other stuff (half hour)
See also hourlong shows

The 5 Mrs. Buchanans, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This show didn't last long and I don't remember it particularly well, and I doubt it was of much interest to me even when it was on... but I'm sure it was okay. And I liked the cast, which included Harriet Sansom Harris, Beth Broderick, Judith Ivey, and Charlotte Ross as four of the Mrs. Buchanans, and Eileen Heckart as the other one- their mother-in-law. The show began when Ross's character, Bree, got married to the last of four brothers, all the sons of Heckart's character. She met the wives of the other three brothers, and while they were all quite different, they all had a common enemy in the mother-in-law. That's all I can say, but... the show just has the kind of title that sticks in your head, you know?


704 Hauser, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

I mention this mainly because I believe it was the first thing I ever saw Maura Tierney in. Anyway, the basic idea was that this was Archie Bunker's old apartment (from All in the Family). Of course, the Bunkers are all gone now, and there was this African American family living there. Ernie and Rose Cumberbatch had a son named Thurgood; Ernie was a liberal and "Goodie" was a conservative. Also, he was dating a white Jewish girl named Cherlyn Markowitz (Tierney), of whom Ernie didn't much approve, if I recall. Mainly though, father and son argued about politics. (Actually, I think maybe Cherlyn's politics were more like Ernie's, I forget.) Anyway, the show only lasted six episodes, and I don't know that it was ever very important to me. But it was okay.


All-American Girl, on ABC
IMDb; Shout! Factory; Sitcoms Online (gallery); TV Tango; Wikipedia

It starred Margaret Cho. And Amy Hill was in it. It was about a Korean-American family. That is pretty much all I remember, but I probably liked whatever little bit of the show I saw.


Apt. 2F, on MTV (The 10 Spot)
IMDb; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This starred brothers Jason and Randy Sklar. They were funny. The other guys on the show were funny. The whole doggone thing was funny. Okay, I don't remember it well, but I know I liked it. Unfortunately, it didn't last long at all, and I don't imagine I'll ever get to see it again.


Brotherly Love, on NBC / The WB
IMDb; Retro Junk; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

I don't recall if I ever saw this in its original run, or just a bit of it in reruns on Disney Channel. I'm sure I couldn't have watched much of the series, and never greatly cared for it. The main reason I would have watched at all is that one of the stars was Liz Vassey, of whom I was a fan from some other things. The show is also notable for starring Joey Lawrence (of Blossom fame) and his two younger brothers, Matthew and Andy. And that's all I can tell you.


Clueless, on ABC (TGIF) / UPN
IMDb; Retro Junk; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; TV Tropes; Wikipedia

This was based on the movie Clueless. There were a lot of the same actors from the movie, though there were a few cast changes, including Rachel Blanchard taking over Alicia Silverstone's role as Cher Horowitz, the main character. I don't remember anything specific about the show, though I probably thought it was just sort of okay, bordering on lame. Or maybe I liked it more than that. I really don't remember, but I'm sure I never liked it a lot. But I quite liked the theme song. Oh, and the show (which was created by Amy Heckerling) was later parodied in Heckerling's movie I Could Never Be Your Woman.


Crowded, on NBC
A.V. Club; IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

I wanted to check this out because a few of the stars were familiar to me. But I missed the first several episodes (though I did later see the pilot online, after seeing some of the middle episodes). There were only 13 episodes, of which I saw roughly half. The show wasn't very good, but I found it amusing. Not enough to be upset that it was cancelled so soon, but whatever. Anyway, it's about a guy named Mike Moore (Patrick Warburton) and his wife Martina, and their adult daughters, Shea (Miranda Cosgrove) and Stella, who move back in with them after college, or whatever. Also, Mike's father, Bob (Stacy Keach), and stepmother, Alice, were going to move away now that Bob has retired. But they didn't. Alice's son, Ethan (from a prior marriage), has also moved in with Mike and Martina. And that's pretty much all I can tell you.


Do Over, on The WB
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

(Around the time this premiered on the WB, there was a similar new show on ABC called "That Was Then," see other hour.)

This 34 year old guy, Joel Larsen, accidentally got shocked by defibrillator paddles and woke up back in the early 80s when he was 14. The only person he told about this was his best friend Pat. Joel tried to change his past (and that of his friends and family) for the better, though it didn't always work out. Not sure what else to say. But it was pretty funny.


Dweebs, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This lasted less than a full season. I don't remember it well, but I'm sure I liked it at the time. In retrospect, I think it feels kind of like a spiritual predecessor to The Big Bang Theory, though of course it wasn't nearly as good as that show. Anyway, Farrah Forke (whom I knew from Wings) played a woman named Carey, who was hired as the office manager at a software company. She knew nothing about computers, but she was in charge of a bunch of computer programmers (the "dweebs" of the title). They included Vic (played by Corey Feldman); Warren (played by Peter Scolari); Morley (played by David Kaufman, who I would later know for voice work on various cartoons); Karl (played by Stephen Tobolowski, who I may have seen in other stuff before, and certainly after); and Todd (whose actor I don't think I know from anything else). Honestly, I wouldn't remember any characters' names, without looking at info online. I did remember Forke, Feldman, and Tobolowsky being in the show. And I remember liking the show basically because I saw myself as a dweeb, or whatever (even if I wasn't as smart as these people, and hadn't had much access to computers, prior to the time the show aired; certainly I could never be a programmer). I don't know how much I'd like the show if I watched it now, and I haven't got a lot of interest, anyway. But yeah, it was fun while it lasted, I guess.


Family Affair, on The WB
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

There was a show by this title which aired on CBS from 1966-71, which I never saw (since it was before my time). However, I was vaguely aware of it later, I suppose, from pop culture references. And I checked out this remake when it aired on the WB in 2002. I remember Tim Curry playing a butler (or valet) named Mr. French, and Caitlin Wachs (whom I'd later see on Commander in Chief) playing a girl named Sigourney "Sissy" Davis. Looking at the cast list now, I'm reminded that her Uncle Bill was played by Gary Cole. And Sissy had a younger brother and sister named Jody and Buffy. Uncle Bill had to raise his nieces and nephew after their parents died, I guess. I don't remember anything specific about the show, and I doubt I cared much about it, but I might as well mention it, I guess, since it did at least star three people of whom I'm a fan. In other stuff.


Fired Up, on NBC (Must See TV)
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This starred Sharon Lawrence (from "NYPD Blue") as Gwen and Leah Remini as Terry. Both of them got fired from their old place of employment (where Gwen was Terry's boss), and then they end up going into business together as partners. The show also featured Terry's brother, Danny, and his boss, Guy (who was always hitting on Gwen). I don't remember anything really specific about the show, but I'm sure I found it amusing for awhile.


Good Advice, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

I had forgotten this existed, until I was looking at old listings on TVTango.com, but I'm sure I watched at least some of it. I have no idea how much I may have liked it. But anyway, it starred Shelley Long (best known for Cheers) as a marriage counselor whose own marriage didn't work out. And also she ended up sharing office space with a divorce attorney played by Treat Williams. Teri Garr was also in the show, which I'm assuming was the biggest draw, for me. Dunno what else to say.


Hippies, on BBC Two (UK)
IMDb; Wikipedia

A six episode series which I must have seen at least a couple episodes of on BBC America, at some point. It was kinda stupid in a way, but very amusing. I don't remember it that well, so I'm not sure what to say about it. There were like four hippies in the 60's or whatever, and they put out this little underground newspaper or whatever, but it didn't sell very well and probably wasn't really all that good. Anyway, the characters were all fairly different personalities who really didn't work very well together, professionally or personally. But as an ensemble on a sitcom, they were pretty good. One of the stars was Simon Pegg, who I would later see in other things, such as the Star Trek reboot. Another star was Julian Rhind-Tutt, who I later saw on Keen Eddie. The other stars were Sally Phillips and Darren Boyd, neither of whom I think I've seen in anything else.


Hope & Gloria, on NBC (Must See TV)
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

The only thing I remember about this is that it co-starred Cynthia Stevenson and Jessica Lundy (who I had previously liked in Over My Dead Body). I think I probably liked the show well enough while it was on, but I doubt it was ever anything I expected to remember. Though it seems there were other people in the cast whose work I've enjoyed in other shows.


Ink, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

Ted Danson played a hotshot newspaper journalist named Mike Logan. At the start of the series, another journalist, Kate Montgomery (Mary Steenburgen), became managing editor of the paper Mike worked for. This was complicated, because they had once been married, and had a teenage daughter together. The paper's staff also included a police reporter named Ernie Trainor (Charles Robinson, from Night Court), a financial reporter named Alan Mesnick (Saul Rubinek, who I'd later get to know better in Warehouse 13), an editorial assistant named Donna French (Jenica Bergere), and... some other people. I'm afraid I don't remember the show well at all, but I'm sure I liked it while it was on, and it's a shame it only lasted one season. I suppose I'd vaguely like to see it again someday.


It Had To Be You, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

A very short-lived sitcom, which I barely remember. There was a socialite named Laura Scofield (Faye Dunaway), who started an unlikely romantic relationship with a carpenter named Mitch Quinn (Robert Urich, whom I knew from Spenser: For Hire). In fact, the only thing I could have told you about it was that it starred Dunaway and Urich, though apparently there were at least a couple other actors on the show whom I'd later see in other things. Anyway, the presence of these two stars was a draw, for me. I don't really remember how much I liked the show, but I probably thought it was okay, and should have lasted longer.


A League of Their Own, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This was based on the movie of the same name. It was pretty bad, and got cancelled pretty quick. Really the only reason I watched it was because Wendy Makkena was in it, and I had quite liked her in the movie "Sister Act." And in this... well, let's just say, she wasn't exactly playing a nun, okay?


Lush Life, on FOX
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

A very brief series, which was probably one of the earliest FOX shows I had a chance to watch. All I really remember about it now is that it starred Lori Petty and Karyn Parsons (of whom I was a fan from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). I don't even remember how well I liked the show, but I don't think I ever found it a great loss that it was cancelled so quickly. However, looking back now (in 2012), it occurs to me that the premise must have been a lot like Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23.


The Naked Truth, on ABC (s1) / NBC (s2-3; Must See TV)
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; TV Tropes; Wikipedia

All I really remember about this is that it starred Téa Leoni and Holland Taylor, and was set at a tabloid newspaper. And it was funny and kinda wacky, or something. I wish I remembered it better.


Partners, on FOX
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

I remember really loving this show. It was funny and I enjoyed the whole cast. Anyway, the main two characters, played by Jon Cryer and Tate Donovan, were architects. That's really all I can tell you. Um... and it must have been one of the first things I ever got to watch on Fox, on a regular basis, because it aired the fall that I started college. Which is the first time I had regular access to cable- without which you couldn't get Fox where I lived. Anyway, it's a shame the show didn't last longer.


Police Squad!, on ABC
A.V. Club; IMDb; Retro Junk; TV Tango; TV Tropes; Wikipedia

This originally aired on ABC in 1982, but was cancelled after just six episodes. However, I didn't know anything about that. It led to the successful theatrical movie "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" in 1988, which I probably saw on TV at some point, I don't really remember. The movie had two sequels, one in 1991 and one in 1994. I don't recall how many or which ones of them I saw, I just know that I never saw any in the theater. Anyway... also in 1991, reruns of Police Squad! aired on CBS (alongside Morton & Hayes), which is where I saw the show for the first time. It's kind of odd, learning that a movie or movies I had seen or was at least aware of had been based on a show I don't think I'd ever heard of. (Even though the first movie had the name of the show in the official title, I don't think I'd heard it called anything but just "The Naked Gun.") Anyway, Leslie Nielsen played police detective Frank Drebin. The show was really funny, in an absurdist way. But I'm afraid I don't remember anything specific about it, now. It'd be nice to see it again, someday.


The Powers That Be, on NBC
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

I don't think I ever saw much of this, and I'm not sure how interesting I found it. But it was probably amusing. It was about this dysfunctional family in Washington, D.C., the patriarch of which was a senator named William Powers. I think the show is mostly remembered by not only myself, but TV viewers in general, for the fact that the cast contained a bunch of people who were or became famous for other things. There was Holland Taylor; and Peter MacNicol, who I'd later see in Chicago Hope and Ally McBeal (among other things); Valerie Mahaffey; and David Hyde Pierce; Elizabeth Berridge, who I'd later see in The John Larroquette Show; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And... probably any number of other good actors. So I might like to see it again, someday.


The Royal Family, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

When this show started, I was vaguely aware of its star, Redd Foxx, having been famous for other work, which was before my time. The same was probably true of costar Della Reese (with whom I'd later become more familiar in Touched by an Angel). I don't remember much about the show, but I'm sure I must have liked it while it lasted.


Someone Like Me, on NBC
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This only lasted six episodes, and I'm not sure I saw all of them. Pretty much the only thing I remember about the show is that it starred Gaby Hoffmann, who was pretty good in it. (I seem to recall her character, Gaby Stepjak, being somewhat precocious.) There is actually one scene I remember, but... I'd rather not explain it. Anyway, it would be good to see the show again someday.


Something So Right, on NBC (s1) / ABC (s2)
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This starred Jere Burns (who I knew from Dear John) as Jack Farrell and Mel Harris as Carly Davis. They were both divorced (Carly twice), and each had kids from their previous marriages, when they married each other. Carly had a son named Will from her first marriage, and a daughter named Sarah from her second. Jack had a daughter named Nicole (Marne Patterson). We occasionally saw Carly's ex-husbands and Jack's ex-wife. And I'm sure there are other characters who I don't remember at all. In fact I don't remember much about this show other than the title, but I'm sure I found it amusing, while it was on.


The Steven Banks Show, on PBS
IMDb; Wikipedia

This show aired for just a little while on PBS. I mean, an original PBS sitcom, which is a pretty unique thing to be, right? I'm afraid I don't really remember much of anything about it, except that I liked it. And it was kinda quirky. I'd really like to see it again sometime and write a proper review....


Suddenly Susan, on NBC (Must See TV)
IMDb; Retro Junk; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; TV Tropes; Wikipedia
streaming sites: Amazon; Google Play; Vudu; YouTube

This starred Brooke Shields, and Judd Nelson, and Nestor Carbonell, and Kathy Griffin, and some other people whom I don't remember. It was set at a magazine. I don't remember anything about the plot, or how much of the show I actually watched, or how much I liked it. But I know I at least watched it for a little while, and I liked the cast. That's all.


Sunday Dinner, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

Probably the first thing I saw Teri Hatcher in. The whole cast was good, especially Robert Loggia. I enjoyed the show. Loggia played a widower named Ben Benedict, who had a few grown children. And he started dating this younger woman named TT Fagori (Hatcher), who started coming to Sunday dinner with the family. Ben's daughters, Diana and Vicky, didn't like their dad dating someone about their age, but his son, Kenneth, didn't mind. I forget what Ben's sister, Martha thought about the relationship. In fact I don't remember the show well at all, but I know I liked it. It's a shame it didn't last longer, but I don't really miss it.
summer series


Tom, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

I must have seen at least a little bit of this, but I don't really remember anything about it. Anyway, it only lasted 11 episodes. It starred Tom Arnold, who is probably best known for having been married to Roseanne Barr (for whose sitcom, Roseanne, he did some writing and on which he occasionally appeared). Their marriage lasted about four years, and this show came out, I think, around the time they divorced. I think Tom tends to get less credit than he deserves for his sense of humor, but... I'm still not sure how much I liked this show. Looking at the cast list, I see some other familiar names, most notably Alison La Placa (the only other person I recall, vaguely, besides Tom, being in the show). Can't think what else to say about the show, except I think it may be due to an interview with Tom Arnold around the time that this came out that I started thinking of the phrase "Tom Tom the Tom," in association with him. Or maybe that happened sometime later, I dunno. Anyway, it might be nice to see the show again, someday, but it's not really important to me.


Welcome to New York, on CBS
IMDb; Sitcoms Online; TV Tango; Wikipedia

This show didn't last very long. I barely remember it, but still I felt like mentioning that I did watch it for awhile. Stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan played a weatherman from Indiana (also named Jim Gaffigan, I believe), who got a job in New York City, where everyone seemed pretty weird. His boss, Marsha Bickner, was played by Christine Baranski. And he had an assistant or something, played by Sara Gilbert. And there were some other characters whom I'm afraid I don't remember at all. But the show was reasonably amusing, I guess.



too something index