# Greatest Cast for mediocre or worse TV show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769 "2017-09-19T23:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/21 "2017-09-20T19:30:42Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In 1976, Dick Van Dyke had a short-lived variety show, [Van Dyke and Company](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074068/). It being Van Dyke, he had a lot of stars making guest appearances, including Carl Reiner, Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, etc. > > But, what I remember from watching it at the time was the recurring performances by an odd, foreign performer, who lip-synced to a recording of the “Mighty Mouse” theme: it was a then-little-known Andy Kaufman, doing his “Foreign Man” character. Looking at IMDB, it also lists Chevy Chase and Bob Einstein (a.k.a. Super Dave Osborne) as having appeared in multiple episodes. I remember that show. It actually was funny and might’ve had a chance in an era where variety shows weren’t going extinct. Airing it at 10 p.m. on Thursday night didn’t help things either. Chase, who was red hot coming off the first season of SNL, was the guest star on Van Dyke’s first show. Kaufman also did his Elvis impersonation a few shows later. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/22 "2017-09-20T19:32:12Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The same could be said about the original Battlestar Galactica. A fine and competent cast, regulars and guests, and completely crap stories. I liked the original, much better than the travesty with the same name. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/23 "2017-09-20T19:36:48Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Kaufman also did his Elvis impersonation a few shows later. My memory of Kaufman’s appearances is that they played it totally straight, and never let the viewer in on the joke. ISTR that his first appearance had him competing against someone else on something; based on reading about Kaufman’s Foreign Man performances from that period, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a Jimmy Carter impression contest. Anyway, the other guy (whose impression was pretty bad, too) won. But, the next week, Van Dyke brought Foreign Man back for another appearance, maybe saying something about him not getting a fair shake the previous week. It might’ve been that appearance in which he did the Mighty Mouse bit. I was only 11 at the time, and it all went totally over my head, until he did the Elvis bit. I kept wondering, “why are they bringing this guy out there? He has no talent at all!” ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/24 "2017-09-20T21:18:43Z")
_Perfect Strangers_. Kind of lackluster if you look at it on paper, but made really enjoyable by the cast. Like _Bosom Buddies_, it centered around a comedy duo that worked really well with one another. If Hanks/Scolari or Pinchot/Linn-Baker had come up in the 1940s, they’d have been like Abbott/Costello or Martin/Lewis. Thought it might not be good for the OP, because the whole cast wasn’t as impressive as the leads. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/25 "2017-09-20T21:44:05Z")
_Pink Lady (and Jeff)_ had Japan’s mega pop duo of all time-- they used to fill football stadiums to overflowing with fans for their concerts, and Fred Silverman brought them to the US, put them in a TV variety show (back when those kinds of shows used to do well), and made a show that generally beats out only _The Star Wars Holiday Special_ and a Laugh-in clone cancelled mid-broadcast for the worst thing ever on TV. Imagine centering a show around the Beatles, but then making them perform in a foreign language they didn’t speak, and churning out a variety show worse than the _Brady Bunch Hour_. That was _Pink Lady (and Jeff)_. This is fun. And I remember that MTM show too, but I didn’t register that the co-worker was Katey Segal either. I wasn’t that old when it was on, and Katey Segal hadn’t done _Married with Children_ (which I didn’t watch) or _Futurama_ (which I did). Whose dumb idea was _Superior Donuts_? And who talked Judd Hirsch into it? Is he hurting for money, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/26 "2017-09-20T21:44:55Z")
> [@Saltire](#): > > _Perfect Strangers_. Kind of lackluster if you look at it on paper, but made really enjoyable by the cast. Like _Bosom Buddies_, it centered around a comedy duo that worked really well with one another. If Hanks/Scolari or Pinchot/Linn-Baker had come up in the 1940s, they’d have been like Abbott/Costello or Martin/Lewis. The two leads really did elevate some pretty crappy material. Did you see Mark Linn-Baker on The Leftovers? Hadn’t seen him for years. He was great. Bronson Pinchot is a weird guy in real life, but he really did deliver Balki in a funny way. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/27 "2017-09-20T21:58:50Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > a Laugh-in clone cancelled mid-broadcast _Turn-On_; February 5th, 1969. You probably already knew that but I thought I’d offer it anyway, especially since it featured Tim Conway. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/28 "2017-09-20T22:40:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip_ had a really solid cast. You would never have expected that the weak link on the show was going to be Aaron Sorkin. But he insisted on making the show a thinly veiled complaint about what he perceived as his poor treatment on _The West Wing_. I think it had more to do with the fact that at the center of the show was a comedy that was completely devoid of comedy. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > How about Space 1999? Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, Barry Morse, and many competent guest stars every week. Names you’d know - Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Brian Blessed, Ian McShane, Joan Collins, Jeremy Kemp, Julian Glover, Leo McKern. But, bless 'em, the stories were beyond stupid. And I _wanted_ to like it. I gave it every chance. > > The same could be said about the original Battlestar Galactica. A fine and competent cast, regulars and guests, and completely crap stories. 12 year old me hates you. I loved that show. I was forced to watch or at least sometimes listen to The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It starred Shailene Woodley who has been nominated for everything. It also had actors like Molly Ringwald, Steve Schrippa, Jennifer Coolidge, Kathy Kinney, Ernie Hudson… no one was really bad in their role but the show itself was so bad it made me angry. Woodley’s character was infuriating. It made me itchy. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/29 "2017-09-20T22:42:04Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The two leads really did elevate some pretty crappy material. Did you see Mark Linn-Baker on The Leftovers? Hadn’t seen him for years. He was great. > > Bronson Pinchot is a weird guy in real life, but he really did deliver Balki in a funny way. Linn-Baker was fantastic in _Noises Off!_, as well. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/30 "2017-09-20T22:44:08Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Linn-Baker was fantastic in _Noises Off!_, as well. \*\*\*My Favorite Year \*\*\*was his best role in my opinion. Perfect movie and he was very good in it. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/31 "2017-09-20T23:45:00Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > especially since it featured Tim Conway. What’s a Tim Conway? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/32 "2017-09-20T23:48:53Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > What’s a Tim Conway? He was the (to quote Vicki Lawrence) “The Little Asshole” that cracked up everyone else on the Carol Burnett show. Also did a bunch of live action Disney Films in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/33 "2017-09-20T23:53:24Z")
Woosh. A Tim Conway’s about 160lbs Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/34 "2017-09-21T01:17:51Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Woosh. > > A Tim Conway’s about 160lbs I had to double-check. The actual line is an improbable “about 120 pounds.” Or at least in that particular version of the joke - there may be others. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/35 "2017-09-21T05:02:09Z")
Bob Newhart with Tom Poston. Both great comic talents, but a terrible series. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/36 "2017-09-21T11:32:25Z")
1984’s **The Duck Factory**. It starred little-known **Jim Carrey** (who would remain little-know for a few years afterwards), the legendary **Jack Gilford** , and cartoon voice actor **Don Messick** (best known for Scooby-Doo) as – well, a cartoon voice actor. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/37 "2017-09-21T14:58:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > 12 year old me hates you. I loved that show. I’m with you there! After thoroughly enjoying UFO, I was primed for Sparce 1999 to be equally as good. In my market, though, it was on at a weird timeslot and a lot of episodes were preempted. It’s funny - there are still episodes I haven’t seen (I have all the DVDs). I’m so reluctant to watch the ones I haven’t seen, because every time I do, it’s stupid. For every Dragon’s Domain or The Last Enemy, there’s a Missing Link, or Joan Collins as The Queen of Outer Space. To be fair, when I saw Black Sun originally, I thought it was stupid because black holes don’t behave that way. I watched it again recently and got a whole different perspective. I actually like it now. It’s very metaphysical. I’m not sure it was meant to be understood that way, but it can be, ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/38 "2017-09-21T15:10:48Z")
I figure TWO GUYS, A GIRL, AND A PIZZA PLACE deserves mention, since it gave work to nobodies Ryan Reynolds and Nathan Fillion before they’d proved they could carry projects, _and_ before Traylor Howard started fielding her signature role on MONK; add in some bits by David Ogden Stiers after he earned those Emmy nominations on MASH, and ensemble-comedy success should follow, right? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/39 "2017-09-21T15:31:05Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I figure TWO GUYS, A GIRL, AND A PIZZA PLACE deserves mention, since it gave work to nobodies Ryan Reynolds and Nathan Fillion before they’d proved they could carry projects, _and_ before Traylor Howard started fielding her signature role on MONK; add in some bits by David Ogden Stiers after he earned those Emmy nominations on MASH, and ensemble-comedy success should follow, right? Funny, I never thought Traylor Howard was anything but the much lesser replacement for Sharona on Monk. Her character never worked as well for me. I actually didn’t even know her name until just now. Ryan Reynolds is very successful but I never thought he could act and was just the male equivilent to a starlette. I’ll admit he was pretty good as Deadpool though. Now Nathan is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769/40 "2017-09-21T16:47:22Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I’m with you there! > > After thoroughly enjoying UFO, I was primed for Sparce 1999 to be equally as good. In my market, though, it was on at a weird timeslot and a lot of episodes were preempted. It’s funny - there are still episodes I haven’t seen (I have all the DVDs). I’m so reluctant to watch the ones I haven’t seen, because every time I do, it’s stupid. > > For every Dragon’s Domain or The Last Enemy, there’s a Missing Link, or Joan Collins as The Queen of Outer Space. > > , How dare She! Zsa Zsa Gabor was the Queen of Outer Space! [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Queen_of_Outer_Space.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Queen_of_Outer_Space.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-cast-for-mediocre-or-worse-tv-show/796769.md?page=3)