Khan

Wow, I didn't know that. Marsha Mason was great as Nora, but Tyne Daly would've been great, too.

Okay, so you don't want to wear a mask (and keep yourself and others from getting sick and dying). Fine. But why BURN perfectly good masks? What point are you making besides that you are too stupid to live? Instead of tossing away or burning masks, I say, just hand them over to people who don't mind wearing masks. It's being selfish without being a moron to boot.

Truthfully, @Vee, I'm not a big "Becker" fan either. (Sorry, Ken.) I've always thought the series' premise (of a cantankerous doctor who gripes about everything, especially political correctness, but who also displays compassion for his patients, co-workers and friends) was great, but some of the casting choices baffle me to this day. Well, I can't say I blame her for being tempted to work on the series. Nia's career was going very strong after the movie became a massive box-office hit. She needed to strike while the iron was hot. Unfortunately, the one-two punch of the series and the dismal "Connie and Carla" cooled her career considerably. Speaking of William Hurt, I don't think I liked him more than when he was doing a guest-shot as a therapist on (of all shows) "The King of Queens." It totally surprised me to see how well he did on a sitcom.

"Ink" had the makings of a good, if not great, sitcom, but it's rare for any series that starts out troubled to turn into something worthwhile. Just ask NBC and "Madman of the People." Moreover, the fact that "Ink" didn't make it to a second season turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it freed up Ted Danson for "Becker," a series that (until "The Good Place") was his best effort in moving past "Cheers."

Exactly. The fact that Marlena took his job offer seriously tells me they were dumbing down that character long before JER entered the picture, lol.

I must confess that I've never seen one minute of "The Ellen Burstyn Show." I've heard about it, but I've never had the interest to check any of it out on YouTube. Maybe. But, you know, she also tried an hour-long variety show in the '70's, and that didn't last long either. Another addition to the list: Christine Ebersole. She's had more success in musical theatre than she's ever had in TV. IIRC, "Ink" was troubled from the start. The network didn't like the original pilot, so they brought in Diane English ("Murphy Brown") to overhaul the series. There was even an "Ink"/"Murphy Brown"/"Love & War" three-way crossover, I think, and guest appearances from some of Ted Danson's former "Cheers" co-stars to help boost the ratings, but nothing worked.

What I remember most about "My Big Fat Greek Life" was Steven Eckholdt, an actor whom the TV industry had tried very hard (God knows how many failed pilots and short-lived series) to make happen.

Why on earth would they have fired T.C. Carson? His love/hate chemistry with Erika Alexander was one of the best things about the show. Either he was a bastard BTS, or the producers/production company/network were idiots.

They're not exactly "failed series pilots." They all went to series. It's just that the series themselves didn't last long.

IA. "Four Corners" had some rough spots in its' abbreviated run, but I thought it had potential -- more potential than anything coming from Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick at that point. I think CBS was just looking to get out of the primetime soap game. More about "Millie"/"Julie": Putting Julie Andrews with children makes sense, given her legacy. But I'm not sure it'd have been something I'd want to see every week. An addition to the list: Ellen Burstyn. As much as I can recall, she's been a lead or co-lead in two series, "The Ellen Burstyn Show" (an '80's sitcom) and "That's Life" (a '90's hour-long dramedy), and neither lasted for very long.

ICAM. I wouldn't say Faye Dunaway can't do (television) comedy, but I do believe, as I did back then, that she was all wrong for that type of comedy. Of course, considering what a nightmare she is BTS, it was likely for the best that that show died a quick death. All these years later, it's still very painful to watch. I wish I didn't remember this...but I do. You know you're in danger, girl, when the theme song puts you to sleep. And James Farentino is a comedy black hole, AFAIC. (See: "Mary".)

I guess you could add Dustin Hoffman to the list, since HBO's "Luck" ended up stalling at the gate (pun not intended).

I wouldn't be surprised if it were T.C. Carson or John Henton.

As a maniacal serial killer sits across from you in the dark.

Don't worry, @Soapsuds, I'm sure they will eventually.

It was "Something So Right," composed and originally sung by Paul Simon:

Agree! Also, she, like Susan Seaforth Hayes, has the ability to light up the screen with just her face. All any director or camera person has to do is put the camera on her and the rest takes care of itself.

That's right: "Related by Birth." Unfortunately, neither Marsha Mason nor Alex Rocco appeared in the retooled version.

I wouldn't say the GOP is still in control -- if they were, I don't think they'd bother picking stupid fights over potato genitalia -- but I do think the time has come for Chuck Schumer and others to start applying pressure to Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, especially as we turn our full attention to the VRA.

Oh, I loved "Sibs" sooooo much. It had everything: a terrific cast (Mason, Margaret Colin, Jami Gertz, Dan Castellaneta, Alex Rocco), terrific writers (creator Heide Perlman, Jim Brooks, Sam Simon) and a REALLY terrific theme song (by George "Atomic Dog" Clinton) that I still sing/hum to this day. I thought "Sibs" had tremendous potential. Unfortunately, it came along at a time when the TV zeitgeist was blue-collar shows like "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement." (Plus, rumors suggest that Mason had a falling out with Brooks, although I don't know how true those rumors are). RE: "Good Sports" ~ Ironically, O'Neal BEGGED Farrah to be on the show; yet, I think Farrah, rather than O'Neal, turned out to be the better actor for the project. I'm not saying Farrah was another Candice Bergen, but she was certainly funnier than her then-partner. Years later, I asked Paul Feig, who had co-starred on the show, about GS. Apparently, working with Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett was nothing short than a nightmare for everyone involved. Speaking of "Sibs," someone uploaded the premiere episode, "The Naked and the Damned," on YT last month:

I just hope she had a good time at the mall afterwards.

As a dramatic actress, Heather Locklear was/is passable. But, as a comedic actress, she's downright excruciating to watch. Woah! Thanks, @Forever8!

Thanks, @Vee!

God, "Going Places" was so painful to watch. The hidden-camera show that the four lead characters worked on, "Here's Looking at You," sounded like the biggest piece of crap on TV. However, as I've alluded to elsewhere on this board, it had the same saving grace that almost all Miller/Boyett shows had: a good theme song.

BTY was a good (not great) sitcom, but it didn't belong on FOX. Three shows I'd add to the list: "Buffalo Bill," "Open All Night" and "The Slap Maxwell Story." All created or co-created by Jay Tarses; all brilliant; all gone way too soon. Actually, I thought that was where it belonged all along. "Just the Ten of Us" was much too smart for TGIF -- and I say that as someone who watched TGIF religiously. Another one I'd add to the list: "Almost Perfect," a two-season wonder from Robin Schiff, Ken Levine & David Isaacs. It starred Nancy Travis as Kim Cooper, a newly promoted EP on an "NYPD Blue"-esque cop show, who tries to juggle her new, high-pressure job (her predecessor left after suffering a nervous breakdown) with her new relationship with Mike Ryan, a district attorney, played by Kevin Kilner. AP possessed the magical combination of a great cast (in addition to Travis and Kilner, there were David Clennon ("thirtysomething"); Chip Zien (ex-Donald Steele, AMC); and Matthew Letscher ("Scandal," "The Carrie Diaries," etc.)) and great writing. As much as I love sitcoms, few made me laugh as hard as AP. However, CBS meddled with the show's premise, insisting that Schiff, Levine & Isaacs dump Mike. That decision, plus a time-slot change, sealed the show's fate. CBS cancelled it four episodes into its' second season; however, in the years since, the entire series has been rerun on both Lifetime and USA.