# What's the Least Funny TV Show Ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292 "2005-11-29T23:25:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/61 "2005-12-03T21:59:43Z")
Who dared suggest “King of the Hill?” You blasphemer! “Step by Step” was the most contrived, lame, predictible piece of dreck to ever hit the airwaves. Compared to it, “Full House” was at least watchable. Sort of. “Who’s the Boss” might have been tolerable if it wasn’t for Mona or whatever the mother’s name was. Thankfully I’ve managed to all but repress the memory of “Small Wonder” but does anyone recall a show called “Jennifer Slept Here,” which I think involved a teenage boy and a gorgeous female ghost? Another one I’ve almost successfully repressed. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/62 "2005-12-03T22:22:55Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Hey! The 80s and 90s included Cheers, Taxi, The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Friends, Seinfeld… …and Night Court and Sledge Hammer! and Police Squad!.. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/63 "2005-12-04T01:42:18Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Hey! The 80s and 90s included Cheers, Taxi, The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Friends, Seinfeld… OK-_Cheers_ --until it jumped the shark. Besides, \*\*Frasier \*\* was just so much better. _Taxi_ --I never found this one funny–and I could never get into the characters. Perhaps because all the cabs I have ever been in (not all that many, I’ll grant you) have Middle Eastern drivers–even back then. _Cosby_ --let’s have a completely unrealistic show about about a wealthy black family that has horrible taste in sweaters! And at one point, they changed the number of kids they had to fit a plot requirement. (I did watch it, though-it was mildly amusing, not funny). _Roseanne_ -Darlene was the best part of the three episodes I watched. _Friends_ --some classic comedic timing (Phoebe was the best character), but I already know too many entitled, smug, boring white yuppies. _Seinfeld_ --you got me. I loved the snarkiness of it–the whole “in your face, I’m a selfish, narcissistic pig” of George, of all of them, really. I except MASH from the wasteland of '80’s sitcoms, as well. (except the last episode). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/64 "2005-12-04T03:19:23Z")
**The Pilgrims** – I think that’s the name. Anyhow, it’s about pilgrims. Real TV pilgrims. One classic line involved the family’s daughter accurately predicting the discovery of bacteria in a “wouldn’t it be fun?” moment of mundane clarity. It was an ongoing joke that lasted for the brief time it took before a network executive woke up in the middle of a meeting and went like this: “I had the strangest dream… (looks at TV screens in the background) Oh, my God! No!” ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/65 "2005-12-04T04:32:12Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > OK-_Cheers_ --until it jumped the shark. Besides, \*\*Frasier \*\* was just so much better. > > _Taxi_ --I never found this one funny–and I could never get into the characters. Perhaps because all the cabs I have ever been in (not all that many, I’ll grant you) have Middle Eastern drivers–even back then. > > _Cosby_ --let’s have a completely unrealistic show about about a wealthy black family that has horrible taste in sweaters! And at one point, they changed the number of kids they had to fit a plot requirement. (I did watch it, though-it was mildly amusing, not funny). > > _Roseanne_ -Darlene was the best part of the three episodes I watched. > > _Friends_ --some classic comedic timing (Phoebe was the best character), but I already know too many entitled, smug, boring white yuppies. > > _Seinfeld_ --you got me. I loved the snarkiness of it–the whole “in your face, I’m a selfish, narcissistic pig” of George, of all of them, really. > > I except MASH from the wasteland of '80’s sitcoms, as well. (except the last episode). Well, if you don’t like those…(and I’m not sure I agree with your taste – “Cosby” was funny, and not necessarily unrealistic; “Roseanne” was funny _and_ realistic…) But the 80s and 90s also gave us: Frasier – I believe it has won more Emmys than any other sitcom The Simpsons – the Golden Period was in the 90s Everybody Loves Raymond – Gets a lot of flack here, but still highly enjoyed by most people The Critic – Not a personal favorite, but it’s in the very selective “never jumped” category on [jumptheshark.com](http://jumptheshark.com) Dream On – One of HBO’s earliest greats Perfect Strangers – (just kidding) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/66 "2005-12-04T05:11:12Z")
> [@KRC](#): > > Thankfully I’ve managed to all but repress the memory of “Small Wonder” but does anyone recall a show called “Jennifer Slept Here,” which I think involved a teenage boy and a gorgeous female ghost? Another one I’ve almost successfully repressed. Yep. Ann Jillian was the ghost. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/67 "2005-12-04T05:31:12Z")
You folks have clearly never had the misfortune to stumble across Just For Laughs: Gags on canadian television. It’s like Candid Camera, as made by humorless, french-canadian jagoffs. I truly would be better entertained by a half-hour of commercials. The worst part is that it sullies the good name of Just for Laughs, one of the better standup comedy shows that runs on The Comedy Network. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/68 "2005-12-04T06:23:23Z")
> [@Max the Immortal](#): > > You folks have clearly never had the misfortune to stumble across Just For Laughs: Gags on canadian television. It’s like Candid Camera, as made by humorless, french-canadian jagoffs. I truly would be better entertained by a half-hour of commercials. The worst part is that it sullies the good name of Just for Laughs, one of the better standup comedy shows that runs on The Comedy Network. Hey, they show that on AirTransat flights! Like with Candid Camera, it can be hilariously funny for the first half hour or so. After that it just becomes a mind-numbingly repetitive montage of reaction shots. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/69 "2005-12-04T07:35:50Z")
> [@Millit the Frail](#): > > _Full House_ may be unfunny, but _Family Matters_ had Urkel. > > Urkel was not funny, and as his presence only increased over time, _Family Matters_ approached a complete lack of funny. > > And not only did it have Urkel, but it had, Stefan Urquelle, the UrkelBot, the Urkel (the dance), Urkel’s clone, and the inevitable Steve and Laura hookup at the series end. > > It is, thus, the least funny show ever. QED. Geez, you certainly seem to know this show well. You never missed an episode. For me, I have to second the mention of **Tom goes to the Mayor**. About as funny as the bottom of your spetic tank. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/70 "2005-12-04T07:58:42Z")
You all seem to be forgetting a set of shows I dislike, all with the same premise. Mr. Belvedere, Gimme a Break, The Nanny, Benson, and the previously mentioned Who’s the Boss. They all have the same premise, that of the wisecracking butler/maid/nanny moving into the house and hilarity ensues. ---
**Author:** ![marque\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/71 "2005-12-04T18:11:11Z")
No hate for **The Jeffersons**? Let’s take a character who’s only reason for existence is to annoy Archie Bunker, America’s most lovable bigot, and give him his own TV show. When we do this, we’ll deprive the character of the only purpose he ever had, and instead we’ll run hin through all the changes that every other sit-com father in the 1970’s has to endure. To add to the fun we’ll give him a wise-cracking maid and, now here’s an original idea, a wife that’s smarter than he is. I loathed this show. I wanted this show to work. Show the real problems of an upwardly mobile black middle-class family. Instead, we got lame, rehashed sitcom dreck. 3 minutes of Eddie Murphy doing Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood on SNL was funnier than all the TV years wasted on **The Jeffersons**. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/72 "2005-12-04T18:14:09Z")
> [@marque elf](#): > > No hate for **The Jeffersons**? They turned George into a black Archie. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/73 "2005-12-04T20:30:23Z")
I agree with the vast majority of the opinions stated here… not including the mention of King of the Hill. I believe that **Saved By The Bell** is also fully deserving of nomination. And finally, something so obscure that I’m not even sure if it’s a real memory or not, but when I was a child in the 70’s I recall seeing a Canadian sitcom called something like **Michael and Michelle** about a French Canadian and an English Canadian who lived together and had wacky misunderstandings. Being Canadian, from the 70’s and not even having CBC backing, it was the most contrived, poorly executed, low production value, crappily acted piece of bilge to ever come down the pike. Even as a youngster I understood just how awful it was. In fact, it was probably the first time I understood what the word “lame” really meant. ---
**Author:** ![mcjunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@mcjunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcjunk)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/74 "2005-12-13T23:49:31Z")
Sorry for bumping this unnecessarily, but I had to mention “She’s the Sheriff”, starring one Suzanne Somers, and part of the low-rent after-school triumvirate with the much-loathed “Small Wonder” and “Out of This World”. While “Out of This World”'s premise involves a teenager who’s really the daughter of a powerful unseen father (sort of like Greek mythology, but replacing the sex and death with hi-jinx and shopping), “She’s the Sheriff” is based on the idea that the local sheriff dies, and his wife, Chrissy from “Three’s Company” is the best and only candidate, which seems insulting to both feminists and chauvinists. Needless to say, hilarity does not ensue. Had me scrambling to find “Blossom,” for Pete’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/75 "2005-12-14T01:20:51Z")
> [@The Mad Hermit](#): > > Does the show have to try to be funny? > > I nominate **Meet the Press**. Auggh, you beat me to it. I was going to nominate **Frontline**. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/76 "2005-12-14T02:54:00Z")
Incidentally, has anyone ever watched SNL circa 1979 lately? I think it was funny only because we were a) kids, b) on drugs, or c) all ov the above. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/77 "2005-12-14T11:03:21Z")
> [@drewbert](#): > > Auggh, you beat me to it. I was going to nominate **Frontline**. **Friends.** Without a doubt \*\*Friends. \*\* From the godawful Beatles rip-off theme tune to the cast lining up to say their punchline of the month and be patronising to anybody not in their smug little New York yuppie circle the whole think stank like month-old herring. How the hell it lasted as long as it did is a mystery. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/78 "2005-12-14T11:13:55Z")
Channel 4 have just started showing **Just Shoot Me** with David Spade around the time I get up for work instead of the old episodes of Friends that used to be on at that time. There are more laughs to be had watching the BBC Breakfast News… ---
**Author:** ![Glassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Glassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glassy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/79 "2005-12-20T01:55:05Z")
Just the other day I caught an episode of a show I’d never seen before: **Three And A Half Men** , the sitcom with Charlie Sheen in it. Damn, that was some not funny tv. As far as I can tell, it has the same basic plot as **Full House** , but with Charlie Sheen. Who thought that was a good idea? I think I was somewhat entertained by the credits sequence, but the following twenty-five minutes was stupid, offensive, and grimly lacking in amusement. I was awed by the not-funniness. ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292/80 "2005-12-20T02:12:23Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Yep. Ann Jillian was the ghost. Oh dear god. I thought I didn’t know what show that was, but I _clearly_ remember Ann Jillian playing a ghost. I can only assume I’ve blocked the rest out because it sucked powerful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-least-funny-tv-show-ever/333292.md?page=5)