# "How did anyone think that was a good idea?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 13, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380 "2020-03-13T02:12:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/1 "2020-03-13T02:12:53Z")
TV shows and movies are made by a large number of people collaborating, so there are usually some checks and balances on really bad ideas percolating to the big or little screen. What are some of the things done in TV and Movies that you can’t believe they managed to think were a good idea? I’m not talking about things like replacing an actor because the original one left or things that were just executed badly, I’m looking for things that are so bad it seems like everyone would realize it would flop but for some reason it happened anyway. For example, one of the attempted spinoffs from the Babylon 5 TV show Legend Of The Rangers came up with a really bizarre-looking idea for a fire control on a spaceship, where the gunner would be suspended in midair and would control the guns by punching and kicking at enemy ships. It was a weird, goofy-looking, grossly impractical setup, and I just don’t see how anyone thought hovering kung fu spareship fighting complete with screaming was going to come off looking good to an audience, even back in the early 2000s. Here’s a clip of it: [Legend of the Rangers - Space Battle - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZapAjjTDbh4) , digging up this clip for another thread is what prompted me to post this one. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/2 "2020-03-13T08:22:01Z")
[My Mother The Car.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058830/) Probably the most inconceivable, absurd, POS to ever sail across the public airwaves ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/3 "2020-03-13T13:32:02Z")
Most SNL movies, simply because most SNL skits can’t be spun out into a full film and still remain amusing, and that should be obvious. For every _Blues Brothers_ there’s an _It’s Pat_, for every _Coneheads_ there’s a _Night at the Roxbury_, for every _Wayne’s World_ there’s a _The Ladies Man_ or _Stuart Saves His Family_. And _Blues Brothers 2000_ was sad for reasons unrelated to it being an SNL movie. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/4 "2020-03-13T13:53:13Z")
Counterpoint: Sharknado ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/5 "2020-03-13T14:10:28Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > TV shows and movies are made by a large number of people collaborating, so there are usually some checks and balances on really bad ideas percolating to the big or little screen. What are some of the things done in TV and Movies that you can’t believe they managed to think were a good idea? I’m not talking about things like replacing an actor because the original one left or things that were just executed badly, I’m looking for things that are so bad it seems like everyone would realize it would flop but for some reason it happened anyway. > > For example, one of the attempted spinoffs from the Babylon 5 TV show Legend Of The Rangers came up with a really bizarre-looking idea for a fire control on a spaceship, where the gunner would be suspended in midair and would control the guns by punching and kicking at enemy ships. It was a weird, goofy-looking, grossly impractical setup, and I just don’t see how anyone thought hovering kung fu spareship fighting complete with screaming was going to come off looking good to an audience, even back in the early 2000s. Here’s a clip of it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZapAjjTDbh4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZapAjjTDbh4) , digging up this clip for another thread is what prompted me to post this one. For every show that makes it on the air, there are literally hundreds of pilots that are written, cast, and filmed, and don’t make it. I think _some times_ the decision makers are not thinking in terms of what they like, but in terms of what they imagine some strawman audience would like. Much of the TV industry at the top is coastal urban educated upper-middle class people making shows for the rest of America, so you can imagine there is often a disconnect. But as to your example of the marionette kung-fu fighter, well, that is just one aspect of show rather than the whole story. I can only imagine a late night creative session going off the rails - “What if they have a cat with laser beam eyes? Or OR OR a guy (giggle) who hangs by wires and uses kung fu moves to fight spaceships! THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! No, really guys. We have to do that!” ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/6 "2020-03-13T14:24:40Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Counterpoint: Sharknado See, that is what makes it hard. If quality was the only indicator of success, this would be a lot easier. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/7 "2020-03-13T14:32:43Z")
“Whatever flips your Bic” (Dick Martin) ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/8 "2020-03-13T15:29:35Z")
The Madonna Guy Ritchie remake of Swept Away. The original is about a rich lady and a sailor who get marooned on an island and he beats and rapes her until she falls in love with him. It is probably one of the most sexist movies ever made, and is only thought of as a classic because it is supposed to be an allegory of marxist class conflict. How they thought a remake would be appropriate after the fall of the USSR and the introduction of feminism is mystifying. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/9 "2020-03-13T15:36:10Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > See, that is what makes it hard. If quality was the only indicator of success, this would be a lot easier. Exactly. For every George Lucas ca. 1976 there’s an Ed Wood ca. 1958. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/10 "2020-03-13T15:41:49Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Here’s a clip of it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZapAjjTDbh4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZapAjjTDbh4) , digging up this clip for another thread is what prompted me to post this one. Jesus that was painful ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/11 "2020-03-13T15:53:40Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Most SNL movies, simply because most SNL skits can’t be spun out into a full film and still remain amusing, and that should be obvious. For every _Blues Brothers_ there’s an _It’s Pat_, for every _Coneheads_ there’s a _Night at the Roxbury_, for every _Wayne’s World_ there’s a _The Ladies Man_ or _Stuart Saves His Family_. And _Blues Brothers 2000_ was sad for reasons unrelated to it being an SNL movie. FYI Stuart Saves His Family is another exception: it was directed by Harold Ramis, who also did Groundhog Day and Caddyshack. It’s worth your attention. It has heart and depth behind the comedy. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/12 "2020-03-13T15:55:29Z")
How about a remake of “What Women Want” told from the other side? I present “What Men Want.” > **[What Men Want (2019) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7634968/)** > > What Men Want: Directed by Adam Shankman. With Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Ledlow, Josh Brener, Kellan Lutz. A woman is boxed out by the male sports agents in her profession, but gains an unexpected edge over them when she develops the ability to hear... ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/13 "2020-03-13T16:14:30Z")
In 1993, ABC gave Paula Poundstone her own variety show. It aired on Saturday nights (mistake 1.) Unfortunately, I can’t find a clip of it, so you’ll have to settle for [this review of Epsiode 2](https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/the-paula-poundstone-show-abc-sat-oct-30-9-p-m-1200434419/). > [@Variety](#): > > Show’s looniness hits its peak as Poundstone, in the studio, interviews via satellite four economists who are riding spinning cups at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and who shout out answers to her questions such as “Should the government regulate private business?” (Lest things even approach seriousness, a barbershop quartet sings as they also ride the spinning cups.) > > As a Halloween treat, Sam Donaldson reads from Maurice Sendak. (“I don’t know how we tricked Sam Donaldson into this,” Poundstone later wonders.) There was no Episode 3. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/14 "2020-03-13T16:22:45Z")
Who Greenlighted _Hogan’s Heros_? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/15 "2020-03-13T16:31:34Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > [My Mother The Car.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058830/) Probably the most inconceivable, absurd, POS to ever sail across the public airwaves You say this because you’re not Canadian and never saw [The Trouble](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Tracy)[With Tracy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEshPX5YHYE). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/16 "2020-03-13T16:50:30Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > In 1993, ABC gave Paula Poundstone her own variety show. It aired on Saturday nights (mistake 1.) I saw the first episode, which was very uneven. The problem most of the show was ad-libbed, which meant a lot just fell flat. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/17 "2020-03-13T17:05:13Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > [My Mother The Car.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058830/) Probably the most inconceivable, absurd, POS to ever sail across the public airwaves I haven’t actually seen an episode of _My Mother the Car_, but just as counterpoint was the premise really that much more absurd than say _Mr. Ed_, or _Bewitched_? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/18 "2020-03-13T17:13:26Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Who Greenlighted _Hogan’s Heros_? Well, since it’s (mostly) based on “Stalag-17”, an Academy Award winning picture, based on a successful Broadway play, that was proposed as a TV series a few years earlier, it makes a bit more sense. The translation to comedy certainly stands out as an interesting choice. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/19 "2020-03-13T17:14:52Z")
Missed the edit window, but for my nomination, I pick _[The Greatest American Hero](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081871/)_. Years ago there was a bit of a revival in interest in the show, and one of the cable networks (maybe SyFy?) ran a marathon of all the episodes. I tuned in to a few thinking it might be fun in a kitschy, “so bad it’s good” kind of way. It wasn’t. It basically just felt like a bad 1980s cop show that happened to include a superhero. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380/20 "2020-03-13T17:51:05Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > FYI Stuart Saves His Family is another exception: it was directed by Harold Ramis, who also did Groundhog Day and Caddyshack. It’s worth your attention. It has heart and depth behind the comedy. And there was a whole SNL skit “selling” a book full of _Caddyshack_ quotes so you could pretend you’d seen it. I’ll check it out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380.md?page=2)