# Worst TV Shows, or-Why we call it The Idiot Box **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559 "2013-03-21T18:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/41 "2013-03-21T21:20:48Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _Happy Days_ only in the sense that _Mork and Mindy_ was a spinoff of that series. Robin Williams guested in the pilot and, like the rest of the show, was painfully unfunny. David Brenner played the angel (“Random”) and was even worse. Mork and Random were apparently cosmic buddies of some sort, but the guest shot was obviously an attempt to liven up a lame series and win ratings. > > I remember watching that episode and wanting to fling my television set off my balcony afterwards. Actually, Jimmy Brogan played “Random”. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/42 "2013-03-21T21:25:09Z")
The Charmings–Snow White and Prince Charming do a sitcom. It was as bad as it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/43 "2013-03-21T21:27:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Actually, Jimmy Brogan played “Random”. They’re indistinguishable. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/44 "2013-03-21T21:35:31Z")
Nobody’s mentionned _Joanie loves Chachi_ yet? Or was it put out of our misery before the cutooff? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/45 "2013-03-21T21:35:33Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _Happy Days_ only in the sense that _Mork and Mindy_ was a spinoff of that series. Robin Williams guested in the pilot and, like the rest of the show, was painfully unfunny. David Brenner played the angel (“Random”) and was even worse. Mork and Random were apparently cosmic buddies of some sort, but the guest shot was obviously an attempt to liven up a lame series and win ratings. > > I remember watching that episode and wanting to fling my television set off my balcony afterwards. It was an “Episodic Spinoff” (though there are probably other terms). There are three basic types of spinoff- 1. Character Spinoff: a regular or at least recurring character becomes the center of a show. Successful: _Gomer Pyle_, _Rhoda_, _The Jeffersons_ Less successful: _Flo_, _Gloria_, _Grady_ 2. The Posthumous Spinoff: a show ends and one or more of the characters continues in another show Successful: _Frasier_, _Lou Grant_, _Mayberry RFD_ (though it never airs now) Less Successful: _Joey_, _Three’s A Crowd_, _Sanford Arms_ And then there’s this one: a character is written especially for no other purpose than to be spun off, like Random (in an episode where Fonz has to fight the devil for some reason or other) and Mork. Often the pilot starts like an episode of the regular show and quickly switches to characters you’ve never seen before. Pilot-episodes that were never picked up include one about an interracial marriage on _Facts of Life_ (the bride was Tootie’s aunt) or Ken Berry and his wife raising three multiracial children on an episode of _The Brady Bunch_. You don’t have these so much anymore. Speaking of: Wasn’t _Family Matters_ (easily a candidate for ‘worst long running sitcom’) an episodic spinoff of some show? ---
**Author:** ![lew\_cody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@lew\_cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lew_cody)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/46 "2013-03-21T21:58:05Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Speaking of: Wasn’t _Family Matters_ (easily a candidate for ‘worst long running sitcom’) an episodic spinoff of some show? Yes, Harriette was the elevator operator on “Perfect Strangers” for a couple of years before “Family Matters” began. Don’t recall if there was any crossover after the latter series began. I can think of several game shows that were awful enough that I regretted wasting time on them and couldn’t believe someone actually green-lighted them. In particular, “Break the Bank” (syndicated in 1985) and “Bargain Hunters” (on ABC in 1987) were _vile_. In both cases, the combination of cheesiness and stupidity were just amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/47 "2013-03-21T22:10:14Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > There was one, after “Car 54 Where Are You”, called “It’s About Time” (I can still hear the theme song in my ear). It starred Joe E Ross (another candidate for the thread about performers with middle initials) as a caveman; I think Imogene Coca was his wife. It actually aired 26 episodes (one full season, in those days). I’m not sure how many I watched, but it sings through history as one of the worst wastes of time (at least before reality TV) ever broadcast. > > [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QebFI-3zMO0)’s the pilot, complete with dinosaurs and cavemen existing at the same time, for those who have nothing better to do. > Roddy Excellent choice. I’m not sure I made it through five episodes of this sucker. A footnote to the comment on the second season - they got there by somehow getting a Gemini capsule launched into orbit. Cramming five people in there is simple by comparison. As I recall, there were no treadmills involved. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/48 "2013-03-21T22:20:49Z")
Joanie Loves Chachi AfterMASH The San Pedro Beach Bums Cavemen Anything live action show ever made for the Disney Channel. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/49 "2013-03-21T22:33:25Z")
1. [Aliens in the Family](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X91tsfRmVqA&playnext=1&list=PL988312BD7A7005F4&feature=results_main). **Warning!** Link not safe for your sanity! 2. **V** (the original series) 3. **That’s My Bush!** ---
**Author:** ![Vashbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Vashbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vashbul)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/50 "2013-03-21T22:59:17Z")
_Washingtoon_ on the USA network, 80s. It was supposed to be based on a satirical Village Voice comic strip that I really liked; imagine my disappointment when the only thing that made it to the tube was the name of the protagonist, Bob Forehead. V. bad. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/51 "2013-03-21T23:00:18Z")
I certainly remember watching the first couple of episodes of the **Chevy Chase Show** and being horrified. I recall a specific sketch where Chevy went to go put his hands in the cement outside that Chinese Theater, and fell in. I cringed. Wikipedia says it lasted for five weeks \ 1. **Out Of This World**. Alien teenager who talks to her Dad through a glowing cube voiced by Burt Reynolds, who sounded like he was reading his lines over the phone while sitting poolside. Slightly better than **Small Wonder** which makes it much less rewatchable. 2. **Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip**. Another for which I hung around, watching it get preachier and more irritating, until one episode where two characters were locked on the roof of the building surrounded by skyscrapers and didn’t have cell reception or some shit. That was it for me. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/52 "2013-03-21T23:10:15Z")
I loved Manimal. LOVED it. What a horrible, terrible show, but I loved it and cannot deny my love. I’m pretty sure it’s the worst show I’ve ever watched. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/53 "2013-03-21T23:11:50Z")
“Family Matters” started out okay, until Urkel. Then it was the kiss of death. Originally it was just going to be a regular family sitcom. Then…blech. “Full House” was pretty bad. Dave Coulier makes me want to stab my ears with a flathead screw driver. (No wonder the middle daughter ended up a methhead.) > [@Miss\_Woodhouse](#): > > The Charmings–Snow White and Prince Charming do a sitcom. It was as bad as it sounds. Oh god, I remember that show! I’d _rather_ listen to nails on a chalkboard than her voice. In the same vein, does anyone remember “Hi Honey, I’m Home”? It was about a 1950s sitcom family transported into the real life in the 90s? It was bad. Seriously, _seriously_ bad. I can’t imagine the kind of drugs the network execs were taking when they came up with this. I’m embarrassed to admit that I liked “Small Wonder”, but keep in mind, I was only about six when it was on. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/54 "2013-03-21T23:18:19Z")
Firefly Desperate Housewives after the first season In the late 1960s Mayor John Lindsay had a Sunday late night show on a New York station. Talk about people who make cigar store Indians seem lively. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/55 "2013-03-21T23:26:32Z")
Someone already mentioned _Joanie Loves Chachi_. How about _The Brady Brides_? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/56 "2013-03-21T23:32:19Z")
Deadwood ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/57 "2013-03-21T23:57:40Z")
What a Dummy 90’s first run syndication sitcom about a family living with a living ventriloquist dummy. Like most shows of this sort, it had the usual stuff like keeping the living dummy a secret, but then in one episode they had the dummy testifying in court. Way worse than Small Wonder (which I liked, but like Guinastasia, I was a kid). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/58 "2013-03-22T00:02:52Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Someone already mentioned _Joanie Loves Chachi_. How about _The Brady Brides_? “The Brady Bunch Hour” [The Brady Bunch Hour - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brady_Bunch_Hour) I watched every episode. The Simpsons parodied it with “The Simpsons Family Smile-Time Variety Hour” ---
**Author:** ![kneegrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@kneegrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kneegrow)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/59 "2013-03-22T00:06:04Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I don’t know if I can do just 3. > > Just off the top of my head, in no particular order: > > Two Broke Girls > The View > My Super Sweet Sixteen > The Real Housewives of [wherever] > Anything starting with “Tyler Perry Presents” hmmmm i see a trend … ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559/60 "2013-03-22T00:11:29Z")
[QUOTE=lew\_cody] I can think of several game shows that were awful enough that I regretted wasting time on them and couldn’t believe someone actually green-lighted them. In particular, “Break the Bank” (syndicated in 1985) and “Bargain Hunters” (on ABC in 1987) were _vile_. In both cases, the combination of cheesiness and stupidity were just amazing. [/QUOTE] Had to have been better than _Supermarket Sweep_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-tv-shows-or-why-we-call-it-the-idiot-box/653559.md?page=4)