I’ve never seen this show before. I’m watching my second episode on TV right now. Not exactly PC by today’s standards, but it’s cracking me right up anyway. 
I wonder if this show is where Down Periscope [Kelsey Grammer] got its inspiration from? (A movie I also love)
Too bad that You’ll Never Get Rich (aka Sgt. Bilko, aka The Phil Silvers Show) isn’t in still in reruns. (Or is it? I haven’t seen it in at least 25 years.)
From 1962 to 1966, I lived for Tuesday nights when Combat! and McHale’s Navy were on back-to-back.
There was a short-lived (1964–65) MHN spinoff called Broadside that was basically the same show with WAVEs in WWII. Instead of Fuji, the Japanese deserter, the one who didn’t quite fit in was a guy named Marion, who had been assigned to the WAVEs by mistake. IIRC, it was on ABC on Sunday nights.
Whatever you do, don’t watch the 1997 MHN movie with Tom Arnold. Like every movie revival of a classic TV series I’ve ever seen, it’s absolutely wretched!
Down Periscope derives more from The Dirty Dozen than it does McHale’s Navy.
Binghamton always cracked me up.
I remember it from when I was a kid and I’ve watched a few episodes as an adult. The cast was fantastic. All of them. Even Gavin MacLeod.
Here’s what Wiki has to say about it:
It also sounds very reminiscent of Rogue Warrior, the book by SEAL Team Six founder “Demolition Dick” Marcinko.
I doubt there was any direct connection. There’s always been a genre of service comedies. Down Periscope was inspired by McHale’s Navy - but also by Sgt Bilko, MASH, Operation Petticoat, Mister Roberts, In the Navy, Gomer Pyle, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, Stripes, Son of a Sailor, The Last Detail, Kelly’s Heroes, Catch-22, Private Benjamin, 1941, Father Goose, Let’s Go Navy!, Buck Privates, No Time for Sergeants, Great Guns, The Sad Sack, Caught in the Draft, Don’t Go Near the Water, Ensign O’Toole, The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell, etc.
Love that show.
it started as a drama, Seven Against the Sea.
Back when Comedy Central (which may have been Comedy Channel at the time) filled its space with old syndicated sitcoms, this was one of my faves–right up there with Soap. 
Got the series on DVD. Loved that show! Dad was in the Navy when it was on, and he was into waterskiing. (He had a boat.) He always wanted a PT boat.
Unfortunately, the SO isn’t into watching old TV shows on DVD; only newer ones.
If it is, it’s probably on one of those channels dedicated to really old reruns that show up as subcarriers.
Season 1 (along with the original pilot) was released on DVD, but presumably it didn’t sell well enough to warrant a Season 2. I’m a little surprised somebody like Shout Factory didn’t pick up the rights to it.
(Reportedly, there are some episodes that have never been allowed to be shown in syndication, including one with Kay Kendall, one with The McGuire Sisters, and one where Bilko dreams he’s the father of Bing Crosby’s sons. I say “reportedly” because at least part of the McGuire Sisters episode may be on YouTube.)
This should definitely be grounds for divorce! :mad:
It’s on MeTV, but at a really inconvenient time unless you’re a night owl or have a DVR. It’s on Sunday mornings, two episodes between 3 and 4 A.M.
I’m not going to disagree with you there, it was a bad, by-the-numbers comedy, but at least it had Bruce Campbell and Brain Haley in it and they were fairly amusing as McHale’s crew.
The Dick Van Dyke Show is much better.
Two completely different styles of comedy. The level of writing for each was superb, as were the casting, acting, and direction. Can’t really compare them (Bilko and McHale vs DVD), but I love all three.
Right! We’ll get married right away, and then I’ll fix her!
Why bother? Marriage is EVIL to begin with! :mad:
There was a MHN movie with the original cast that came out more or less when the series was airing. I actually saw it in a theater.
Here it is. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it unless I were a big fan.
Tim Conway was clearly the best part of that show.