2 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

Peter Krause is an interesting one! I first saw him on Cybill as the older daughter’s husband. Then he popped up in Sport’s Night, which was beloved but not highly rated. Then Six Feet Under, Parenthood, and 911, which I kind of think was beneath his talents. But he’s been a series as a lead for over 20 years, a real fixture on TV.

Those 911 fans really did seem to adore his character though - I assume he was salary dumped, so maybe they will follow him elsewhere.

I hated his character on Six Feet Under but now I can appreciate his talents.

1 hour ago, Franko said:

As it happens, I created that very thread!

Oops! Sorry, @Franko , lol!

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

To me Hot in Cleveland was just a very false show - I could always see LAUGH NOW signs in the background.

Same here. IMO, Suzanne Martin was just using crap that she didn't get to use on her last series, ABC's "Hot Properties," which the network canned after 13 episodes, I think.

57 minutes ago, All My Shadows said:

I know there was a weariness for the genre by the time TBWS began, but by then, so many of those shows, especially the type TBWS was trying to lampoon, were winding down. By the 1977-1978 season, "Charlie's Angels" was the one and only crime drama pulling in big numbers, and outside of the Caren Kaye character, that's not really the kind of cop show TBWS was going for.

Ironically, I'm starting to wonder whether people are growing weary of all the procedural shows that are out there now on all the networks and streaming platforms, lol.

Also, I should clarify: I thought John Hillerman and Georgia Engel worked great with Betty on TBWS, but the rest of the supporting cast...? Oof.

Thanks, @soapfan770 , for reminding us about "Orleans"! Did anyone watch the show? If so, what do you think? (Truth be told, I think I might have missed out on that one intentionally, lol).

38 minutes ago, All My Shadows said:

I think the problem for Fran is that the NBC run of Mama's Family had too large of a cast. Mama has three kids, two in-laws, two grandkids, and a sister. Even if you didn't have everyone present in every episode, it still had to be tough to develop a place for each character. IMO, the syndicated run tightened it up and yes, it was more cartoony, but the cast just seemed to gel better as you knew what role each character was meant to play.

ICAM!! As a matter of fact, I'm sure I've read somewhere that Buzz and Sonja were created only because NBC wanted characters on the show that (they thought) would appeal to younger audiences.

1 minute ago, Khan said:

Oops! Sorry, @Franko , lol!

Same here. IMO, Suzanne Martin was just using crap that she didn't get to use on her last series, ABC's "Hot Properties," which the network canned after 13 episodes, I think.

Ironically, I'm starting to wonder whether people are growing weary of all the procedural shows that are out there now on all the networks and streaming platforms, lol.

Also, I should clarify: I thought John Hillerman and Georgia Engel worked great with Betty on TBWS, but the rest of the supporting cast...? Oof.

Thanks, @soapfan770 , for reminding us about "Orleans"! Did anyone watch the show? If so, what do you think? (Truth be told, I think I might have missed out on that one intentionally, lol).

ICAM!! As a matter of fact, I'm sure I've read somewhere that Buzz and Sonja were created only because NBC wanted characters on the show that (they thought) would appeal to younger audiences.

I genuinely liked Buzz (not just because I thought he was cute, although it didn't hurt), but Sonja was not needed.

The main thing I remember about Orleans was their incest story which got a lot of buzz (buzz did not = viewers)

Recently, Fran Drescher said she'd told TV Land execs they would regret canceling Happily Divorced, and one later told her she was right. I didn't love that show, but I preferred it to Cleveland.

11 minutes ago, Khan said:

Oops! Sorry, @Franko , lol!

Oh, not a problem. I just figured I'd indulge in some shameless self-promotion and possibly revive my old thread.

10 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Recently, Fran Drescher said she'd told TV Land execs they would regret canceling Happily Divorced, and one later told her she was right.

Why was she right, lol?

Speaking of Fran Drescher, have we covered her career or track record, both pre- and post-"Nanny"?

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by Khan

7 minutes ago, Khan said:

Why was she right, lol?

Speaking of Fran Drescher, have we covered her career or track record, both pre- and post-"Nanny"?

I don't think we have.

Fran talked a bit about that here:

TV Insider

Fran Drescher: TV Land Rued ‘Happily Divorced’ Cancellation

Drescher’s sitcom, based on her and her ex-husband’s relationship, ended after two seasons in 2013.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by DRW50

2 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks. I suppose she must have been glad to see the syndicated years where Dorothy was completely defanged and just had to play an idiot (one of several reasons I think the syndicated years were inferior to the network version - and no, Bubba's ass wasn't enough compensation, as we already got that with Buzz on the network version anyway).

One of the problems with Fran was she was mousy but not in an interesting way. Iola, who was in some ways a Fran replacement, was mousy, but quirky.

The only thing I remember of Fran is when she once confessed to a crime - she had ripped the tag off of her mattress.

I remember Fran most for the episode where Thelma burnt up her dress and replaced it with one full of tucks. Rue must have felt so embarrassed to deliver the line "look at my seat, it's all bunched up and pointy".

2 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I don't think we have.

Fran talked a bit about that here:

TV Insider

Fran Drescher: TV Land Rued ‘Happily Divorced’ Cancellation

Drescher’s sitcom, based on her and her ex-husband’s relationship, ended after two seasons in 2013.

Thanks for that link, @DRW50 !

Honestly, I never know WHAT to think about Fran Drescher. It seems as if most of the projects that she and her ex have created and produced come from their own personal experiences - which is good, I guess, because the more authentic something is, and the more personal, the more it will connect with the audience. Yet, you really have to wonder if their personal lives are soooooooooooo colorful that they inspire not one, not two, but THREE shows? Like, who else has a life THAT interesting, lol?

1 hour ago, ReddFoxx said:

I remember Fran most for the episode where Thelma burnt up her dress and replaced it with one full of tucks. Rue must have felt so embarrassed to deliver the line "look at my seat, it's all bunched up and pointy".

Whenever I think about Aunt Fran - which isn't all that often, lol - the first thing that springs to my mind is her constant bitching and moaning about Sonja getting the room that once was her writing office (or was her writing office, I can't recall which atm). If having "a room of one's own" is so damned important to you, Frannie, then just move the [!@#$%^&*] out!

On 11/22/2025 at 10:59 PM, Paul Raven said:

They should have just called it 'Girl with a Gun'

I forgot to mention this before: in the entire 20 years that the original "Law & Order" was on the air, there was only one female detective on the show: Nina Cassady, played by Milena Govich. I wouldn't swear to it, but how Cassady gets transferred to the 27th precinct and becomes Ed Green's latest partner (she participates in a shootout at a beauty salon) sounds an awful lot like the first time we see Katy Mahoney in action on "Lady Blue." Were the show's producers making a sly comment on LB and what might've been a directive from NBC to introduce a female detective on their show? I think so, lol.

Nancy Walker was on the last season of Family Affair (1970-71). McMillan & Wife (1971-1976). Rhoda (1974-1978). The Nancy Walker Show (1976-1977) Blansky's Beauties (1977). Mama's Boy (1987-1988) not to mention her long run as Rosie in the Bounty paper towel TV commercials.

11 minutes ago, SoapDope78 said:

Nancy Walker was on the last season of Family Affair (1970-71). McMillan & Wife (1971-1976). Rhoda (1974-1978). The Nancy Walker Show (1976-1977) Blansky's Beauties (1977). Mama's Boy (1987-1988) not to mention her long run as Rosie in the Bounty paper towel TV commercials.

Her final show was True Colors - she died around the time the final episode aired. Cleavon Little, who was the male lead, died months later.

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

Her final show was True Colors - she died around the time the final episode aired. Cleavon Little, who was the male lead, died months later.

Thanks for the info. I forgot about that show. Cleavon Little was another actor who had a big hit with Blazing Saddles, but a spotty career. He also did the early 70's sitcom "Temperatures Rising" which was re-tooled in 3 different supporting cast incarnations. In its second season it was renamed "The New Temperature's Rising Show" with a cast change adding Paul Lynde. Joan Van Ark was in the first season cast along with Reva Rose.

Valerie Bertinelli had a couple of flops with "Sydney" and "Cafe Americain" that were both leading ventures for her. She joined "Touched By An Angel" for the last two seasons and later landed "Hot In Cleveland". Food Network gave her a lot of work for nearly a decade.

No one from Good Times had another television hit. Esther Rolle's only attempt at another sitcom was the failed
"Singer and Sons" with Harold Gould. John Amos did "704 Hauser" which was a rework of "All In The Family" that Norman Lear was inspired to create by the rise of right-wing talk radio. John played a Democrat with a conservative son who had a White girlfriend. Jimmie Walker did a failed syndicated adaptation of the film "Bustin' Loose".

I'd forgotten about "True Colors" as well. That was when FOX still presented itself as a hipper, edgier alternative to the "Big Three."