# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/61 "2007-01-04T20:17:05Z")
**Bakersfield PD** ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/62 "2007-01-04T20:31:10Z")
**Arrested Development**! I know, I know, its been done, but you asked šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/63 "2007-01-04T21:07:31Z")
I donā€™t think Iā€™ve seen mentioned in this thread _Frankā€™s Place_, which ran for only one year, IIRC. It was a clever ā€œdramedyā€ created by the same folks who did _WKRP_. I first started watching it because it was centered around the cooking in a creole restaurant, but I was hooked by the funny, smart writing and acting from episode one. I have no idea why it was canceled, and I was always pissed that it was. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/64 "2007-01-04T21:25:08Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] Mine are mostly guilty pleasures: \ _Half & Half_ - I have such a crush on Rachel True. \ [/QUOTE] NO! [RACHEL TRUE IS MINE!](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874086/) Come to think of it, you can have Rachel if I can have the showā€™s other star [Essence Atkins](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040591/)šŸ˜ƒ Back on topic, _Half & Half_ was a really good show. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/65 "2007-01-04T21:38:58Z")
My favorite underappreciated sitcoms were: **Dweebs** - The misadventures of a software startup, with Peter Scolari as Warren, the socially inept (but strangely sexy, at least I thought soā€“especially after he did nothing for me in **Bosom Buddies** ) Bill Gates-meets-Steve-Jobs-style CEO. I still have all the eps on videotape somewhere. All six or so of them. It didnā€™t last long, sadly. \*\*Pearl \*\* - Rhea Perlman as a working-class mom going back to college, and Malcolm McDowell as her sadistic, stuffy Ivy-League-snob professor. I like McDowell and I thought the chemistry between the two of them was great. Got most of these on videotape too. \*\*Anything But Love \*\* - Richard Lewis in some kind of creative job (fashion house? Newspaper? I canā€™t remember). I remember that my favorite character was his female boss. \*\*Father Ted \*\* - Underappreciated in the US, at least. This show is hilarious! Oddly enough, I first got turned on to it because the guy who sent me the tape with the \*Dweebs \* episodes on it included a couple of \*Ted \* episodes because he thought Iā€™d like them. And one thatā€™s not a sitcom but had comedic elements: **Cupid**. This was one of the smartest, coolest shows to hit TV in a long time. Naturally they cancelled it with less than a season aired, so I canā€™t even buy the DVD set. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/66 "2007-01-04T21:39:08Z")
Iā€™ll second **Get a Life** and **Greg the Bunny**. The latter I only discovered on DVD. It started out pretty good and got better, so that by the end of the second disc I was very sad that that was all there was. There are some very funny moments there (including pretty much any with Tardy Turtle), and the [del]puppets[/del] fabricated Americans are funny enough to upstage Seth Green, Eugene Levy, and Sarah Silverman. ---
**Author:** ![Adversary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@Adversary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adversary)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/67 "2007-01-04T22:13:20Z")
[QUOTE=Eve] 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_. [/QUOTE] I am glad I am not the only person that loved Starved. The enema episode has burned into my brain. I laughed so hard I cried. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/68 "2007-01-04T22:31:19Z")
I should be rightly flogged for this, but IMHO **Bosom Buddies** has to rank high on this list. The premise was stupid even by sitcom standards, nearly every episodeā€™s story line was a sitcom cliche, and supporting babe Donna Dixon is on the worst TV actress short list with Barbara Feldon and Rebeca Arthur (Balkiā€™s girlfriend on _Perfect Strangers_). Still, the talent of the two leadsā€“Tom Hanks and Peter Scolariā€“more than made up for that; they had perfect and witty dialogue timing, knew exactly how to set up and deliver physical comedy, and managedwring some new humor out of each by-the-numbers set -piece they were forced into. Scene-wise there were actually a few good bits in each episode, and the late Wendy Jo Sperber was an excellent straightman for them to play against. Whenever I stumble across it on some obscure, three-digit cable channel, I always stop and watch. It was a show that proved (at least when it comes to TV) that great talent can overcome an utterly horrible premise. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/69 "2007-01-04T23:08:06Z")
Iā€™ll second _Wings, Boston Common, Stark Raving Mad,_ and _The John Laroquette Show_. How about [Wonderfalls?](http://epguides.com/Wonderfalls/) Only four episodes were ever aired. Geez, at least give it a shot before you cancel it. Also, [Grand](http://epguides.com/Grand/), another one that ran for just a short time and hardly anyone remembers. Clever and funny. ---
**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 5, 2007, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/70 "2007-01-05T00:14:43Z")
I liked _Honey I Shrunk The Kids_, with Peter Scolari, but Iā€™m not sure if that counts as a sitcom. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/71 "2007-01-05T00:51:53Z")
I remember liking **The Cavanaughs** , about an Irish American family, with the always-entertaining Barnard Hughes as the irascible patriarch. I think it lasted less than one season. And I had really high hopes for **Thatā€™s Life** , mainly because the lead actressā€“relative unknown Heather Paige Kentā€“was IMO very hot! But it also starred Ellen Burstyn and Paul Sorvino as her parents, whom she moves back in with after she dumps her fiance and goes back to college. Kevin Dillon and Debi Mazar were in it, too. Pretty good cast, but apparently not enough to get people watching it. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/72 "2007-01-05T01:04:55Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] \*\*Anything But Love \*\* - Richard Lewis in some kind of creative job (fashion house? Newspaper? I canā€™t remember). I remember that my favorite character was his female boss. [/QUOTE] I loved that show and now I canā€™t remember a thing about it and have no idea why I loved it. But I did. I think I thought there was a funny sitcom starring Tea Leoni, but my browser needs restarted because it wonā€™t open imdb. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/73 "2007-01-05T01:17:45Z")
**Winerhawk** , my favorite episode of \*\*Pearl \*\* was the one with Billy Connoly as MacDowellā€™s brother. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/74 "2007-01-05T01:22:05Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] \*\*Anything But Love \*\* - Richard Lewis in some kind of creative job (fashion house? Newspaper? I canā€™t remember). I remember that my favorite character was his female boss. [/QUOTE] I wasnā€™t crazy about that particular show, but the boss was played by the ever lively Ann Magnusen, whose work with the performance art/ psychodelic rock band **Bongwater** is well worth checking out. > **[Ann Magnuson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Magnuson)** > > Ann Magnuson is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer. She was described by The New York Times in 1990 as "An endearing theatrical chameleon who has as many characters at her fingertips as Lily Tomlin does". A founding member of the 1980s band Bongwater, Magnuson starred in the ABC sitcom Anything but Love (1989ā€“92). Her film appearances include The Hunger (1983), Making Mr. Right (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Panic Room (2002), and One More Time (2015). Magn... - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/75 "2007-01-05T01:39:20Z")
[QUOTE=BiblioCat] How about [Wonderfalls?](http://epguides.com/Wonderfalls/) Only four episodes were ever aired. Geez, at least give it a shot before you cancel it. [/QUOTE] Damn, almost made it through the thread without seeing it mentioned. The hands-down winner for me. Adding insult to injury: Kaylee from Firefly was in a bunch of episodesā€¦that never aired. Further insult: When I first got my new digital cable I saw it being rerun on a channel called LOGO. Elated, I immediately flipped over to it, and was greeted by: **NOT AUTHORIZED** :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Lola\_Granola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Lola\_Granola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lola_Granola)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/76 "2007-01-05T01:45:22Z")
ā€œThe 101 lives of Jack Black Savageā€ or something like that. It was about a pirate that needed to save souls to make up for the ones he killed as a pirate. Very cool, and it only lasted like 4-5 episodes ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/77 "2007-01-05T02:15:48Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] _Best of the West_ [/QUOTE] I think all three fans must be SDMB members. It was a great show although I was young and it only lasted a few episodes. That Frog killed me. I like **Mammaā€™s Family** for some reason too. I once told a theater snob gay man that I watched it expecting ridicule but he told me I should because it was a very good, wholesome show. I didnā€™t expect that. I liked **Silver Spoons** but I havenā€™t seen it in 20 years or so. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/78 "2007-01-05T02:43:53Z")
[Doctor, Doctor](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096566/) was well done. One of the few shows at the time where the token gay character was treated a bit more intelligently than just a queeny comic stereotype. I wish it would come out on DVD some day. Iā€™d like to watch the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Asgardking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Asgardking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asgardking)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/79 "2007-01-05T03:02:15Z")
[QUOTE=Hazle Weatherfield] The Kroft Supershow ā€¦ Open All Night [/QUOTE] I remember The Kroft Supershow fondly. I still occasionally sing Doctor Shrinker, Doctor Shrinker heā€™s a madman with an evil mind Doctor Shrinker, Doctor Shrinker heā€™s as crazy as youā€™ll ever find and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl had a lot to do with my acheiving puberty. I also remember Open All Night. There was one with a hotel that was a great parody of Psycho. ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642/80 "2007-01-05T03:02:45Z")
_May to December_. It was a hit that ran for years in the UK, but it never took off here in the States, unlike other Britcoms such as _Are You Being Served_ and _The Office_. Itā€™s a pity that it never garnered an audience here, because it was well written and well acted. The lead actor, Anton Rodgers, was amazingly funny in it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underappreciated-sitcoms-you-love/386642.md?page=5)