# Help ID this 80's sitcom **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585 "2008-09-14T19:31:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/1 "2008-09-14T19:31:23Z")
This is for a friend who is going nuts trying to remember the name of a show. What she remembers is that it was about a hodgepodge of people living in the same house, which had big double doors. One of the people was a punk rock dude with blond hair who wore skinny ties. She remembers that someone (or all of them?) went to design school. None of us have any idea what show she’s talking about! ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/2 "2008-09-14T19:41:02Z")
> [@saramamalana](#): > > This is for a friend who is going nuts trying to remember the name of a show. > > What she remembers is that it was about a hodgepodge of people living in the same house, which had big double doors. One of the people was a punk rock dude with blond hair who wore skinny ties. She remembers that someone (or all of them?) went to design school. None of us have any idea what show she’s talking about! Did it have twin girls in it? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/3 "2008-09-14T19:47:45Z")
I was also thinking [Double Trouble](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086696/). There was a house, multiple people, and fashion design school. But I don’t remember skinny ties (not to say they weren’t there, my memory is fairly non-specific). ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/4 "2008-09-14T19:51:41Z")
This is possibly [The Young Ones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Ones_(TV_series)). ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/5 "2008-09-15T02:39:30Z")
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Double Trouble. The question came up because we were all reminiscing about various 80s tv shows we loved, and Double Trouble was already mentioned. I’ll email my friend the Wiki link about The Young Ones, maybe that was it! If not, I’ll be back to bump this… ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/6 "2008-09-15T03:06:37Z")
> [@saramamalana](#): > > I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Double Trouble. The question came up because we were all reminiscing about various 80s tv shows we loved, and Double Trouble was already mentioned. I’ll email my friend the Wiki link about The Young Ones, maybe that was it! If not, I’ll be back to bump this… Doesn’t sound like The Young Ones - the house actually changed once, and it certainly didn’t have any distinguishing features (aside from being incredibly dirty). They all “went” to college (Scumbag), but the show never had them at the college. I suppose Rick would be the character that wore skinny ties. He was supposedly a sociology major. Vyvyan was studying medicine. Not clear what Mike studied, and I’m sure Neil was a third world studies major or something. The most obvious clue would be - were the characters British, and was there a hippy in the cast? ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/7 "2008-09-15T03:30:33Z")
There was ‘Square Pegs’, but it was high school and the blond guy wearing the skinny ties was more new wave than punk. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/8 "2008-09-15T04:56:02Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > I suppose Rick would be the character that wore skinny ties. He was supposedly a sociology major. Vyvyan was studying medicine. Not clear what Mike studied, and I’m sure Neil was a third world studies major or something. Neil majored in peace studies, IIRC. Mike was apparently never enrolled in any particular program, relying instead on bribes and perhaps other kinds of persuasion with the dean to get his degree. And, yeah, you never saw them actually in class or studying anything (except for the University Challenge episode, where you do see Neil trying to study for the quiz on the train). The OP’s friend might be conflating Rick and Vyvan’s characters, but neither of them were blonde–so she’s either misremembering that detail, too, or she’s thinking of another show. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/9 "2008-09-15T06:37:51Z")
> [@Gotterfunken](#): > > Neil majored in peace studies, IIRC. Mike was apparently never enrolled in any particular program, relying instead on bribes and perhaps other kinds of persuasion with the dean to get his degree. > > And, yeah, you never saw them actually in class or studying anything (except for the University Challenge episode, where you do see Neil trying to study for the quiz on the train). > > The OP’s friend might be conflating Rick and Vyvan’s characters, but neither of them were blonde–so she’s either misremembering that detail, too, or she’s thinking of another show. Oh, good one. In the opening credits there’s the picture of Mike slipping the dean some cash. Vyv did bring home a leg to work on from one of his courses, as well. I don’t think the OP’s friend is thinking about this show, simply because as you state the characters are so memorable and there’s really no other show like it… ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/10 "2008-09-15T21:41:08Z")
Any chance that is it [Too Close For Comfort](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080299/)? The bio says that Jackie was a fashion designer. Maybe your friend is thinking Monroe was a punk rocker?? (It’s a stretch, I know!) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/11 "2008-09-15T21:52:35Z")
The New Monkees: [http://www.tv.com/the-new-monkees/show/14491/summary.html?q=new%20monkees&tag=search\_results;title;1](http://www.tv.com/the-new-monkees/show/14491/summary.html?q=new%20monkees&tag=search_results;title;1) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/12 "2008-09-15T22:19:13Z")
> [@bup](#): > > The New Monkees: [http://www.tv.com/the-new-monkees/show/14491/summary.html?q=new%20monkees&tag=search\_results;title;1](http://www.tv.com/the-new-monkees/show/14491/summary.html?q=new%20monkees&tag=search_results;title;1) [A bit of The New Monkees to refresh the memory.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhkvD0utCI&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-80s-sitcom/463585/13 "2008-09-15T23:46:31Z")
Were any of them men who dressed as women? It sounds vaguely like _Bosom Buddies_. One was blonde, but not a punk rocker, and they worked at an ad and design firm.