Khan

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.

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).

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

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.

Olbermann is such a doofus for tweeting something like that. Does he not realize that not every Texan agrees with Gov. Greg Abbott that it's safe to remove the mask mandate and fully reopen public spaces? I think Abbott's a grade-A [!@#$%^&*], but I wouldn't want to see all Texans punished on account of him.

Yep.

I stopped even paying attention to RW after...wait, which season was the one with Colin and Amaya? Was that Hawaii? It was so skanky that I was afraid even to touch my TV set for fear of contracting herpes.

Agree!

There are, like, a half-dozen "Law & Order" episodes contained within that report on Jackson. And you know you're trash when your life is like even one episode of L&O.

Maureen Dowd: "Believe me, you want us on that wall." Not if it means you get another crack at selling us all down the damn river just so you can keep spooning with fascists.

Edith's affair with the very married (to Claire) Jim Lowell was pretty much the story that kicked off ATWT, as their illicit relationship sent shock waves through the Hughes and Lowell families, who were also connected via the law firm of Hughes, Lowell & Hughes. (Or was it Lowell, Hughes & Lowell? Anyways.) IIRC, Irna wanted the story to end with Edith and Jim happily married, but P&G opposed, saying it would send the wrong message to audiences. So, instead, she killed off Jim, and Edith later married George Frey before the two moved out of Oakdale.

The only thing I remember about "The Monroes" was someone getting locked out of their office after having sex and then having to go downstairs (IN THE NUDE) and get the security guard to help him back inside.

That could be the strangest "meet-cute" ever.

I think so, too. For sure, WTB? wasn't Lear's kind of sitcom. He preferred his shows to have an edge. WTB?'s creators, Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, believed they were making some sort of feminist statement. Beyond the series' initial premise, however, it was a fairly standard family show/romantic comedy. DEFINITELY agree about "Perfect Strangers" and "Mr. Belvedere." The latter show's producers, Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein, have gone on-record with their ambivalence about their association with the show. For one thing, it was 20th Century Fox Television who approached Dungan and Stein with the "Belvedere" character, which they owned the rights to, rather than the other way around. Dungan and Stein were just wrapping up "Barney Miller" when they signed a development deal with 20th, and every other series they had pitched hadn't sold, so they were more-or-less compelled to develop "Belvedere," despite their hesitation toward working on a "family show." Moreover, they LOATHED doing Very Special Episodes, like the one about the camp counselor who was molesting Wesley and his friends (or something). However, VSE's always attracted attention from the media; and as Stein said in an interview about the release of the complete "Barney Miller" on DVD, they thought it'd be cool to see a "Belvedere" episode highlighted in that week's TV Guide.