But it peaked and then started sliding back down. Dan Fielding got “fonzied” - he became too popular and it threw the show off balance. He was great as a foil to the central character but didn’t work when he became the central character.
Heretical statement follows:
I thought Home Improvement was one of the best, if not the best, sitcoms around, sharing space with Night Court. I never could stand Cheers, and god knows I tried.
I completely agree. “But I’m MUCH better now” - I think that was one of the classic lines from his character, wasn’t it?
This exemplifies what’s wrong with so many sitcoms. They put way too much effort trying to be a family and likeable and heartwarming.
What does any of that have to do with comedy? Comedy is supposed to make you laugh not go “awwwww”.
I have a family. They love me and I love them. I don’t need to get love from my TV. I want entertainment.
The entire Internet, as near as I can tell, thinks Yakov Smirnoff is funny. Especially when you’re living in Russia.
In Internet, Smirnoff fucks you!
Maybe your tastes simple changed.
Heh–I disagree. The entire internet thinks that “In Russia, noun verbs YOU!” is funny. No-one actually likes Yakov himself.
Then foils for Dan were brought in: his diminutive boss and Will, the con-artist twin of Phil.
Nothing is absolute in comedy, but a common denominator in generations of sitcoms is that the comedy comes from character. Jack Benny’s individual lines aren’t very funny by themselves. They become funny because of the character he built up. George Burns realized that he and Gracie Allen had grown too old to play boyfriend and girlfriend, so he declared the characters married and went on from there, with much higher ratings.
You don’t have to have likeable characters. Cheer didn’t. Seinfeld didn’t. They were successful… except with the people who want likeable characters. I never got into either show.
And that matters exactly zero. Nobody cares that I want likeable characters or that you don’t want workplace shows in which the characters form a family. If you don’t like those shows, don’t watch them. If I want to watch those shows, I will. I don’t have to watch every show like that, but the ones I think are watchable do tend to fall into that category. Nothing is absolute. Just don’t tell me I’m wrong for liking them. I’m not wrong, I don’t care what you think, and your theory of comedy violates the last 80 years worth of sitcoms so it’s hardly worth paying attention to.
I have some 1400 songs in my current iPod playlist. Guess which track just came up.
And then Dan started seeng dead people!
It was already on its last legs when it was unexpectedly renewed for one extra year, forcing them to scramble.
You guys are right…it really does improve at the very end of season 3 (the last two episodes where the rookie cop arrests the lamaze class and they all give birth) and from season 4 on. There are still some icky episodes (the two parter where Dan goes into the hospital for “an ulcer”, then goes into a coma(?) and everyone bares their soul. It’s really awful). But the ratio of “awful, icky, treacle” to “really funny episodes” has dramatically improved.
I was gonna say the same thing. I think the OP was meaning to suggest that Laroquette was brilliant in an underappreciated show. His eponymous show was also quite good. It would have done well in the single camera format, and was probably 10-15 years ahead of its time.
You are a bad human being…
Partly…it was more like “He should be working more.” 
Wasn’t that Will?
Heh. I loved John Astin as a kid. That line used to crack me up.
Not at first. At first he was just hallucinating Phil. Then Will showed up, and freaked him out.
That episode had one of my all-time favorite lines:
“Harry, I don’t have a life. I have a life-style.”