Is there any consensus on whether “WKRP in Cincinnati” ranks among the great sitcoms of all time? I’ve always thought it was one of the best (if not the best) sitcoms, and the comments on places like Jumptheshark.com are overwhelmingly positive, but the TV critics never seem to put it in the so-called pantheon. And yet among ensemble workplace shows I’d put it somewhere near the top if not at the very top – less preachy and joke-dependent than MAS*H, more varied characters than “Barney Miller” (which could never come up with a good female character), and a broader range of stories than “Cheers” or even “Taxi.”
Looking through The bank of WKRP clips at YouTube.com, I’m reminded of how strong the characterizations were on WKRP – even the characters who would have been dead wood on any other show, like Andy or Bailey, got great scenes and strong episodes, and they never had a character who was given over to wisecracks or standard “dumb” jokes like most sitcoms do. Les was an idiot but he wasn’t an idiot like Coach or Woody on “Cheers,” someone who just says dumb things or misunderstands stuff; he was an idiot who said weird and surprising things.
Add in the clever use of music (which is now keeping the show off DVD), and the sense of continuity (the whole last season had a story arc about the station getting more successful and putting more money into remodeling and paying the employees) and the many different kinds of episodes they did (farce episodes, and serious episodes, and character studies) and this was a show that got more done in a four-year run than most sitcoms can do in ten years. I know it’s very popular, but I still think it’s underrated for all that.
Sorry for the length of that; I originally just wanted to kick off a discussion, but kind of got lost among the old clips. Damn, I wish they could do a DVD.
Just short of great, but very good. I wouldn’t quite put it up with things like Dick Van Dyck, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, or Arrested Development, but it’s certainly at the top of the second tier.
I’d call it one of the three or four best of all time. The combination of character development, comedic happenings and plot development over time make it stand out from others that seem to exist in a vacuum. Just astonishing.
And today I’d drop everything to answer Bailey’s call.
Have to agree with Chuck. The individual pieces are extremely good, but the show as a whole never completely cohered. Most of the episodes were pretty spotty, in fact, with a series of individual scenes that could be great followed immediately by scenes that fell flat.
Despite that one good scene, Bailey was terribly underused and underwritten, while Herb was overdone. Andy was supposed to be the center and star of the show but got pushed aside for the more flamboyant characters. Venus got a few episodes but basically got to play sideman most of the time.
While the show’s a personal favorite, I think it works better as nostalgia than it would to watch over the course of a full season. Or worse, the entire run. The first year was growth and the last year was decline and only the middle had a chance at the greatness you mention.
Besides, all those youtube clips are copyright violations. They are not legal to post. I wish the mods would make a ruling on this.
I’d say WKRP was the Roger Maris of sitcoms. Great for a little while, holds the record for most memorable gag line (“thought turkeys could fly”), but lacks the sustained excellence necessary to be considered an all-time great like MAS*H, Cheers or the Simpsons.
I’d place it in the Top 10 definately, maybe in the Top 5. It’s light-years ahead of what passes for good these days, like Arrested Development. I treasure my VHS tapes of reruns I’ve caught over the years, even without the original music.
That’s a good point about the YouTube clips, one I hadn’t considered (though I think, morally if not legally, the matter is a bit different for material that isn’t available to the public in any other form). I can’t edit my post, but if the mods think those links shouldn’t be there, they should take them out.
I don’t know if I agree that the show works better in bits and pieces. I think I get a better sense of the characters from watching a number of full episodes in succession, especially because the writers kept dropping hints as to what the characters were like in private life and you could only pick up on those hints from watching several episodes. (Venus in particular had a biography that was so tangled that they actually devoted one of the last episodes to creating a valid continuity for the character, where we found out why he was acting “out of character” in the pilot.) Also the way they’d switch gears or styles from one week to another was something that was better appreciated viewing it as a whole.
Oh, it’s in the league of MAS*H and Barney Miller, but they’re not the greatest of all time either. Dick van Dyke, Andy Griffith, Mary Tyler Moore…are in a tier above them.
I still love WKRP, and did from the beginning. The CBS brass didn’t have any faith in it and kept shifting its time slot. I’m surprised it lasted four years. What made it work for me and a lot of other fans was the character development. Travis, Venus, Jennifer, “Big Guy,” Les, Fever, Herb and Bailey were all unique, and the show was never mean-spirited.
IIRC, during the first season the opening credits rolled over the sound of someone moving up and down the radio dial and settling on different stations for just a few seconds. It’s a vague memory, but the schtick was pretty funny. I think the song (“Baby, if you ever wondered. . .”) came in the second year.
And every guitar player I know loves that closing kick-out jam that is not identified, but I think they used it throughout the show’s run.
I must confess a deep infatuation with Bailey that lasted for years. Everyone always made big over whats-her-name at the front desk but it was Bailey that caught my eye.
There, I said it.
Loved the show. Caught it re-runs in Ireland. It really felt like they were at a small station in Cincinatti. Good characters and some great lines. I’d put it up there.
The closing theme song was utter gibberish by the way but still a decent tune.
I loved the show, being a radio guy. (Another fan of Bailey Quarters here.) I taped the whole marathon the last time they had one on Nick At Nite. I wonder, would those be the original episodes with the music they don’t seem to be able to license for DVD? Or would they have edited these for syndication?
I think it is a top 10 sitcom. I wish they would get the real music back and rerun it and release it on DVD. The advantage of CBS being stupid was the show never had a chance to jump the shark.
Not in order and very quick, my pool of top sitcoms of all time:
MASH, Barney Miller, MtM, All in the Family, Taxi, WKRP, Dick Van Dyke, I Love Lucy, Simpsons, The Odd Couple, Burns & Allen (was this really a sitcom?)
Some near greats: Night Court & Cheers
Lute Skywatcher: You are so right about Wentworth, she was great. Used sparingly Bernice was also great.
Jim {see here my top 10 list is better, it goes to 11}
