# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/141 "2005-03-09T03:08:18Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > As already mentioned, that’s\* The Good Life.\* One of the best loved Britcoms of all time, nearly equal with Fawlty Towers. It made stars of the four principal actors. The Queen was a fan, apparently. No way should this be on the list of worst premises. \*The Good Life \* was screened on the ABC here and I’m sure I recall seeing a Royal Command performance episode where the Queen was present in the studio. A strange programme that I remember was one from my childhood during the 1970s called, I think, _Vision On_. It may have been Canadian. It was a sort of continuous stream of visual images. Thinking back now, it was probably some weird, drug-fuelled joke. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/142 "2005-03-09T03:09:48Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > The main character keeps making dump quips about his blindness, his dog, etc. Already his superduper other senses have picked up on a clue missed by the sighted (but hot) female detective, who has a chip on her shapely shoulder for being assigned to the blind guy in the first place. > > Blech. Play-by-play commentary to follow, with spoiler tags as necessary. Wow…I mean, it reminds me of Daredevil the comic book, but comic book heroes are allowed to have these super-duper senses and the guy’s a cop. It’s so improbable, but the fact that the main character is a lot like Daredevil piqued my interest. I’ll just read your commentary and catch next week’s episode. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/143 "2005-03-09T03:24:19Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > A strange programme that I remember was one from my childhood during the 1970s called, I think, _Vision On_. It may have been Canadian. It was a sort of continuous stream of visual images. Thinking back now, it was probably some weird, drug-fuelled joke. According to this site, it was a BBC program, and it was aimed at deaf children. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/144 "2005-03-09T03:27:45Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > As already mentioned, that’s\* The Good Life.\* One of the best loved Britcoms of all time, nearly equal with Fawlty Towers. It made stars of the four principal actors. The Queen was a fan, apparently. No way should this be on the list of worst premises. > > Note : The snobby neighbours were actually their best friends. One of my favorite Britcoms! Thankfully, there was never an attempt (AFAIK) to Americanize this. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/145 "2005-03-09T03:48:58Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > There was some TV show in the 70s that dealt with a family moving from the big city to a small town in some place like Arizona or New Mexico and running a small TV station out of their house. Not quite sure what the premise behind that was, but it couldn’t have been too good since the show only lasted a couple of episodes. I think you’re thinking of **Harts of the West** starring Beau Bridges with appearances by virtually every member of his real family. The critics loved it but the public never bought into it. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/146 "2005-03-09T03:57:02Z")
[Felicity Kendal](http://www.celebrity.ndo.co.uk/images/FelicityKendal/Felicitykendal0003.jpg) of _The Good Life_. Not quite work safe, maybe, but nothing showing. I’m wondering what’s not to like about the entire series. I kind of liked it. But, since I realise it’s all about opinions\*, I’m open to hear what made the premise for this delightful show (imho) bad or silly. I thought it was quite a neat idea. Esp for the era it aired in. - DS9 and B5 were bad premisies imho because of the boring setting! {opinion} How many ways can I possibly state the same basic thought? I consider a static setting to be a bad premise for sci fi. I’ll take _Firefly_ any day over some silly space station. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/147 "2005-03-09T04:07:56Z")
Okay, watched it. Won’t be watching it again. The most ridiculous element in an otherwise by-the-number TV cop story: [spoiler]In a moment of confrontation with the other cops, one of them suggests the blind guy’s gun could be easily taken from him. Blind Cop then challenges loudmouth cop to try it and he stands ready. Earlier in the episode, we saw BC doing some martial arts sparring, so it’s established that he’s okay at grappling. The loudmouth cop considers it, but then gets interrupted by the hot lady cop and he backs off. What never occurs to anyone is that if a perp wants the BC’s gun, all he has to do is _hit_ BC with a stick or bat, or throw a brick at him, and then just take the gun when BC cop is on the floor stunned and bleeding. Incidentally, BC manages to save the life of hot lady cop, as well as engaging in some end-of-episode semi-flirting. Since the tension between BC and his incredibly hot wife has been shown, the possibility of an affair is apparent.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/148 "2005-03-09T04:15:07Z")
Blind guys got all the luck. I forced myself to watch L&O:SVU with Ed Grimley as a suspect in a rape murder, I do say. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/149 "2005-03-09T05:18:30Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Banacek’s hook was that he was Polish, a novel concept at the time. He was Polish? Looks to me like a Czech or Slovak name. Certainly not a Polish spelling. Just stretches the premise a little bit further … I do remember enjoying the show. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/150 "2005-03-09T05:29:00Z")
> [@me jane](#): > > I watched this show the other night on Vh1 about the Best TV shows that never were. It was about pilots that were never picked up. This one they had was John Denver as a kick-ass FBI Agent. Let me repeat that. John Denver as a kick-ass FBI Agent. The stupidest show on that special was _Poochini_, which, if it had been picked up, would probably had a following, knowing American tastes. The premise: Peter Boyle provides the voice of a deceased detective brought back to crack cases in the form of…a talking dog. Whoa! A talking dog. What were they smoking when they came up with _that_ one? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/151 "2005-03-09T05:32:51Z")
_The Simpsons_ once showed a fictional TV series that seems disturbingly plausible as an actual show: Police Cops. IIRC, the pilot was an action-adventure police show featuring a heroic detective named Homer Simpson. But when the regular series aired, the premise had been changed to a comedy: Det. Simpson had been brain damaged due to gross negligence by the police department. In order to avoid millions of dollars of legal liability, the brass had to cover it’s mistake by keeping Det. Simpson on the force as an active detective until he reached retirement age. Simpson himself was too demented to realize how damaged he was. His partner was assigned basicly to serve as his baby sitter and conduct the actual investigations assigned to the pair. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/152 "2005-03-09T06:03:51Z")
> [@bat312](#): > > A little hazy but… > > A short lived show, in the 70’s I think, about a scientist who accidentally gets morphed together with a military space satellite during a transporter experiment mishap. Not set in the future. So now, when he walking down the street and feels threatened, he turns into a robot ala the incredible hulk. He fights crime. > > Name anyone? Sounds just a smidge like “Infiltrator,” a failed Scott Bakula pilot. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/153 "2005-03-09T06:12:46Z")
> [@Governor Quinn](#): > > According to this site, it was a BBC program, and it was aimed at deaf children. Yes, that’s it. I remember that funny little insect-looking thing that was formed by writing the words _vision on_. I see that it was British, rather than Canadian, and that it was aimed at deaf children - which probably explains why it seemed overly visual to me. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/154 "2005-03-09T06:18:11Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > “Let’s make a new Star Trek!” > > “But, we’ve already got one running.” > > “Yeah, but that one is on a space ship that moves from place to place. Let’s make one where everybody is stuck in one place. That way, we can bore the viewers into expecting lame-o shows for 5 years so that when we actually add the action and diversity we should’ve had in the first place, all the newbie Trekkers will think we’re geniuses.” > > “Brilliant! You sure people won’t think it’s a rip off of Babylon 5?” > > “What do we care? And a little while down the road, we’ll make a Lost In Space version of Star Trek, starring bimbos and hack actors.” > > “Brilliant! I’ll be sure to invite my friends Berman and Bragga to come help us out a little bit after a while. Those guys are genius.” > > “Genius!” DS9 may have been a bad premise, but a was a far better show on average then TNG or VOY. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/155 "2005-03-09T06:25:06Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Oh. My. God. We have a new winner. > > “Plot Outline: In Berlin, 1938, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun have a love-hate relationship with their Jewish neighbours in this bizarre spoof of 'fifties American sitcoms” > > Furthermore the author posts a defense on the IBMD board! Beyond belief. That’s a joke, right? How the hell did something like that get greenlighted? It sounds like the premise for “Springtime For Hitler”… ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/156 "2005-03-09T06:31:19Z")
There was also, _Holmes & Yoyo_ about a cop who’s partner was an android. If the android pressed his nose, a polaroid picture of whatever he was looking at would print out of his shirt pocket. Naturally, he got punched in the nose at least one episode, thus causing tons of pictures to spew out of his pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/157 "2005-03-09T06:32:24Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > [Dad gives up a lucrative LA career and moves the family to Iowa.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070967/) Yeah, right. Didn’t Demi Moore actually do that? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/158 "2005-03-09T06:46:46Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > The stupidest show on that special was _Poochini_, which, if it had been picked up, would probably had a following, knowing American tastes. The premise: Peter Boyle provides the voice of a deceased detective brought back to crack cases in the form of…a talking dog. Whoa! A talking dog. What were they smoking when they came up with _that_ one? Are you sure that was **Poochini?** The only entry IMDB turns up is for an [animated cartoon.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352090/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj0xfHE9cG9vY2hpbml8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=20) In any event, the basic premise sounds like a rip-off of the Chevy Chase/Benji movie, [**Oh Heavenly Dog.**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081269/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj0xfHE9aGVhdmVubHkgZG9nfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=21) Please don’t ask me how I remember that… ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/159 "2005-03-09T13:16:38Z")
I don’t know why this thread holds such a fascination for me, but I suddenly thought of a show I put out of my mind. The premise: A police dog, wrongly accused of turning on his master, wanders the country helping families and people as he goes. The hook, in moments of crisis, the dog has flashbacks to his training in order to remember how to deal with a given emergency. If you can remember this Saturday morning show, please post a name for it. It was sort of like, The Fugitive meets Kung Fu Meets Rin Tin Tin. I believe it was from the late 70’s or early 80’s. Now, that’s high concept. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303/160 "2005-03-09T14:00:33Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > _The Simpsons_ once showed a fictional TV series that seems disturbingly plausible as an actual show: Police Cops. You forgot another one: Admiral Baby and Talk to the Hand. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-stupidest-premise-for-a-tv-show-ever/293303.md?page=9)