florence Stanley about a middle aged man raising three teenage boys alone in a NY suburb.
Hello Larry starring McClean Stevenson as a divorced dad raising two teenage daughters while working as a pre Rush Limbaugh Talk Radio host at a Portland radio station.
Quote from: I-39 on March 23, 2022, 04:38:09 PM
I thought that was Six Flags Magic Mountain with Lake Michigan superimposed onto the parking lot?
Might very well be. I'm pulling from my own memory about some trivia tidbit I heard as a kid, so I can't speak to its fidelity. And I don't care enough to look it up. :P
What about Charles in Charge?
Quote from: XamotCGC on March 24, 2022, 12:36:32 PM
What about Charles in Charge?
That was extraordinarily popular, so definitely not forgotten.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 19, 2022, 11:48:08 AM
I remember a short lived two season sitcom, called Carter Country. It starred Victor French, Kene Holiday, and Richard Paul. It was a parody on the movie In The Heat of the Night before Dean Hargrove created the one hour weekly drama ten years later.
It took place in a fictional Georgia town called Clinton Corners with Victor French playing Chief Roy Mobey, Chief of Police of the Town with a small force for a small rural community with Kene Holiday playing Sergeant Curtis Baker, a well educated officer forced to be hired by the town, to help improve the department in many ways, and Richard Paul playing Mayor Teddy Burnside, the quirky town mayor. Also included was a great array of supporting characters, all creating a great chemistry to create comic antics.
It was forgotten as no company ever printed DVDs for it and most of all no one this day and age talks too much about.
Any others you missed and would like to share.
"Dusty's Trail" - made with much of the "Gilligan's Island" cast
"It's About Time" - made with much of the "Car 54" cast.
Anybody remember Women In Prison? It was among the earliest shows on Fox.
Quote from: golden eagle on March 24, 2022, 03:07:14 PM
Anybody remember Women In Prison? It was among the earliest shows on Fox.
Oldest show I remember on Fox is the Tracey Ullman show where the Simpsons got their start. From Googling, it looks like Married... With Children started sooner, but I don't think I watched it then.
The working title for "Married... With Children" was "Not the Cosbys".
Quote from: Big John on March 24, 2022, 05:29:06 PM
The working title for "Married... With Children" was "Not the Cosbys".
Who knew that 35 years later the show that started out cleaner would end up far dirtier.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on March 24, 2022, 03:17:58 PM
Quote from: golden eagle on March 24, 2022, 03:07:14 PM
Anybody remember Women In Prison? It was among the earliest shows on Fox.
Oldest show I remember on Fox is the Tracey Ullman show where the Simpsons got their start. From Googling, it looks like Married... With Children started sooner, but I don't think I watched it then.
The very first show on Fox was the Late Show, which was hosted by Joan Rivers. It premiered in 1986. MWC and the Tracey Ullman Show were the first shows that aired on the launch of their primetime programs.
Oh yeah and Joan eventually got fired and replaced later by Arsenio Hall.
Another one was with Alison or Alice Laplaca about a real estate office antics. I forget the name of it, but it introduced a young Ellen Degeneres to the world at the time. She played the receptionist in the series, whom if I remember was full of wise cracks.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 25, 2022, 09:07:23 AM
Oh yeah and Joan eventually got fired and replaced later by Arsenio Hall.
Another one was with Alison or Alice Laplaca about a real estate office antics. I forget the name of it, but it introduced a young Ellen Degeneres to the world at the time. She played the receptionist in the series, whom if I remember was full of wise cracks.
Open House
Degeneres' character was an occasional trope of a few 90's sitcom characters, a gay actor/actress (who had not yet announced it to the world) that played a character that was a horndog for the opposite sex (like Dan Butler in Frasier).
Quote from: SectorZ on March 25, 2022, 09:48:42 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 25, 2022, 09:07:23 AM
Oh yeah and Joan eventually got fired and replaced later by Arsenio Hall.
Another one was with Alison or Alice Laplaca about a real estate office antics. I forget the name of it, but it introduced a young Ellen Degeneres to the world at the time. She played the receptionist in the series, whom if I remember was full of wise cracks.
Open House
Degeneres' character was an occasional trope of a few 90's sitcom characters, a gay actor/actress (who had not yet announced it to the world) that played a character that was a horndog for the opposite sex (like Dan Butler in Frasier).
I think the show might of had a name change too. And yes Ellen was new to the scene and yes she was more attractive to men at that time and was nothing like she is now post out of the closet. She was even attractive then and knew how to play the part well of a straight gal in that particular series.
Quote from: roadman65 on March 25, 2022, 10:08:33 AM
Quote from: SectorZ on March 25, 2022, 09:48:42 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 25, 2022, 09:07:23 AM
Oh yeah and Joan eventually got fired and replaced later by Arsenio Hall.
Another one was with Alison or Alice Laplaca about a real estate office antics. I forget the name of it, but it introduced a young Ellen Degeneres to the world at the time. She played the receptionist in the series, whom if I remember was full of wise cracks.
Open House
Degeneres' character was an occasional trope of a few 90's sitcom characters, a gay actor/actress (who had not yet announced it to the world) that played a character that was a horndog for the opposite sex (like Dan Butler in Frasier).
I think the show might of had a name change too. And yes Ellen was new to the scene and yes she was more attractive to men at that time and was nothing like she is now post out of the closet. She was even attractive then and knew how to play the part well of a straight gal in that particular series.
The original show was called "Duet" and ran for two and a half seasons. The first season was fairly good, the second season went down in quality before it improved for the third and final year. At the end of that year, the husband part of Duet was split off and LaPlaca and Mary Page Keller's character switched from secondary/primary positions. They also dropped Chris Lemmon (who was LaPlaca's husband on the show) half way through the season. I haven't seen either show anywhere since except for a short time being replayed on Lifetime.
Quote from: michravera on March 24, 2022, 02:58:38 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on March 19, 2022, 11:48:08 AM
I remember a short lived two season sitcom, called Carter Country. It starred Victor French, Kene Holiday, and Richard Paul. It was a parody on the movie In The Heat of the Night before Dean Hargrove created the one hour weekly drama ten years later.
It took place in a fictional Georgia town called Clinton Corners with Victor French playing Chief Roy Mobey, Chief of Police of the Town with a small force for a small rural community with Kene Holiday playing Sergeant Curtis Baker, a well educated officer forced to be hired by the town, to help improve the department in many ways, and Richard Paul playing Mayor Teddy Burnside, the quirky town mayor. Also included was a great array of supporting characters, all creating a great chemistry to create comic antics.
It was forgotten as no company ever printed DVDs for it and most of all no one this day and age talks too much about.
Any others you missed and would like to share.
"Dusty's Trail" - made with much of the "Gilligan's Island" cast
"It's About Time" - made with much of the "Car 54" cast.
Looking at those two shows, I only see one actor on each that was on the original's cast.
Any fans of the Fox 90s show Parker Lewis Can't Lose?
Something that really exemplifies how many TV shows fail is a gag at the start of the 4th season of Family Guy where Peter lists nearly 30 shows that came and went on the Fox Network in the the two years and three months since the end of its third season. That's like 20 shows per year for just one channel. Even if other networks only have like 10 or 12 failed shows a year, that's still a LOT of forgotten TV shows. (And a few that are extremely memorable for a handful of hardcore fans.)
Incidentally, several shows that came up in this thread made the list Peter Griffin rattles off.
The funniest is when a network makes a huge push to promote a new show because they're airing the Super Bowl and then that show turns out to be a total dud. I vaguely remember one like that some ten years ago where NBC kept plugging some awful-looking show with one of those douchebags from Friends and a monkey. Yeah that's right, a goddamn monkey. Unsurprisingly, that show died a quick and merciful death.
Blansky's Beauties and Out of the Blue. They were Happy Days spin-off's.
There's also Angie.
Joanie Loves Chachi was another failed Happy Days Spin Off.
Anyone remember The Ropers?
Quote from: roadman65 on March 31, 2022, 10:50:28 PM
Anyone remember The Ropers?
Yes. It was a spinoff of 'Three's Company' around 1979-80.
Quote from: kurumi on March 20, 2022, 01:22:20 PMDid anyone see a "one and done" show from this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_series_canceled_after_one_episode
Taskmaster (in the special mentions category as after cancellation, they did put the whole thing on their on-demand). It's not a sitcom, though it does put people in situations for comedic purposes. Obviously I didn't watch it on The CW as it aired. I watched it via the high seas as a fan of the UK series.
The US version faced the classic issues when transferring UK shows to the US (there's a lot of unaired pilots where they've tried and failed) - cultural differences, poor casting, and meddling with the format.
Removing it from the schedule due to low ratings for the first episode is a bit harsh too - the UK version didn't become popular until a few seasons in, having got there by word of mouth and winning awards. And it only really took off when one of the big networks bought the rights.
I like some forgotten episodes of some really popular sitcoms.
I remember an episode of 'Three's Company' where Jack started a restaurant and Larry's family showed up and smashed all the dishes.
My favorite 'Brady Bunch' episode was the one where Jan crashed her bike into a portrait because she wasn't wearing her glasses.
I like an episode of 'Home Improvement' where the kids wasted a savings bond by buying a model car that they destroyed.
I also like an episode of 'All In The Family' where Edith gets a mink cape and it gets ruined by spaghetti sauce.
Also, there was the episode of 'The Cosby Show' where Vanessa got drunk and the 'Roseanne' episode where Becky farted.
Another one I like is an episode of 'The Andy Griffith Show' where a spoiled kid gets his bike impounded.
I liked the Gomer Pyle pilot on Andy Griffith when Gomer sang the Marine Corps Hymn with a bucket on his head. The rest of the guys were trying so hard not to laugh.
Of course in that particular episode Sergeant Carter was a bit more abrasive than in the actual series. When Gomer Pyle USMC aired, the Sarge was toned down a bit from the back door pilot.
Quote from: bandit957 on April 01, 2022, 10:05:32 AM
I like an episode of 'Home Improvement' where the kids wasted a savings bond by buying a model car that they destroyed.
I also like an episode of 'All In The Family' where Edith gets a mink cape and it gets ruined by spaghetti sauce.
Ah the sitcom trope of "character pinches and saves to purchase special item; special item gets ruined either that character themselves or another character." Seems like every show in the history of television with more than two seasons has done that episode. Usually it's a story about telling the truth and forgiveness. When The Simpsons first did it, that was the set piece for Santa's Little Helper to go to obedience school. (Stellar job by Tracy Ulman as the instructor. ;) )
Quote from: triplemultiplex on April 01, 2022, 04:41:01 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 01, 2022, 10:05:32 AM
I like an episode of 'Home Improvement' where the kids wasted a savings bond by buying a model car that they destroyed.
I also like an episode of 'All In The Family' where Edith gets a mink cape and it gets ruined by spaghetti sauce.
Ah the sitcom trope of "character pinches and saves to purchase special item; special item gets ruined either that character themselves or another character." Seems like every show in the history of television with more than two seasons has done that episode. Usually it's a story about telling the truth and forgiveness. When The Simpsons first did it, that was the set piece for Santa's Little Helper to go to obedience school. (Stellar job by Tracy Ulman as the instructor. ;) )
'The Simpsons' had a hilarious episode where they saved up to buy a rare comic book and it got ruined.
Wasn't there an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies where (now) Caltrans bought a strip of ROW or a new freeway very near the Clampets' spread? Also a scene in another episode where the Clampets are driving their loaded truck down a Los Angeles freeway and Granny comments that "At least they're all going the same way!".
Mike
After looking through the r\ObscureMedia subreddit on Reddit, & browsing YouTube, I came across, at least, these 4, mostly forgotten (I say that because somebody obviously remembers\remembered them.), sitcoms:
The Righteous Apples, a high school 1980-82 PBS sitcom\dramedy, starring Joey Camen, Elizabeth "E. G." Daly (The voice of Tommy Pickles on "Rugrats".) & Mykel T. Williamson (Forrest Gump, Law & Order: Organized Crime)
Working Stiffs, a short lived 1979 CBS sitcom, starring Michael Keaton, Jim Belushi (Playing brothers who were janitors.), with recurring guest spots from Paul Reubens.
The Steven Banks Show, a bizarre 1994 PBS sitcom starring writer\comedian\musician Steven Banks, who plays a fictional version of himself. The sitcom was based on his one-man theatrical show titled "Home Entertainment Center". He later became a writer on Nickelodeon shows like "The Adventures of Jimmy Newtron, Boy Genius" & "SpongeBob SquarePants"
And finally, a short-lived sitcom that I actually remember watching.
Meego, a CBS sci-fi sitcom that only aired for 1 month (September-October.) in 1997 on CBS. This was when CBS was experimenting with having their own TGIF lineup (They even picked up Family Matters & Step by Step, for 1 additional season each, after ABC cancelled them. The show starred Bronson Pinchot, as the titular character, Ed Begley Jr. & Michelle Trachtenberg.
Those are the ones that I can think of right now.
Not a forgotten sitcom but a forgotten episode of a popular sitcom that was reconnected in reruns from the original storyline.
Mork and Mindy, a spin off of Happy Days, was originally intended to be just an episode of Happy Days and no final plans were made until mid season after the first run and before the summer reruns of the season it aired.
The original episode had Mork played by Robin Williams as a dream Richie Cunningham had while fallen asleep on the sofa after being mocked by the gang at Arnold’s for claiming he saw a flying saucer.
In the later season rerun, the ending was redone to feature Mork talking to Orsin that he played with Richie’s mind to make him think their encounter together was imagined and not really an actual event. This way Mork and Mindy was set in the future of Happy Days past and not an extension of Richies mind.
Quote from: english si on April 01, 2022, 07:24:01 AMThe US version faced the classic issues when transferring UK shows to the US (there's a lot of unaired pilots where they've tried and failed) - cultural differences, poor casting, and meddling with the format.
Dear Lord, where to begin with this:
It is nigh-impossible to Americanize a Britcom that satirizes the English class system (
Are You Being Served?,
Red Dwarf,
Fawlty Towers). Ricky Gervais all but said that they had to make a lot of changes when making
The Office (US) since it's a heck of a lot harder to get rid of a bad employee in the UK than the US for various reasons, and
Spaced (US) didn't really work because it's impossible for anyone to live like that in the US (although Simon Pegg has said that you couldn't make
Spaced at a different time in history even in the UK).
Oddly enough, I think the list of American shows that were unsuccessfully remade for the UK market is much shorter (
That 70s Show,
The Golden Girls, something else that's slipped my mind entirely).
Quote from: bandit957 on March 23, 2022, 12:10:31 PM
Quote from: Big John on March 22, 2022, 09:46:12 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 22, 2022, 09:32:34 PM
Remember 'Soap'?
'Soap' was pretty controversial, and I was much too young for it when it first aired. It was on after I went to bed, and I remember the theme music blaring in from the living room.
I wasn't allowed to watch it at first, though I saw it in reruns. A main controversy was t had the first openly gay character and many people were terrified.
I remember reading on a website that there was a sitcom around 1980 that was like 'The Brady Bunch' except the couple was a lesbian couple. But it only lasted 4 episodes or something.
There was an early, short-lived Fox sitcom that was basically an interracial BB, and you can only imagine how horrible the jokes were. Worst of all, it was the last thing Cleavon Little made before he died.
And then there was Monty, a sitcom about a right-wing talk show host played by Henry Winkler whose family is left-wing.
Quote from: bandit957 on April 01, 2022, 04:43:49 PM
'The Simpsons' had a hilarious episode where they saved up to buy a rare comic book and it got ruined.
Ah yes, Three Men and a Comic Book. Classic. First episode with the character Comic Book Guy. Voice based on Hank Azaria's dorm-mate, if I remember correctly.
That means they did the "thing I was saving up for got ruined" sitcom plot twice in the same season.
These days, it seems everything I know about network TV sitcoms comes from commercials during football games. So many commercials for some show where a lady talks to ghosts. There's a future forgotten sitcom for sure.
Quote from: abefroman329 on April 05, 2022, 11:13:39 AMThere was an early, short-lived Fox sitcom that was basically an interracial BB, and you can only imagine how horrible the jokes were. Worst of all, it was the last thing Cleavon Little made before he died.
It was called True Colors. Cleavon Little only played the father in the second season. He and Nancy Walker (the grandmother) both died right after the show wrapped.
Quote from: Kniwt on March 23, 2022, 08:03:07 PM
Somewhat more easily available but never reaired is The Powers That Be (1992-1993), an uneven political comedy (hilarious at times, offensive at others) including John Forsyth and a young David Hyde Pierce.
Interestingly enough, the whole series has recently been uploaded to You Tube (https://www.youtube.com/@KatSaturn/videos), complete with early '90s commercials. Uneven, I think, just about sums it up, although I would say that Holland Taylor is a high point.
Quote from: english si on April 01, 2022, 07:24:01 AM
Taskmaster (in the special mentions category as after cancellation, they did put the whole thing on their on-demand). It's not a sitcom, though it does put people in situations for comedic purposes. Obviously I didn't watch it on The CW as it aired. I watched it via the high seas as a fan of the UK series.
Very much enjoyed the UK Taskmaster.
Also other UK game shows that would never make it here, they're too cerebral.
I watched more non-sports prime time TV in the two weeks I spent in the UK this year ---- than I ever have in any two week period in the US.
Quote from: tmoore952 on February 02, 2024, 11:39:58 PMAlso other UK game shows that would never make it here, they're too cerebral.
I've been catching episodes of
Pointless and
Countdown on YouTube. Of these two,
Pointless would have a better chance of getting adapted provided the right questions are used.
Of course, whats interesting is the prize amounts. "Today's jackpot stands at £2,250!!!"... or in US Dollars, $2,842.14 for
Pointless. It's worse for
Countdown. I think some of this comes down to the game show rules in the UK.
Quote from: ZLoth on February 03, 2024, 01:22:48 AM
Quote from: tmoore952 on February 02, 2024, 11:39:58 PMAlso other UK game shows that would never make it here, they're too cerebral.
I've been catching episodes of Pointless and Countdown on YouTube. Of these two, Pointless would have a better chance of getting adapted provided the right questions are used.
Of course, whats interesting is the prize amounts. "Today's jackpot stands at £2,250!!!"... or in US Dollars, $2,842.14 for Pointless. It's worse for Countdown. I think some of this comes down to the game show rules in the UK.
The cerebral UK game shows I am thinking of are Puzzling (hosted by Lucy Worsley) and Richard Osman's House of Games (hosted by Richard Osman). I have only seen these while in the UK, but it appears there might be episodes of each online.