Stop Trying to Make ... Happen!

[Faulkner]

Outside of Seinfeld/Frasier/Friends/W&G, what other notable Must See TV series get referenced these days? No one talks about Mad About You (in spite of reboot discussions), Wings, Suddenly Susan, Caroline in the City, Boston Common, NewsRadio, The Single Guy, Jesse, Just Shoot Me, Veronica’s Closet, or any other of the interchangeable upscale, urban ensemble sitcoms of the ‘90s. Most sitcoms of any era are trash.

[dragonflies]

 

Eh IMO she's overrated

[mango]

 

Maybe it goes back to the SNL days? Not sure. I've got a soft spot for her.

 

 

And damn. I forgot about half of those shows. NBC, in particular on Thursdays, tried to throw anything to see if it could stick for Must See TV. They wanted something to catch on between Friends and ER. During the second season of Friends, one night they gimmicked having David Schwimmer on The Single Guy while Lea Thompson was on Friends. 

 

Without Googling, I'm trying to remember the show with Michael J. Fox and Heather Locklear (?). And then Charlie Sheen showed up. Things are fuzzy. And maybe that wasn't even an NBC sitcom.

[BetterForgotten]

One thing I liked about Seinfeld was that it proved you can have a successful show with totally unlikable characters. There's often a misconception that you need sympathetic characters to resonate with an audience, and Seinfeld totally went against that grain.

[Wendy]

 

Agree to disagree. I'd take Friends over Seinfeld any day of the week - and twice on Sundays. I did like Jason Alexander as the voice of the '90s USA Network cartoon, Duckman, though.

[Faulkner]

Totally. And unlike most of the darker characters of today, Seinfeld didn’t try to hedge and make Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George wallow in self-pity to make them more palatable. They were jerks, and that was it.

Spin City. Also a completely forgettable show.

[DRW50]

 

I did enjoy Wings (I tend to see it as separate from the Must See TV era as it started around 1990 or 1991), but I lost interest after 3-4 years. Those first years I think were charming though, and I liked the cast, although I've always had a limited tolerance for Steven Weber.

[Faulkner]

Wings was underrated, I’ll agree, and it had a wonderful cast that went unappreciated at the time, especially given how many of them had pretty substantial careers after the show.

 

I know some people loved NewsRadio, but I can’t with that show. Dave Foley and Joe Rogan, oy.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Faulkner

[Taoboi]

That's funny. Andy Cohen just had Brooke Shields on WWHL the other night and asked her what she preferred: SUDDENLY SUSAN or LIPSTICK JUNGLE.

 

She picked the latter. My BFF was a uber-fan of that show so I texted him knowing how I knew it would do him good to know BS loved it, too. 

[Soaplovers]

 

Just Shoot Me was only funny because of Wendie Malick... and that character was the prototype for all of her other comedic characters thereafter.

 

Wings was pretty funny, especially in the earlier seasons with the orchestra laden opening credits.

 

I will agree making Must see Thursday happen was huge in the 90s and early 2000s.

[SoapDope]

I liked 3rd Rock From The Sun. Even though people see it as silly slapstick, I thought it was hilarious and cleverly written. You could tell the entire cast were having a ball. Jane Curtin said she would be happy and excited on the way to work thinking about what she was going to be doing that day.

 

One forgotten ABC show nobody ever talks about from the 90's is Grace Under Fire. Brett Butler just faded into obscurity. I read about all the backstage mess that went on. 

 

Someone mentioned Caroline In The City. I remember when Mad TV ripped on it in a hilarious parody. Nicole Sullivan said that she was at an awards dinner and Leah Thompson't daughter spotted her and she whispered to her mother, there she is the one that made fun of you. She tried to get Leah to confront Nicole......LOL

 

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[Faulkner]

Ok. That’s AMAZING. I remember the actual show being such unintentional camp with Caroline torn between two obviously gay men. IRL I know Malcolm Gets came out while Eric Lutes was apparently straight.

 

Speaking of Chuck Lorre, I hope work slows down for him soon so he can get busy with a juicy memoir.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Faulkner

[Franko]

According to John Lithgow, the entire 3rd Rock cast -- including little JGL -- could sing Cole Porter at the drop of a hat.

[sivad40]

I like NewsRadio. It just wasn't the same after Phil Hartman was murdered. Most of the cast had decent careers after the show ended. 

 

Yes, Wendie Malick has been playing variations of Nina for the past 20+ years.

 

[soapfan770]

 

Funny you mentioned that Carl. I noted in another thread about TV shows I remember really liking Wings to a certain point but after rewatching the series on Antenna TV I found it strange that for being a lead that Steven Weber's character is completely forgettable