# What was the stupidest premise for a TV show ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303 "2005-03-07T03:22:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/21 "2005-03-07T06:14:11Z")
Correct me if I’m mistaken, but isn’t the thread about bad show _premises_? Now, the episodes may have been silly, but the premise of a sheriff in a small town doesn’t seem all that silly. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/22 "2005-03-07T06:14:26Z")
**Quark** And somebody thought that a show about intergalactic garbage collectors would be good? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/23 "2005-03-07T06:15:25Z")
Another vote for\*\* My Mother the Car.\*\* Although I have to confess that I was young enough when it came out that I enjoyed it. How many votes for **The Flying Nun**? Or that whacky **Hogan’s Heros**? ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/24 "2005-03-07T06:19:14Z")
Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/25 "2005-03-07T06:19:16Z")
> [@Manatee](#): > > **Quark** > > And somebody thought that a show about intergalactic garbage collectors would be good? The sad part is, it was actually a lot funnier than any of its competition in the same time slot. IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/26 "2005-03-07T06:21:32Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > The stupidest concept for a TV show that I’ve seen in recent times is “The Swan.” They take a bunch of average, normal women and perform drastic surgical and dental procedures on them, turning them into the Stepford Bimbos. If you nominated it for “Wrongest,” I’m pretty sure I’d agree. Not sure it’s the stupidest. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/27 "2005-03-07T06:47:37Z")
Oh thank god, I’m not the only one who remembers **Fish Police** and **The Charmings**. I thought maybe _I_ had hallucinated. I still remember an episode of **The Charmings** when somebody made the goldfish turn into a monster goldfish that came down the stairs and…well, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/28 "2005-03-07T06:55:18Z")
**Murder, She Wrote** depending on your definition of premise, but the premise of elderly mystery writer solves murder mystery isn’t possibly so outrageous. Elderly mystery writer solves mudrer mystery after murder mystery after murder mystery, etc. is, well pretty outrageous. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/29 "2005-03-07T06:57:17Z")
The premise for _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ is incredibly hokey and made me roll my eyes violently every time someone ever mentioned it but then I wound up falling for it after catching reruns on FX while at work last year. It’s pure cheese but a tasty camembert instead of Kraft’s singles. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Ann\_Thrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9a28c/32.png) [@Ms\_Ann\_Thrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Ann_Thrope)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/30 "2005-03-07T07:30:31Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > The premise for _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ is incredibly hokey and made me roll my eyes violently every time someone ever mentioned it but then I wound up falling for it after catching reruns on FX while at work last year. > > It’s pure cheese but a tasty camembert instead of Kraft’s singles. I second that. When I first heard about the show I couldn’t believe it, but years later when I found it airing in late night reruns I became a fan. Never watched it with as much enthusiasm as I did Xena, though. 😃 As for Blind Justice, it reminds me of a terrific British series called Second Sight (aired in 1999 and 2001). Maybe it will be as good a show or better than Second Sight, but the evidence of history makes me think otherwise. Second Sight info: [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/programs/secondsight/index.html](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/programs/secondsight/index.html) and here: [Clive Owen - Second Sight II](http://www.murphsplace.com/owen/tv/ss/sight.html) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/31 "2005-03-07T07:31:44Z")
_Blind Justice_ seems like it belongs on the PAX Network. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/32 "2005-03-07T07:53:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Fox News. No, no, the premise of “Fair and Balanced” is an excellent one, indeed. In this case, the failing was purely the fault of the scriptwriters. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/33 "2005-03-07T08:10:10Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > _Blind Justice_ seems like it belongs on the PAX Network. They already have one _Sue Thomas F.B.Eye_, see they spelled out I as E-Y-E… she’s deaf, and… well its based on a real person. Ooooh, I’m as clever as the PAX folks. This new show should be called (wait for it) _Blind, Just-ears_… I am sorry. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Westphal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@James\_Westphal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Westphal)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/34 "2005-03-07T08:36:04Z")
If we’re talking current shows I’d say I’m very sad that **Dr. Vegas** was cancelled. Every ad for it had me rolling on the floor. P.S. **She’s the Sherriff** ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/35 "2005-03-07T09:24:49Z")
> [@Jeff Lodoen](#): > > They already have one _Sue Thomas F.B.Eye_, see they spelled out I as E-Y-E… she’s deaf, and… well its based on a real person. > > Ooooh, I’m as clever as the PAX folks. This new show should be called (wait for it) _Blind, Just-ears_… > I am sorry. That show was part of my reasoning for wanting to place _Blind Justice_ on the PAX Network. The other part is that _Blind Justice_ would appear to have limitless potential for spewing the kind of sickly-sweet “uplifting” glurge that I think PAX would just eat up. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/36 "2005-03-07T10:49:33Z")
Amen. FWIW, I had never heard of this show until South Park made fun of it – I thought they were making it up. In Cartman’s words, _“Nooooo! God, NOOOOOOO!!!”_ > [@James Westphal](#): > > … **She’s the Sherriff** ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/37 "2005-03-07T11:36:04Z")
I was wondering when someone would come along and admit that Blind Justice is a moronic premise for a show. The guy could walk past a dead body with the murder’s name written on the wall in blood and not know a thing was wrong. Ads for it are plastered all over the city, when I’m sure there’s a good non-CSI/L&O show out there somewhere that could use some promotion. I can’t think of any worse shows, probably because they lasted a short enough time to be forgettable. This one might actually have been good as a parody… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/38 "2005-03-07T11:52:57Z")
That one where they take a group of people to an island and tell audiences that they’re fighting for survival. But they feed them and give them medical care when they fall into fire. They make them do physical challenges like a grown up’s version of Double Dare, then the most annoying people vote off the less annoying ones. Then someone wins and “forgets” to pay taxes. Lord of the Flies it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/39 "2005-03-07T11:56:19Z")
Kinda hard to beat Cop Rock as far as this sort goes, but I’m reminded of a show I saw advertised on the WB back in '96. When **Alias** and I saw it, we turned to each other and asked if it was a sketch comedy bit. I give you _[Home Boys in Outer Space](http://epguides.com/HomeboysinOuterSpace/guide.shtml)_. ---
**Author:** ![AndyPolley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AndyPolley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyPolley)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/40 "2005-03-07T11:58:14Z")
The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer. That’s all I got. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303.md?page=3)