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Reboots

Norman Lear tried a 180 reboot of All in the Family (704 Hauser St.) with a mostly black cast including John Amos in the Archie role-except this Archie is a flaming liberal and the "meathead" son (not son-in-law) is the president of the Young Republicans, complete with a sterotypical white girlfriend. The family had moved into the old Bunker place. Lear had Armstrong Williams record monologues to try to get the right words into the black conservative's mouth. Mike and Gloria Stivic's grown son Joey just happened to live in the neighborhood. The show lasted around 4 episodes
 
Were I a network suit I would have considered the cancellation of a highly rated show the last on a list of things to try before pulling the plug. The fact that Allen was reportedly not consulted by ABC at any time before the cancellation news was released tells me the suits didn't try to address the high production costs (one of which was the money Allen was paid). I would have thought that the long-running association between Disney/ABC and Allen would have at least earned him the consideration of addressing the issues before the ship was torpedoed.

Were I a network suit, I’d be looking at all of the relevant data. “Top rated” was not applicable in the better demos. I’d look at the realistic costs that can be saved, and the cost-benefit analysis. I’d look at the odds (slim) that some kind of creative rejiggering could actually pay dividends. I’d look at the entire schedule, the competition, the budgets and the replacement options. I’d be looking at far more than a simplistic platitude.
 
Were I a network suit, I’d be looking at all of the relevant data. “Top rated” was not applicable in the better demos. I’d look at the realistic costs that can be saved, and the cost-benefit analysis. I’d look at the odds (slim) that some kind of creative rejiggering could actually pay dividends. I’d look at the entire schedule, the competition, the budgets and the replacement options. I’d be looking at far more than a simplistic platitude.

Absolutely correct and that is why Allen and the show producers should have been contacted. They all maintain nothing was said prior to the cancellation.
 
Norman Lear tried a 180 reboot of All in the Family (704 Hauser St.) with a mostly black cast including John Amos in the Archie role-except this Archie is a flaming liberal and the "meathead" son (not son-in-law) is the president of the Young Republicans, complete with a sterotypical white girlfriend. The family had moved into the old Bunker place. Lear had Armstrong Williams record monologues to try to get the right words into the black conservative's mouth. Mike and Gloria Stivic's grown son Joey just happened to live in the neighborhood. The show lasted around 4 episodes

I am not a TV historian but don't remember a bunch of take-off shows as being that successful. A notable exception is Hawaii Five-O but that was decades later and not a cultural rules breaker as was AITF. I think it would have been very difficult to pull off that type of follow-up at that time and, in fact, I don't recall hearing about it at all.
 
I am not a TV historian but don't remember a bunch of take-off shows as being that successful. A notable exception is Hawaii Five-O but that was decades later and not a cultural rules breaker as was AITF. I think it would have been very difficult to pull off that type of follow-up at that time and, in fact, I don't recall hearing about it at all.

I remember watching the first episode out of pure curiosity. It was a reminder, though, that no matter how "legendary" someone may have been in their field, there comes a time when what put them on the map is no longer going to do it any more. In Norman Lear's case, he had remarkable success, but a retread (in more ways than one) of his signature style wasn't going to cut it then. So it goes. It diminishes nothing, and doesn't necessarily reflect on the larger themes.

Hawaii Five O certainly has had a nice run, and to have done so, it needed to resonate with viewers with little (or no) memory of the original when it first aired. It needed to stand on its own, and it has, on a network where those kinds of series have flourished. That was a complete reboot, but we've seen some continuation revivals do well enough--Fuller House has done nicely for Netflix, Roseanne came strong out of the gate (we'll see what happens in time).
 
Absolutely correct and that is why Allen and the show producers should have been contacted. They all maintain nothing was said prior to the cancellation.


They probably should have been, and sometimes there's more to a story. But I'd wager there's more than a few times producers/stars found out when the show wasn't on the new schedule. That's also just the way it goes sometimes.
 
Archie was a mean, vindictive racist ultra conservative bordering on National Socialism.

The Archie Bunker character was not an ultra conservative; he was a liberal's stereotype of an ultra conservative...wishful thinking by Norman Lear, who modeled the Archie Bunker character on his own Jewish father and projected those attitudes onto conservative Republicans. While Bunker was portrayed as a urban blue-collar Republican, his attitudes were more closely held by southern, White, blue-collar Democrats.

As for Tim Allen, I don't know his religious leanings, but my in-laws described having seen him on a flight and found him to be an arrogant, boorish butthole.
 
The Archie Bunker character was not an ultra conservative; he was a liberal's stereotype of an ultra conservative...wishful thinking by Norman Lear, who modeled the Archie Bunker character on his own Jewish father and projected those attitudes onto conservative Republicans. While Bunker was portrayed as a urban blue-collar Republican, his attitudes were more closely held by southern, White, blue-collar Democrats.

As for Tim Allen, I don't know his religious leanings, but my in-laws described having seen him on a flight and found him to be an arrogant, boorish butthole.

Archie was also a liberal's version of a conservative because he said laughably stupid things and malapropisms - which makes sense, considering it was a comedy show. I used to collect Bunkerisms, but after so many years can only remember a one: Hormones were "hermones and hismones."

But thanks to the internet, I've found others:

Archie asks “what’s that smell” Gloria tells him that her friend Robin is burning incense. “It smells like a house of ill–refute.”

“They want people like your mother on the jury because they know she doesn’t have any pre-conscrewed ideas”

“It’s a well known fact that capital punishment is a detergent to crime!”

Mike says, “It’s just pelvic construction women are built differently” Archie answers, “Oh please don’t draw me no diaphragms“

“There’s wide open sex all over the place, but that’s okay that’s just your submissive society!”

"Talking about rioting in California. “Just look at that, bricks and bottles. It’s a regular insuruption.”

"Back in my day we learned to keep things in their proper suspective.”

“You and that bleeding heart Reverend Fletcher sittin’ up there in that ivory shower.”

“Dear Mr. President, your Honor, Sir. As one of your faithful constituionals.”

Mike and Archie argue, “It’s not irreverent to the conversation.” Mike corrects him ‘irrelevant” Archie says “What ever, it’s not German to the conversation.”

Talking to Gloria-“It ain’t enough that he’s a pinko and an Atheist, you’re gonna turn him from a man into a morphadite” She asks “what’s a Morphadite?” And Archie’s insight comes spilling forth… “A freak with a little bit of each… and not enough of neither!”

"You’re the lowly pheasant with the job of keeping her here!”
 
As for Tim Allen, I don't know his religious leanings, but my in-laws described having seen him on a flight and found him to be an arrogant, boorish butthole.

I suppose it is possible to ascertain a someone's persona by observation on an aircraft flight but perhaps that doesn't tell the whole story. After all, it could have been the day Allen heard his show was cancelled - without notice. Or perhaps his pet dog died. Or maybe he was just sick of being accosted by other passengers. We will likely never know.

But kudos to your in-laws for their powers of perception. They might consider going to work for Dr. Phil.
 
I suppose it is possible to ascertain a someone's persona by observation on an aircraft flight but perhaps that doesn't tell the whole story. After all, it could have been the day Allen heard his show was cancelled - without notice. Or perhaps his pet dog died. Or maybe he was just sick of being accosted by other passengers. We will likely never know.

But kudos to your in-laws for their powers of perception. They might consider going to work for Dr. Phil.

Not particularly a Tim Allen fan, but everybody gets to have a bad day. Had a run-in with a rude customer service clerk in the optical department at Costco when they were crowded one Saturday. I was going to complain to management about her, then it slipped my mind. I've had reason to deal with her twice since the bad experience, and she couldn't have been sweeter or more helpful. So yeah, bad day.
 
Speaking of "Reboots" how about rebooting AN ENTIRE GENRE.....

SOAP OPERAS

Only instead of rebooting LONG CANCELLED shows like "As The World Turns", "All My Children", "One Life To Live" & "Guiding Light" (AMC & OLTL were said to have continued as online series after cancellation by ABC but didn't last long), NEW shows would be created FOR PRIMETIME !! (Hey it's worked for game shows so far) but RECORDED in the format long used IN DAYTIME (The recording idea is crazy I know but it just might work)

Thoughts ??
 
Not particularly a Tim Allen fan, but everybody gets to have a bad day. Had a run-in with a rude customer service clerk in the optical department at Costco when they were crowded one Saturday. I was going to complain to management about her, then it slipped my mind. I've had reason to deal with her twice since the bad experience, and she couldn't have been sweeter or more helpful. So yeah, bad day.

I have learned through much experience NEVER to shop at Sam's or Costco on a weekend.
 
Speaking of "Reboots" how about rebooting AN ENTIRE GENRE.....

SOAP OPERAS

Only instead of rebooting LONG CANCELLED shows like "As The World Turns", "All My Children", "One Life To Live" & "Guiding Light" (AMC & OLTL were said to have continued as online series after cancellation by ABC but didn't last long), NEW shows would be created FOR PRIMETIME !! (Hey it's worked for game shows so far) but RECORDED in the format long used IN DAYTIME (The recording idea is crazy I know but it just might work)

Thoughts ??

We already have serial storytelling in primetime, with shows like Gray's Anatomy. Sure, it's no Dallas (though Dynasty is back on the CW...or at least WAS back), but that's where things are now. A daily-style show in primetime? No. Not going to work in the US currently.

The game show revivals in primetime have largely been converting daily formats to weekly shows, for a limited run, a la ABC's Sunday night summer games. Match Game found its way to mid-season filler, and NBC has thrown some original games into the regular season with varied success.
 
We already have serial storytelling in primetime, with shows like Gray's Anatomy. Sure, it's no Dallas (though Dynasty is back on the CW...or at least WAS back), but that's where things are now. A daily-style show in primetime? No. Not going to work in the US currently.

The game show revivals in primetime have largely been converting daily formats to weekly shows, for a limited run, a la ABC's Sunday night summer games. Match Game found its way to mid-season filler, and NBC has thrown some original games into the regular season with varied success.
Soap operas
(Which shows like "Grey's Anatomy" ARE NOT in it's truest sense) going the weekly format was what I was talking about.....
 
Speaking of "Reboots" how about rebooting AN ENTIRE GENRE.....

SOAP OPERAS

Only instead of rebooting LONG CANCELLED shows like "As The World Turns", "All My Children", "One Life To Live" & "Guiding Light" (AMC & OLTL were said to have continued as online series after cancellation by ABC but didn't last long), NEW shows would be created FOR PRIMETIME !! (Hey it's worked for game shows so far) but RECORDED in the format long used IN DAYTIME (The recording idea is crazy I know but it just might work)

Thoughts ??

Most likely they will be Netflix or Hulu drama's at this point if Soaps were to return again.
 
A weekly "Young and the Restless" or "General Hospital" type (albeit "new") just isn't going to play in today's environment. Serialized storytelling in dramas is as close as it's going to come. Heck, House of Cards was serialized storytelling. One can distinguish it based on production values and underlying themes, but it's still an ongoing storyline filled with many of the hallmarks of the daytime sudsers....albeit with better production values....and acting.
 


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