I believe it was on Nickelodeon..an animated series called "Duckman". I also liked the animated Dilbert and the previously mentioned Critic and My World and Welcome to It. I had an opportunity to spend a hour interviewing William Windom when he came to Jackson, MS to do his one man show on Thurber too many years ago. I also liked the pre-Saturday Night Live show NBC ran monthly with Linda Ellerbee and Lloyd Dobbins called Weekend.
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TV shows you LOVED that were NOT popular......
- Thread starter mleach
- Start date
Speaking of kid shows, One of my all time favorites was show from the 70's called "Uncle Croc's Block" which starred Charles Nelson Reilly as the host of a wacky kids show. It was sort of like a Saturday Night Live for kids. They would lampoon other TV shows. Captain Kangaroo, was called Captain "Klangaroo" and they would bang a gong constantly, they also had "Mush" instead of "Mash" and would also mix in cartoons along with the live action stuff. Unfortunately I must have been the only kid that liked it, I've never found anyone my age thats ever heard of it, The show was butchered from 1 hour down to 30 minutes shortly after its debut (a common practice for the idiots at ABC). I still haven't forgiven them for carving up "Superfriends" down to 30mins. Uncle Croc lasted only a few months and was canned, but it was funny as hell.
Another guilty pleasure kids show was "Hey Vern its Earnest, starring Jim Varney, which always made me laugh or either scratch my head in disbelief. The Weird Al show was also a scream, I really liked that one. And another that I thought was great was Riders in the Sky, from the early 90's starring the real western band, which was a throwback to the old singing cowboys of the 50's. It was a great show with some fantastic music. I never could figure out whether it was some sort of a parody or if they were being serious. But at any rate the yodeling and simple cowboy songs were great. Its a shame the kids didn't really get it because it got the axe after only a few episodes.
Another guilty pleasure kids show was "Hey Vern its Earnest, starring Jim Varney, which always made me laugh or either scratch my head in disbelief. The Weird Al show was also a scream, I really liked that one. And another that I thought was great was Riders in the Sky, from the early 90's starring the real western band, which was a throwback to the old singing cowboys of the 50's. It was a great show with some fantastic music. I never could figure out whether it was some sort of a parody or if they were being serious. But at any rate the yodeling and simple cowboy songs were great. Its a shame the kids didn't really get it because it got the axe after only a few episodes.
I don't know if Taxi would qualify. It may have not ever been a major hit, but it did last 5 seasons, and is considered a classic.
Onw show I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned is Police Squad with Leslie Nielsen, which became the basis for the Naked Gun movies. They were a bigger hit in theaters than the original series was on TV.
I'd also agree with Jericho and Nowhere Man.
Onw show I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned is Police Squad with Leslie Nielsen, which became the basis for the Naked Gun movies. They were a bigger hit in theaters than the original series was on TV.
I'd also agree with Jericho and Nowhere Man.
I liked Freaks and Geeks, because I was in high school during the time frame in which the show was set (early 1980s) so I could relate to it, but I will readily admit that parts of it were not realistic.
I think "loved" is too strong a word, but I did watch these shows regularly
1. Hello, Larry--- I had a thing for Kim Richards too (and the other daughter wasn't bad looking either)
2. Apple's Way
3. Men Behaving Badly
4. Brothers & Sisters---NBC's attempt at an "Animal House"-type show
5. I also watched "Our World". I never did and still don't watch Cosby
1. Hello, Larry--- I had a thing for Kim Richards too (and the other daughter wasn't bad looking either)
2. Apple's Way
3. Men Behaving Badly
4. Brothers & Sisters---NBC's attempt at an "Animal House"-type show
5. I also watched "Our World". I never did and still don't watch Cosby
NBC had a show in the early 70's called "Banyon". It was a sort of film noir style private eye show set in the 30's, with Robert Forster. It only lasted a year, and he wasn't seen much again till he started popping up in movies like "Jackie Brown". To this day, I've never figured out why Forster didn't become a huge star.
ricksegers said:
I loved Carter Country with Victor French as the police chief and Ken Holliday as his second in command- and the brains of the outfit. Richard Paul as the mayor was a hoot too!KeithE4 said:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8473547
I agree that Our World was a great show. I used to tape those to watch AFTER watching Cosby live. This way I had the tapes and could rewatch Our World. Ray Gandoff and Linda Ellerbee did a great job. I'd sure like to see ABC reshow those shows and then do more, obviously with different hosts. I'm surprised that the History Channel didn't buy those shows from ABC or do their own version of it.
I was a big ABC fan in the late 60's, early 70's...they took bigger chances and often hit gold though not many were watching. The Avengers, The Don Rickles variety show (hilarious), sitcoms like The Second Hundred Years, The New People (ahead of its time...it's now "Lost"!), Vegas, AM America and yes I preferred Joey Bishops's late night show.
Loved UPN's "The Watcher" and "Live Shot." And who else remembers NBC's "Bracken's World" about starlets in Hollywood? Lame show but gorgeous girls!
Loved UPN's "The Watcher" and "Live Shot." And who else remembers NBC's "Bracken's World" about starlets in Hollywood? Lame show but gorgeous girls!
I am really surprised that nobody has mentioned The Night Stalker - what a great, yet underrated show! Darren McGaven played the part to a T. I recall this one episode in underground Seattle, really creepy and great stuff.
At the time, we lived near Richmond, VA and local ABC affiliate WXEX had a horrible habit of pre-empting the show to put on whatever lame stuff they would program. Religious shows or some such stuff. About half the time, in fact. So, I had to really fiddle with the rabbit ears to pick it up from the ABC affiliate in Norfolk (channel 13) - some nights with success, others without.
By the way, I also liked NBC's Ellery Queen very much and was disappointed that it didn't last. If memory serves, that episode that revolved around NY channel 4's news was solved because the victim unplugged the TV and clock at the same time. By recreating the newscast, Queen deduced that an image of the Sun (during the weathercast) was on at the time of the murder - pointing out the killer. It was the son of someone (can't remember who).
At the time, we lived near Richmond, VA and local ABC affiliate WXEX had a horrible habit of pre-empting the show to put on whatever lame stuff they would program. Religious shows or some such stuff. About half the time, in fact. So, I had to really fiddle with the rabbit ears to pick it up from the ABC affiliate in Norfolk (channel 13) - some nights with success, others without.
By the way, I also liked NBC's Ellery Queen very much and was disappointed that it didn't last. If memory serves, that episode that revolved around NY channel 4's news was solved because the victim unplugged the TV and clock at the same time. By recreating the newscast, Queen deduced that an image of the Sun (during the weathercast) was on at the time of the murder - pointing out the killer. It was the son of someone (can't remember who).
B
Bob1370
Guest
We almost could have included Seinfeld in this thread.
It had a limited four episode run in the winter of 1990, after its pilot aired as a one shot in the summer of 1989 and finished an OK second place in its timeslot. It tested horribly with focus groups, and drew mediocre numbers for the limited Summer 1990 run. But unlike other short summer season tryouts, Brandon Tartikoff, who ran NBC programming at the time, saw something in it that no one else at 30 Rockefeller Plaza did. So he opted to give Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer one last chance with a 13 episode run as a midseason replacement at the beginning of 1991. It almost died again on restart. Its relaunch got postponed because the initial airdate just happened to be the night the Gulf War started in January of 1991, an event that blew up every network's prime time schedule that evening.
But it started to build slowly in that 13 week run in the spring season of 1991 (when viewers like me discovered it), drew enough viewers to get another 13 week order for the fall of '91, started really gathering a following that fall and winter, got a full season production order--and by the spring of 1992, was the genuine hit we all remember. But if a few people at NBC hadn't believed in it more than they believed in some other shows with equally weak initial performance, it never would have become master of its domain...
It had a limited four episode run in the winter of 1990, after its pilot aired as a one shot in the summer of 1989 and finished an OK second place in its timeslot. It tested horribly with focus groups, and drew mediocre numbers for the limited Summer 1990 run. But unlike other short summer season tryouts, Brandon Tartikoff, who ran NBC programming at the time, saw something in it that no one else at 30 Rockefeller Plaza did. So he opted to give Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer one last chance with a 13 episode run as a midseason replacement at the beginning of 1991. It almost died again on restart. Its relaunch got postponed because the initial airdate just happened to be the night the Gulf War started in January of 1991, an event that blew up every network's prime time schedule that evening.
But it started to build slowly in that 13 week run in the spring season of 1991 (when viewers like me discovered it), drew enough viewers to get another 13 week order for the fall of '91, started really gathering a following that fall and winter, got a full season production order--and by the spring of 1992, was the genuine hit we all remember. But if a few people at NBC hadn't believed in it more than they believed in some other shows with equally weak initial performance, it never would have become master of its domain...
Bob1370 said:
A similar story also exists for "Cheers" and "Family Ties" after their fall 1982 premieres--in fact, wasn't "Cheers" the lowest-rated network program at one point in the '82-83 season (both shows started to pick up during 1983-84, and then after the premiere of Cosby the following season, the rest is history for both shows).
ricksegers said:
Oh Wow! I forgot about "Duckman" (He just came out on DVD a couple months ago...all three seasons!)
Also, he was on USA not Nickelodeon.
I loved that show!
Smittian said:
...shortly after Dana Plato died, a memorial message board was put on the 'Net for her. Someone claiming to be Krista Errickson (Hello, Larry and Diff'rent Strokes were both taped at Metromedia Square, IIRC) posted a message to that board claiming that both Plato and Errickson hated Richards' brattishness on the set. Of course, considering Kim's sister is now Kathy Hilton, Paris and Nicky's mother, Kim has probably long forgotten whatever Plato or Errickson ever thought of her ;-) ...
mleach said:
...I have several programs of Our World on VHS (yes, including the Halloween 1938 show); unfortunately, the 20-year-old-plus tapes are in such shape that, every time I've tried copying them to DVD, they don't take...
I like Logans Run.the few shows were produced,I dont know how many but I know it's under 20 shows.Which I see still floating around online somewere.
"The Paul Lynde Show" ABC 1972-73. If you can believe that Paul plays a straight married man with two daughters and a lazy son-in-law, well... 
Then again, all he has to do is go "Oh my goodness" and never fails to get a laugh!
Also "Camp Runamuck" NBC 1965-66. A screwball comedy of feuding summer camps, complete with talking bears!
Then again, all he has to do is go "Oh my goodness" and never fails to get a laugh!
Also "Camp Runamuck" NBC 1965-66. A screwball comedy of feuding summer camps, complete with talking bears!
Markieo said:"The Paul Lynde Show" ABC 1972-73. If you can believe that Paul plays a straight married man with two daughters and a lazy son-in-law, well...
Then again, all he has to do is go "Oh my goodness" and never fails to get a laugh!
Also "Camp Runamuck" NBC 1965-66. A screwball comedy of feuding summer camps, complete with talking bears!
Paul Lynde was just a funny guy. Not particularly witty or sharp, just funny. He had a certain charm that made people laugh. Just as the part about him being a straight married man makes me laugh!
Clearly, I'm not alone in that as Seth McFarlane channels him as Roger the Alien in American Dad. Perfect for the part, too.
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