# short-lived sitcoms **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559 "2009-02-12T17:40:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/21 "2009-02-12T22:39:56Z")
There was the Corey Haim sitcom **Roomies** that I remember liking at the time, and was disappointed to see canceled. Does anyone remember an early Fox or UPN sitcom about some women in prison? It was on about the same time period as **Herman’s Head**? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/22 "2009-02-12T22:43:41Z")
It was called [Woman in Prison](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092485/) and it starred Wendy Jo Sperberg. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/23 "2009-02-12T22:44:54Z")
Doh :smack: It is, of course, the arcanely named Fox sitcom **Women in Prison** with Wendy Joe Sperber. (missed Annies-Xmas swatting me with the cluebat). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/24 "2009-02-12T22:45:23Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Great show! Remember Quark? I thought I saw a thread not too long ago mentioning that Quark was out on DVD. Or did I dream it? Mine would be a show called “Johnny Bago”, which was only on for one summer about 20 years ago. It was about a guy who was on the run from the mob and his parole officer / ex-wife. He hitched a ride with an old guy in a Winnebago who subsequently croaked. I recall that every episode they introduced a new mob hit man who was sent out after Johnny and who always wound up dead by the end of the episode. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/25 "2009-02-12T23:08:36Z")
I have no idea why [_Joe Bash_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Bash) continues to occupy space in my brain. I was 13 when its six episodes graced the airwaves, and I don’t remember any of them. I just remember, at the conclusion of the first episode, my father saying “I don’t think that’s going to last too long.” He was right, as it turns out. I do remember liking [_American Dreamer_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098743/episodes#season-1) somewhat. As it made it to episode 18, though, maybe it doesn’t count in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/26 "2009-02-12T23:25:23Z")
[_Callihan_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083396/) a backdoor pilot spoof of _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ that didn’t get picked up. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/27 "2009-02-13T00:59:31Z")
[Hot L Baltimore](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072512/fullcredits#cast) - 1975, ran for 13 episodes. Had James Cromwell and Charlotte Rae, and also featured an early gay couple, and characters that were prostitutes and illegal immigrants. A little ahead of its time, to say the least. Memorable quote - from Charlotte Rae, as Mrs. Bellotti, referring to her son (who was one of those ‘never seen, but often referred to’ characters): “Moose is upstairs, buttering the hallway.” ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/28 "2009-02-13T02:03:06Z")
[We Got It Made](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085108/) - Two New York single guys hire a hot blonde babe to be their live-in maid, much to the chagrin of their girlfriends. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/29 "2009-02-13T04:31:10Z")
_The Jackie Thomas Show_ - a showcase series for Tom Arnold back when he was married to Roseanne Barr. Arnold played the self-centered star (Jackie Thomas) of a TV sitcom. It was surprisingly well done. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/30 "2009-02-13T04:33:53Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought I saw a thread not too long ago mentioning that Quark was out on DVD. Or did I dream it? No, it’s defintiely out. I have a copy although I haven’t watched it yet. > [@](#): > > Hot L Baltimore - 1975, ran for 13 episodes. Had James Cromwell and Charlotte Rae, and also featured an early gay couple, and characters that were prostitutes and illegal immigrants. A little ahead of its time, to say the least. Memorable quote - from Charlotte Rae, as Mrs. Bellotti, referring to her son (who was one of those ‘never seen, but often referred to’ characters): “Moose is upstairs, buttering the hallway.” There was also a French version of this show that was made a year later (both were based on a Broadway play). ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/31 "2009-02-13T04:42:31Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Mine would be a show called “Johnny Bago”, which was only on for one summer about 20 years ago. It was about a guy who was on the run from the mob and his parole officer / ex-wife. He hitched a ride with an old guy in a Winnebago who subsequently croaked. I recall that every episode they introduced a new mob hit man who was sent out after Johnny and who always wound up dead by the end of the episode. I remember it well, but your description doesn’t really capture the surreal humor of the show. At a trailer park in the northwest, Johnny hangs out with a guy who is, in all likelihood, Elvis. That sort of thing. There was also this screwy comedy back in 1982, only ran for 6 episodes. But I think a few of us might remember **Police Squad**. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/32 "2009-02-13T04:59:18Z")
Does two seasons and 32 episodes count as “short lived”? I loooooved [Boston Common](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Common_(TV_series)). It was one of the most well written comedy series that got the proverbial network axe. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/33 "2009-02-13T05:42:29Z")
> [@](#): > > I remember it well, but your description doesn’t really capture the surreal humor of the show. At a trailer park in the northwest, Johnny hangs out with a guy who is, in all likelihood, Elvis. That sort of thing. That reminded me of _Eerie, Indiana_ another good but short-lived series. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/34 "2009-02-13T07:53:01Z")
[Frank’s Place](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092354/). One of the best TV shows ever. Only ran for 22 episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/35 "2009-02-13T08:12:46Z")
Police Squad! has to be the ultimate - there were only 6 episodes made, but it spawned an enormously successful move franchise. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/36 "2009-02-13T12:58:11Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > Considering it was created by Mel Brooks, you’d think there be more than this one brief clip online for [When Things Were Rotten](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InicU68nSwc) Also considering that is way WAY better than that Men In Tights dreck that Mel tried to pass off on us two decades later. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/37 "2009-02-13T13:12:47Z")
No one has mentioned the best short lived sitcom [Max Headroom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_(TV_series)) ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/38 "2009-02-13T13:36:23Z")
The two most successful short-lived sitcoms are _Fawlty Towers_ and _The Office_, both only twelve episodes. The least successful short-lived sitcom had 130 awful episodes packed into one season: _The Trouble with Tracy_. Another short-lived sitcom I particularly lked was CBC’s _The Newsroom_. The original 13 episodes were great. It went off the air for a few seasons and then straggled back, but it was really the first season that was great. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/39 "2009-02-13T13:59:23Z")
I’d like to add “Zorro and Son” to the mix. My wife and I liked all five episodes. I think we were alone. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/40 "2009-02-13T14:22:46Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Doh :smack: It is, of course, the arcanely named Fox sitcom **Women in Prison** with Wendy Joe Sperber. > > (missed Annies-Xmas swatting me with the cluebat). If it makes you feel better, I didn’t remember the title either. But I did remember Wendy Jo. She is always unforgetable. ETA: There was [Princesses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princesses_(TV_series)), starring a pre-Nanny Fran Drescher and Twiggy. Drescher and her husband Peter Marc Jacobson based The Nanny on Twiggy and her family. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559.md?page=3)