# Underappreciated Sitcoms You Love **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2007, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642 "2007-01-04T03:57:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/21 "2007-01-04T11:05:47Z")
I reckon I’m one of a very small number of Brits who remember _Big Wave Dave’s_ fondly (or indeed at all). It had David Morse starting a new life running a surf shop in Hawaii and dragging his friends along with him. I think it only ran for a few episodes, but I liked it a lot. They only showed it over here at ~1am on one of the lesser watched channels. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/22 "2007-01-04T12:39:21Z")
_The “Slap” Maxwell Story_, starring the very funny Dabney Coleman and the scrumptious Megan Gallagher. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/23 "2007-01-04T12:49:12Z")
_Wings._ For one thing, it had Crystal Bernard. The writing was first rate and the cast (especially Roy, the competing airline rep) was hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/24 "2007-01-04T13:11:23Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] _Best of the West_ [/QUOTE] Ha! I was going to say that. I can’t believe anyone else [remembers it](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTG4qJK0RJo). I recall Christopher Lloyd the most. I saw one episode of a UK Sitcom called [The High Life](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108803/) starring [Alan Cumming](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhHDITepKFM) as a Flight Attendant. It was hi-larious, and I regret forgetting to tune into the rest of the series. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/25 "2007-01-04T13:51:28Z")
I like some of the shows mentioned, didn’t know they were underappreciated, like _Wings_ or _NewsRadio_ Mine are mostly guilty pleasures: _Life with Bonnie_ - is it my imagination, or is this filmed live, improv-style? _Half & Half_ - I have such a crush on Rachel True. _Stacked_ - I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Pamela Anderson is actually pretty funny, in a Loni Anderson in _WKRP_ kinda way. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/26 "2007-01-04T13:59:22Z")
Oh, I was a fan of **Best of the West** , too. Same with **Herman’s Head** and **Hot L Baltimore**. Some oldies: **He and She** – Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss. He was a comic strip artist; she worked in Traveler’s Aid. Populated by great supporting actors like Kenneth Mars (as their neighbor), Hamilton Camp (memorable as their super), and Jack Cassidy (as the vain actor portraying Benjamin’s comic book hero on TV). **Callucci’s Department** – Barney Miller-esque look at a government agency. Also a great cast, with James Coco and Jose Perez. **The Duck Factory** – I have no idea why this isn’t readily available on DVD; it has a premade selling point: it starred an actor who went on to become (and still is) a major box office attraction. Jim Carrey. (Though he was not the wild man here. It was set in a cartoon studio. When the Walt Disney-ish owner dies, his widow (the terrific Theresa Ganzel) names puts Carrey in charge. Cast includes Jack Guilford (as the director), Jay Tarses (a writer from the Dick van Dyck show who turned to acting), and Don Messick (the voice of Scooby Doo, Papa Smurf and many others) as the voice man for Dippy Duck. Lots of great in-jokes for cartoon fans: in one episode, you see Bill Scott (the voice of Bullwinkle) singing a medley of cartoon theme songs – all from Jay Ward/Bill Scott shows. **Bob** – Another great comedy starring Bob Newhart, where he was a comic book artist called out of retirement when they decide to revive his character Mad Dog. But Mad Dog was a 50s hero, and this was the 90s, so the character was darkknighted, much to Bob’s chagrin. With Cynthia Stevenson as Bob’s daughter (the only time he had a child in any of his sitcoms, though she was an adult child). John Cygan was wonderful as Harlan Stone, a Harlan Ellision takeoff, and the rest of the cast was fine, too. The show was written by Mark Evanier, who writes **Groo**. CBS juggled the show from timeslot to timeslot; it did OK, but was hard to find. When renewed they insisted all the good elements be removed so Jere Burns and Betty White could be added to the cast, and the first episode of the second season was the clearest delination of “jumping the shark” ever. ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/27 "2007-01-04T14:05:43Z")
\*\* Grounded for Life \*\* - the final season lost focus when the brothers opened a bar, but the seasons leading up to it, about a Catholic couple who had children when they were very young, was fantastic with most episodes retelling whatever family disaster occurred via flashbacks. It’s like **Memento** except funny. \*\* It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia \*\* - on break between seasons (I hope), it features three siblings and their buddy who own a dive bar in Philly. They are morally reprehensible which makes it even funnier. The addition of Danny Devito in season two was a great one as he plays their equally unpleasant father. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/28 "2007-01-04T14:07:33Z")
“Titus” and “The Job”. Two shows that didn’t last nearly long enough. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/29 "2007-01-04T14:13:09Z")
[QUOTE=Ruby] I really enjoyed the writing of _Boston Common_ [/QUOTE] Seconded; that was a great show. I also liked _The Single Guy_. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/30 "2007-01-04T14:20:51Z")
[QUOTE=Merijeek] “Titus” and “The Job”. Two shows that didn’t last nearly long enough. -Joe [/QUOTE] Titus was okay, but I only watched it because it was the lead-in to _Dark Angel_. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/31 "2007-01-04T14:28:36Z")
I liked a few of the ones mentioned so far - **Boston Common, SportsNight, Titus** and I also liked **Major Dad**. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/32 "2007-01-04T14:29:37Z")
I also like the original season of “Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place”. Including the guy that would just tackle someone without provocation (football fantasy?). ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/33 "2007-01-04T14:44:09Z")
The cancellation of [It’s Your Move](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086737/), which starred Jason Bateman and lasted seven episodes from 1984-85, taught me that I shouldn’t get too attached to TV shows I really, really like. For a family-oriented sitcom, it had some really sharp writing. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/34 "2007-01-04T14:54:13Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] My World and Welcome to It. Based on James Thurber writings. It was very good and came on before Laugh In in the old days. [/QUOTE] Seconded. That was a fantastic show. Around the same time was Arnie. Brilliant show. In the mid-70s there was a show in which penitentiary inmates were the protagonists. It was dumb as shit, but I loved it. What was the name of it? ---
**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:** [January 4, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/35 "2007-01-04T14:56:11Z")
**On the Rocks** is the prison show. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/36 "2007-01-04T14:59:42Z")
**Greg The Bunny** was absolutely hilarious, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/37 "2007-01-04T15:04:17Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] Seconded; that was a great show. I also liked _The Single Guy_. [/QUOTE] That would have been a decent show if it hadn’t had, you know, “The Single Guy”. Great cast, but Silverman sucked with a capital “ucked”. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/38 "2007-01-04T15:08:26Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] **On the Rocks** is the prison show. [/QUOTE] Ah, yes. Thank you. I was also a big fan of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. I think that was the first time I encountered the beautiful Jodie Foster. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/39 "2007-01-04T15:29:41Z")
[QUOTE=TommyTutone] \*\* It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia \*\* - on break between seasons (I hope), it features three siblings and their buddy who own a dive bar in Philly. They are morally reprehensible which makes it even funnier. The addition of Danny Devito in season two was a great one as he plays their equally unpleasant father. [/QUOTE] I have a hate-on for that show because it was originally paired with the dark, brilliantly funny [Starved](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462140/). The network decided they could only keep one of them, so _Starved_ got the ax in favor of the dumber, less-funny _Philly_. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/40 "2007-01-04T15:32:22Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] I like some of the shows mentioned, didn’t know they were underappreciated, like _Wings_ or _NewsRadio_ Mine are mostly guilty pleasures: _Life with Bonnie_ - is it my imagination, or is this filmed live, improv-style? [/QUOTE] Ditto-ditto! I came to post this sit-com, too. I always wondered if it was improv, or if at least parts were. I thought is was extremely funny and off-the-wall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642.md?page=3)