# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/61 "2009-02-14T02:32:11Z")
Nothing could be more short-lived than _The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer_ (4 episodes aired). The last name was supposed to be pronounced “Puh-Feiffer.” It was cancelled after one month. > **[The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Diary_of_Desmond_Pfeiffer)** > > The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer (/pəˈfaɪfər/ pə-FY-fər) is a short-lived American sitcom that aired on UPN from October 5 to October 26, 1998. Before it even debuted, the series set off a storm of controversy because of a perceived light-hearted take on the issue of American slavery. > A Black English nobleman named Desmond Pfeiffer, chased out of the United Kingdom due to gambling debts, becomes President Abraham Lincoln's valet. In the show, he serves as the intelligent and erudite backb... I liked this bit though from wiki: > [@](#): > > In 2000, the show featured prominently in the pilot episode for Clerks: The Animated Series. In that episode, Dante and Randall come up with a plan for saving the Quick Stop by watching an episode of Desmond Pfeiffer, referring to it as “totally classic Pfeiffer”. > > Also in 2000, the Spike Lee film Bamboozled, featured Damon Wayans’s character, Pierre Delacroix, makes reference to the show in a debate about the roles of African Americans in film and television. Also, not marketed as a comedy, but there’s always _Cop Rock_ (which I actually liked – concept-wise, anyway). ---
**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 14, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/62 "2009-02-14T03:25:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Nothing could be more short-lived than The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer (4 episodes aired). The last name was supposed to be pronounced “Puh-Feiffer.” It was cancelled after one month. What were you doing on January 9, 2006 between 8:00 and 8:30 pm? I was watching the complete run of the ABC televison series _Emily’s Reasons Why Not_. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2009, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/63 "2009-02-14T10:48:51Z")
_Sledge Hammer_. Trust him, he knows what he’s doing. ---
**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 14, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/64 "2009-02-14T13:28:25Z")
[Snip](http://www.tvparty.com/recsnip.html) had a good cast, seven episodes were made, then the network pulled the plug and never aired it. It was aired in Austrailan, where it was a huge hit and they wanted more. ---
**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 14, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/65 "2009-02-14T16:06:35Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > _Sledge Hammer_. > > Trust him, he knows what he’s doing. Aw, man, I \*loved \*that show! It made it two full seasons, didn’t it? One I just remembered this morning: I laughed like an idiot through all eight episodes of _The Tick_ (the live action one with Patrick Warburton). A friend and I still quote it at every opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559/66 "2009-02-14T19:06:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What were you doing on January 9, 2006 between 8:00 and 8:30 pm? I was watching the complete run of the ABC televison series _Emily’s Reasons Why Not_. Ah, man! Even in Cafe Society, they’ve never heard of hyperbole (;)). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-lived-sitcoms/485559.md?page=3)