# Crappy TV sitcoms that only lasted a few episodes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149 "2002-07-27T19:57:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/121 "2004-04-19T17:53:11Z")
> [@RexDart](#): > > Worst I can remember, for gimick status especially, was the short-lived early 90’s Fox show “Whoops!” A man survived a nuclear holocaust because he was in his Volvo at the time (!) and everyone remaining on earth (about 6 people) eventually came to live together in this same little house for no apparent reason. The show lasted long enough to have a Thanksgiving episode and a Christmas episode. It was a completely formulaic mix of one-dimensional personalities designed to get an occasional cheap joke out of the rich guy’s arrogance or the smart girl’s proud feminism. “Whoops!” had its moments, though… and I still quote one of the opening lines: “The Volvo proved even safer than advertised.” (Said after Our Hero survives nuclear devastation by sheer virtue of sitting in his Volvo as the world ends.) That line cracks me up every time. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/122 "2004-04-19T18:00:57Z")
I remember seeing at least one episode of a sitcom called _[A Year at the Top](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075602/)_ starring Paul Shaffer and Greg Evigan (so you know it’s quality entertainment. The premise was two musicians who sell their souls to the devil for a year of fame. I don’t know if it ever even made it past the “aired pilot” stage given the paucity of information at IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/123 "2004-04-19T18:08:11Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > **Creaky** : the show was called “The Dumplings”, and it was yet another preachy Norman Lear schlockfest\*. > > … > > \*Yes, I know I’m a heretic: Lear is revered as like unto a Gawd. I still say “Feh. He’s a preachy hack with two dimensional characters and straw-men situations.” Speaking of Norman Lear and bad TV, didn’t he do a short lived series called _All That Glitters_ ? The gimmick was that all male and female roles were reversed: The take-chart female executive, the submissive male secretary, etc. It was thought provoking, at least to me, in that it made me evaluate why some of the scenes were just outright uncomfortable . . . But NOT good TV. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/124 "2004-04-19T18:12:46Z")
“take-chart” = “take-charge.” Man, that’s gotta be _something_ Freudian. Yep, I wasn’t hallucinating: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075658/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075658/) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/125 "2004-04-19T18:25:57Z")
> [@Ankh\_Too](#): > > _The Duck Factory_ lasted for a couple of months in 1984. Starring **Jim Carey** , the scary part is that he played the “normal” one. > > Truly painful to watch. I remember seeing Carey on a talk show after the show ended, and him lamenting its cancellation. I was thinking, “Never gonna hear about this washed-up loser again…” Heh. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/126 "2004-04-19T18:32:45Z")
> [@SteverinoAlaReno](#): > > Susan Dey starred in a sitcom on CBS, circa 1992, where she owned a restaurant/bar in New York. This one lasted a few episodes, which is surprising given Susan Dey’s acting talent… [Love & War](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103481/) lasted a few _seasons_, though Ms. Dey did not. > [@ShibbOleth](#): > > The premise was two musicians who sell their souls to the devil for a year of fame. I don’t know if it ever even made it past the “aired pilot” stage given the paucity of information at IMDB. Too bad. The second season premiere could have been interesting. The aptly named [The Pitts](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338647/) demonstrated that drug-addled TV executives were still greenlighting unfathomably awful shows as recently as 2003. Does anyone remember a series about an Italian family having dinner together once a week? If so, why? What about a show that I thought was called the “Ugily Family” but apparently wasn’t, with the hilarious premise being that the main characters weren’t terribly attractive? ---
**Author:** ![wildcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/439d5e/32.png) [@wildcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wildcat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/127 "2004-04-19T22:39:33Z")
[QUOTE=watsonwil] Cop Rock? There was a comedy on in 1985 or so about the President and his family (not the Fox George C. Scott series, Mr. President).QUOTE] I dont remember that series (probably because i wasnt born) but I do remember a sitcom about our current president made by the creators of South Park called “That’s My Bush”. Actually, it was a satire/sitcom which means they mocked everything about the sitcom formula such as laugh tracks (which i really hate), deliberate dopey, predictable plots, and cheesy catch phases. The show made its point the first 5 minuts, but after that, the episodes were mind numbing like every other 80’s sitcom. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/128 "2004-04-19T23:11:04Z")
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned **Capitol Critters** , a truly heinous show that (i believe) was the first to attempt to capitalize on the “Simpsons” phenomenon. Also, what about **Monopoly: the game show**? I can’t find any documentation that it ever existed, but I remember it, and the horror… ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/129 "2004-04-20T00:16:19Z")
[Family Dog](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-64/) , an animated show about, well, the family dog. Even though it only ran a month, it did somehow spawn a SNES game (a fairly uninspired platformer). And I do remember Monopoly. Og, I can still hear the theme music in my head. Now where did I put that icepick? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/130 "2004-04-20T01:13:34Z")
_Carlton Your Doorman_, the mystery voice from _Rhoda_ gets his own animated show. (yes, a spin-off of a spin-off) It lasted one episode. Speaking of awful American remakes of classic British, shows, its only fair to point out that we Brits made a dire remake of _The Golden Girls_. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105961/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105961/) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/131 "2004-04-20T01:18:05Z")
Oh, and I’ll predict that _Joey_ will be cancelled after 7 episodes. ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/132 "2004-04-20T03:05:35Z")
For years after it’s debut (and subsequent cancellation) Fox’s [Party Girl](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-2287/) was the standard of sitcom futility among my friends. We didn’t know Emeril was lurking in the future. I only remembered Party Girl running for 2 episodes, but TVTome says 4 were aired. I can’t imagine. There was another terrible, loathsome, unfunny show on in the same 1 hour block, which was canceled just about the same time but I don’t remember the name. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/133 "2004-04-20T05:27:23Z")
Bagdad Cafe with Whoopi Goldberg and Jean Stapleton. and Cafe Americain with Valerie Bertinelli. So remember, when you see anything with “Cafe” in the title, turn and run away. Far, far away 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/134 "2004-04-20T06:28:18Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I remember seeing at least one episode of a sitcom called _[A Year at the Top](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075602/)_ starring Paul Shaffer and Greg Evigan (so you know it’s quality entertainment. The premise was two musicians who sell their souls to the devil for a year of fame. I don’t know if it ever even made it past the “aired pilot” stage given the paucity of information at IMDB. According to [this site](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeGuideServlet/showid-2522/A_Year_at_the_Top/), three episodes were aired. **TWDuke** asks: > [@](#): > > Does anyone remember a series about an Italian family having dinner together once a week? If so, why? “Why” is beyond my powers of guess-hazarding, but I believe you speak of [_The Montefuscos_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072546/). As for the show you thought was called “The Ugly Family”, [_We’ve Got Each Other_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075598/plotsummary) comes to mind. Oliver Clark (Mr. Herd on _The Bob Newhart Show_) and Beverly Archer certainly don’t conform to conventional notions of attractiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/135 "2004-04-20T06:48:47Z")
Hands up all those who knew The Mulletts was doomed after seeing the first commercial. ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/136 "2004-04-20T06:56:21Z")
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned the abominable **Townies** which I only watched cos it had Molly Ringwald in it and I think she’s hot. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/137 "2004-04-20T12:08:01Z")
> [@Legolamb](#): > > You’d think they’d have learned from the American versions of Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous and Red Dwarf by now. :rolleyes: American versions of successful UK sitcoms are usually pretty dire … and it works the other way, too. I remember, they did a remake of _Married with Children_, with Russ Abbott in the “Al Bundy” role … painful. And let’s not go into _Brighton Belles_ … I saw several episodes - possibly _all_ the episodes - of Emma Thompson’s sketch show. I may be the only one who ever did. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![International\_Playboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/48db29/32.png) [@International\_Playboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/International_Playboy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/138 "2004-04-20T15:02:13Z")
I remember several seasons ago, one network advertising a sitcom starring Christopher Lloyd. My memory is vague and I can’t find anything about it in a quick web search, but IIRC, it was about a desposed king or dictator who moved to America and managed a laundromat. The show was pulled from the lineup without a single episode being aired. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/139 "2004-04-20T15:54:05Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > “Why” is beyond my powers of guess-hazarding, but I believe you speak of [_The Montefuscos_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072546/). Ah, that’s the one. Twenty-three minutes of ethnic stereotypes standing around in their house yelling and waving their arms, as I recall. At least they didn’t spend a lot on sets and locations. > [@](#): > > As for the show you thought was called “The Ugly Family”, [_We’ve Got Each Other_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075598/plotsummary) comes to mind. Oliver Clark (Mr. Herd on _The Bob Newhart Show_) and Beverly Archer certainly don’t conform to conventional notions of attractiveness. No, this wasn’t a show featuring some actors who didn’t confrom to Hollywood standards of beauty; this was a show built around the inherent hilariousness of not being beautiful. Here it is: _The **Ugily** Family_. Two references on the entire Internet? Do I win some kind of obscurity prize? [http://jmtoyzilla.tripod.com/rantugly.html](http://jmtoyzilla.tripod.com/rantugly.html) [http://stephan.com/Headshot/](http://stephan.com/Headshot/) > [@](#): > > And one of the sitcoms was a pilot for an Al Molinaro vehicle called, I swear, The Ugily Family, about a brood from New Jersey (thanks) who had to adjust to life in beautiful southern California. Needless to say, they were all lumpy and had big noses. I specifically remember a moment in the show where the daughter pulls on Al Molinaro’s nose and says, “Don’t you get it, Daddy? We’re not California beautiful!” And of course the running gag was that the neighbors mispronounced their family name, Ugily (yoo-jee-lee), as, ha ha, “Ugly.” ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149/140 "2004-04-20T18:04:51Z")
Bah, **Master Control**! _[Cafe Americain](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105967/)_, to this day, is the best sitcom I’ve ever seen. I knew it would be cancelled as soon as I saw it, but it was brilliant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crappy-tv-sitcoms-that-only-lasted-a-few-episodes/121149.md?page=8)