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The Low Budget Sitcom Thread

post #1 of 58
3/23/09 at 11:18pm
Thread Starter 
These seem to have been mostly a creature of the 80's/early 90's (not their exclusive domain, however), and they often showed up in first run syndication, sometimes after a botched network run. Different from their more polished network brethern, they were usually quickly made and had an over-the-top premise combined with the production values of a high school play.

Some examples:

Small Wonder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdukNkdPoEo):
Perhaps the prototypical low budget sitcom, absolutely everything about this show was cheap, awful, and ridiculous. It ran in first run syndication from the mid to late 80's and was, all things considered, more successful than it should have been.

Learning the Ropes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1fRXCKFrqw):

Coming to us from the great white north, Learning the Ropes featured Lyle Azaldo as Robert Randall, a working father trying to balance his life as a vice Principal and a professional wrestler (zany!). Mostly notable for the truly godawful theme music and frequent appearances from 80's wrestling stars.

Good Morning, Miss Bliss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZymBFTofsJU):

The forerunner to Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss featured Haley Mills as the titular teacher who sheparded a class of idiots through the trials and tribulations of junior high. Not very successful in its initial run, the show was completely retooled in the second season (most of the cast, including Mills, was dropped, the location was changed, and several new characters were added) and later went on to much (unexplained) success as Saved by the Bell.

The most notable commonality between these sorts of shows? Terrible fucking theme songs. Absolutely atrocious.

Anybody have others? I'm oddly fascinated by this sort of awful crap.
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post #2 of 58
3/23/09 at 11:29pm
Marblehead Manor:

Basically an attempt to do British farce on a weekly basis with not very successful results. This used to be on late Saturday nights when I was in college, and was a lot more fun under the influence of whatever we'd done up to that point.
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post #3 of 58
3/23/09 at 11:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew S. View Post
The most notable commonality between these sorts of shows? Terrible fucking theme songs. Absolutely atrocious.
I sure hope that's not a shot over the bow of It's a Living. I defy anyone to listen to that theme without tappin' ya toes.

That's right folks, it's a pre-Wings Crystal Bernard. Boners ahoy!
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post #4 of 58
3/23/09 at 11:46pm
I remember all of those Drew and I'll add this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_...rld_(TV_series)

I had a huge crush on the main character for some reason.

Do we include Charles in Charge? I think that started out on Network, went to Syndication with a cast change and gave us Scott Baio at all his banging underage castmates glory alongside Bibleman himself.
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post #5 of 58
3/23/09 at 11:53pm
I frikkin loved the shit out of Charles In Charge as a wee young'un.

Being on the other side of the world tho this is a little hard for me because I just don't know which shows were banished to syndication and which weren't.

I do remember Charles having his entire family replaced out from under him yet soimehow being able to remain in the same big house with a bunch of strangers moving in being a touch jarring to my eleven year old eyes - I mean what, was he included with the drapery or something??
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post #6 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:05am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bancroft Agee View Post
I remember all of those Drew and I'll add this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_...rld_(TV_series)

I had a huge crush on the main character for some reason.

Do we include Charles in Charge? I think that started out on Network, went to Syndication with a cast change and gave us Scott Baio at all his banging underage castmates glory alongside Bibleman himself.
Holy crap, I can't believe I forgot Out of this World. It's right up there with Small Wonder in the panethon of terrible, cheap syndicated sitcoms.

Yeah, I'd say that Charles in Charge counts. It was slightly more polished (and better remembered) than some of the others, but it fits the criteria.
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post #7 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Rain Dog View Post
I frikkin loved the shit out of Charles In Charge as a wee young'un.
Thank you guys for giving me another opportunity to show Josie Davis all growsed up.

And utter my cheap-sitcom level catchphrase of "Wowee zowee!"
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post #8 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew S. View Post
Holy crap, I can't believe I forgot Out of this World. It's right up there with Small Wonder in the panethon of terrible, cheap syndicated sitcoms.
Production values always suffer when you have to meet Burt Reynolds late 80's voiceover quote.
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post #9 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:15am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bancroft Agee View Post
Production values always suffer when you have to meet Burt Reynolds late 80's voiceover quote.
Also, Tom Bosley (or his voice, at least)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu3L1JrGT9U
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post #10 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:29am
Surely I can't be the only one to have seen a show called "What a Dummy" or some shit like that where a family has a talking Dummy live with them and dispense advise.
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post #11 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
Surely I can't be the only one to have seen a show called "What a Dummy" or some shit like that where a family has a talking Dummy live with them and dispense advise.
I vaguely remember something awful like that. He had been locked in a trunk for a long time when the family found him or something.
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post #12 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:40am
Does Just the Ten of Us count? A cursory look at youtube reveals they had money for song royalties and an editing machine that could do fancy wipes. Plus, a large cast. Their song sounds enough like the Greatest American Hero theme to have stuck in my head. But it's possible they were intellectually impoverished. I can't bring myself to watch it.
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post #13 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:47am
Man, someone already brought up Out of this World. What was the idea behind those shows (meaning that and Small Wonder)? Were they Alf rip offs?

Not to turn this into a Peter Engel thread, but I remember a ton of bad Saved By the Bell rip-offs (some Engel produced, some he didn't): California Dreams, Hang Time, USA High. These shows all had something like four sets: a diner/hangout, another hang out (dorm room, hallway or garage), someone's bedroom, and maybe a classroom or two.

I remember one really terrible SBTB rip off called Boogie's Diner about people who worked at a restaurant starring Zack Ward.

Also, I'm remembering early WB shows like Unhappily Ever After as ridiculously cheap looking.
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post #14 of 58
3/24/09 at 12:48am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felt Pelt View Post
Does Just the Ten of Us count? A cursory look at youtube reveals they had money for song royalties and an editing machine that could do fancy wipes. Plus, a large cast. Their song sounds enough like the Greatest American Hero theme to have stuck in my head. But it's possible they were intellectually impoverished. I can't bring myself to watch it.
While lousy, its status as a spinoff of Growing Pains disqualifies it. Also, Heather Langenkamp!
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post #15 of 58
3/24/09 at 1:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beldar View Post
Man, someone already brought up Out of this World. What was the idea behind those shows (meaning that and Small Wonder)? Were they Alf rip offs?

Not to turn this into a Peter Engel thread, but I remember a ton of bad Saved By the Bell rip-offs (some Engel produced, some he didn't): California Dreams, Hang Time, USA High. These shows all had something like four sets: a diner/hangout, another hang out (dorm room, hallway or garage), someone's bedroom, and maybe a classroom or two.

I remember one really terrible SBTB rip off called Boogie's Diner about people who worked at a restaurant starring Zack Ward.

Also, I'm remembering early WB shows like Unhappily Ever After as ridiculously cheap looking.

Small Wonder actually predates Alf by a year or so, but Out of this World probably was an Alf ripoff.

And yeah, all those NBC Saturday morning sitcoms are fair game. Those things were terrible and, at the time, nearly omnipresent on syndicated TV (especially TBS and USA).
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post #16 of 58
3/24/09 at 2:08am
Doesn't Madame's Place kind of own this thread?
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post #17 of 58
3/24/09 at 2:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratty View Post
Doesn't Madame's Place kind of own this thread?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG2yJs3SwCM

Yes, it definetly belongs here. And in hell.
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post #18 of 58
3/24/09 at 2:17am
one of my earliest memories is some kid at preschool crying to the teacher because we couldn't watch " THE SHOW WHERE THE LADY MARRIES THE SPACE MAN!"
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post #19 of 58
3/24/09 at 5:22am
I remember seeing Ellen Travolta in the credits for Charles in Charge and thinking it must be John's mom...come to find out, it's just his sister.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Travolta
Her Wikipedia page also features one of the greatest Wikipedia pictures ever. Ellen is more or less literally standing in her brother's shadow.
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post #20 of 58
3/24/09 at 5:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
Surely I can't be the only one to have seen a show called "What a Dummy" or some shit like that where a family has a talking Dummy live with them and dispense advise.
You were right: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098947/
Quote:
Ed Branningan's great uncle dies and leaves a trunk full of props from the days when Uncle Jackie was a ventriloquist. Buzz, Jackie's dummy, has been locked in the trunk for 50-years; Buzz can also think and talk and goes about giving everyone in the house advise. Ed's family, which lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, consists of his wife Polly and their three children, Tucker, Cory and Maggie; Mrs. Travalony is their next door neighbor. 24 episodes of this syndicated show were produced in 1990 and 1991
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post #21 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felt Pelt View Post
Does Just the Ten of Us count? A cursory look at youtube reveals they had money for song royalties and an editing machine that could do fancy wipes. Plus, a large cast. Their song sounds enough like the Greatest American Hero theme to have stuck in my head. But it's possible they were intellectually impoverished. I can't bring myself to watch it.
Ah, but the ladies of "Just the Ten of Us" made it a must-see. Oh yeah, and in addition to Heather Langenkamp, the show featured Brooke Theiss (a.k.a. Cockroach Girl from NOES 4).

Side issue: whatever happened to the 80s trend of having theme songs that were all about the show you were going to watch? "Charles in Charge", "Diff'rent Strokes", "The Fall Guy", "The Dukes of Hazzard", etc. That was greatness.
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post #22 of 58
3/24/09 at 11:16am
I think that's why I can't watch it. It reminds me of how easy it was to get an earlier version of myself to watch a show/waste time away. Put some attractive women in it, have them say vapid lines.
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post #23 of 58
3/24/09 at 11:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beldar View Post
Holy shit! I also remember a sitcom where Matt Fewer played an aerospace engineer and delt with his wacky family. I remember it mainly because this was around the time aerospace jobs were being gutted and because it was right before the prime-time showing of Batman: The Animated Series.
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post #24 of 58
3/24/09 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli View Post
Side issue: whatever happened to the 80s trend of having theme songs that were all about the show you were going to watch? "Charles in Charge", "Diff'rent Strokes", "The Fall Guy", "The Dukes of Hazzard", etc. That was greatness.
I was wondering the same thing. Heck, hardly any theme songs have words anymore.

Another side issue: anyone notice that there aren't really any family friendly sitcoms in prime time anymore? There may be some PG rated, but there aren't any of those Miller-Boyett "Full House," "Perfect Strangers" type shows. Or maybe there are but they all moved to ABC Family and Disney Channel. Not saying this is a bad thing, just an observation.
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post #25 of 58
3/24/09 at 2:44pm
No, they all moved to ABC Family and Disney channel. All of the dumbass situations and plot ideas.
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post #26 of 58
3/24/09 at 2:55pm
She's the Sheriff. That is all.
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post #27 of 58
3/24/09 at 2:55pm
Down to Earth, the story of a 1920's flapper who gets run over by a car and comes back as the guardian angel/maid for modern-day family. Family patriarch played by the 2nd Darren from Bewitched, the one that died of AIDS.

The 80's were weird.
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post #28 of 58
3/24/09 at 3:16pm
We Got It Made, which seemed to exist solely to show off Teri Copley, who played a maid hired by a couple of New York bachelors to clean their apartment.
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post #29 of 58
3/24/09 at 3:20pm
'Makin' It' - The David Naughton show from the late 70s. The theme song was a huge hit, but that wasn't enough to keep a show afloat.
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post #30 of 58
3/24/09 at 3:30pm
I would say that Married with Children counts, but the greatness of the cast elevates it to greatness.
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post #31 of 58
3/24/09 at 3:35pm
For whatever reason, I still remember the theme song to "Just the 10 of Us." I have no idea why this is. I haven't seen that show in 20 years.

"Doin' it the best I can/Nothin' comes easy..."
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post #32 of 58
3/24/09 at 3:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eenin View Post
I would say that Married with Children counts, but the greatness of the cast elevates it to greatness.
Definitely looks like a high school play, but the writing and acting is top notch. Likewise, ALF is a ridiculous, over the top concept, but the writing and (some of) the acting took it to another level.
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post #33 of 58
3/24/09 at 3:58pm
Married with Children looked cheap but it wasn't a shitty sitcom. That show was greatness.
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post #34 of 58
3/24/09 at 4:19pm
Thread Starter 
I'm going to say that Mama's Family may fit this category.

Yes, it was a spinoff of the Carol Burnett show*, but it's production values were extremely low (almost everything took place in the house. They had maybe one or two other sets) and it was cancelled by NBC then revived in syndication, where it ran for another four years. Also, Ken Berry never got Larry Storch to do a guest spot, so that automatically lowers it. Actually, I'm going to say that Mama's Family sort of morphed into one of these. The first couple of seasons had Rue McLanahan, Betty White, and Carol Burnett is recurring roles. Then it started going downhill, the bigger names vanished, and it got cheaper and cheaper as the years went on.

*Not a sitcom, thus this skirts the Growin Pains/Just the Ten of Us rule!
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post #35 of 58
3/24/09 at 4:27pm
'C.P.O Sharkey' - The Don Rickles sitcom from the late 70s. This was one of the cheapest looking shows that I remember seeing; seriously, I think that the show only had one set. Does anyone else remember this show?
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post #36 of 58
3/24/09 at 4:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
Married with Children looked cheap but it wasn't a shitty sitcom. That show was greatness.
Married with Children was cheap as dirt when it first started out, but it is still great.
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post #37 of 58
3/24/09 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
'C.P.O Sharkey' - The Don Rickles sitcom from the late 70s. This was one of the cheapest looking shows that I remember seeing; seriously, I think that the show only had one set. Does anyone else remember this show?
Yep, part of NBC's doom time in the late 70s/early 80s. There's a great Carson moment where he barges in on the set of Sharkey to confront Rickles over a cigarette case Rickles broke while guest-hosting The Tonight Show. It's in the Mr. Warmth special Devin mentioned in the Watch This Now series.
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post #38 of 58
3/24/09 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew S. View Post
I'm going to say that Mama's Family may fit this category.

Yes, it was a spinoff of the Carol Burnett show*, but it's production values were extremely low (almost everything took place in the house. They had maybe one or two other sets) and it was cancelled by NBC then revived in syndication, where it ran for another four years. Also, Ken Berry never got Larry Storch to do a guest spot, so that automatically lowers it. Actually, I'm going to say that Mama's Family sort of morphed into one of these. The first couple of seasons had Rue McLanahan, Betty White, and Carol Burnett is recurring roles. Then it started going downhill, the bigger names vanished, and it got cheaper and cheaper as the years went on.

*Not a sitcom, thus this skirts the Growin Pains/Just the Ten of Us rule!
I was going to say Mama's Family but your explanation was much better than mine would have been. I think you're right about it starting out fine and turning into a low-budget sitcom. It really took a nosedive when it was revived in syndication.
Side note: I also feel like there was about 10 years where TBS showed nothing but Mama's Family, Saved By the Bell and old Burt Reynolds movies. And everything started at 5 minutes past the half hour.
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post #39 of 58
3/24/09 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beldar View Post
Side note: I also feel like there was about 10 years where TBS showed nothing but Mama's Family, Saved By the Bell and old Burt Reynolds movies. And everything started at 5 minutes past the half hour.
God, I remember that too.
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post #40 of 58
3/24/09 at 8:24pm
Empty Nest.

Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb1OGZ6GVT0

Spinoff of Golden Girl's it seems. Pretty sure most of the episodes took place in either the Doctor's office (with wise cracking assistant), or at his home.

The only thing I really remember from it is a scene where the neurotic daughter is concerned the soft spot on her head has reopened.
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post #41 of 58
3/24/09 at 9:19pm
All I remember about Empty Nest is a very young TV's Blossom telling the Doctor (Burt from Soap!) that she wanted a nose job. Anyone remember Nurses? I feel like it might have been a spin-off of something but I'm too lazy to do the research right now.
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post #42 of 58
3/24/09 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahLynne View Post
Anyone remember Nurses? I feel like it might have been a spin-off of something but I'm too lazy to do the research right now.
Empty Nest
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post #43 of 58
3/24/09 at 9:32pm
Nurses was a spin-off of Empty Nest.

NBC had a slate of shows starting at 7 pm on weekdays. One was a Harry Morgan show called "You Can't Take it With You." I also swear that Baywatch originally came from that slot, but my timing is off (it started in '87 and Baywatch began in '89).

I just remember them all being low budget shows...anyone remember any other shows from that 7 pm line-up?
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post #44 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:01pm
Thread Starter 
Here's another good example-

Hi Honey, I'm Home! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqiNfBEMgW0):

1991 sitcom that ran for a single season. Told the story of The Nielsens, a fictional 50's sitcom family living in modern times and trying to hide their secret from their nosy, less than perfect neighbors. It did air on ABC, but was simutaneously syndicated on Nick-At-Nite. Julie Benz got her start on this show.
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post #45 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:18pm


They tried suffocating and harrassing the poor dog on set! Wait, so NURSES was a spin-off of EMPTY NEST (Joe Isuzu!) which was a spin-off of GOLDEN GIRLS? Is

More Sat morning than primetime, but I loved the crappy Krofft FAR OUT SPACE NUTS as a kid.

And it's a good excuse as any to post something that gave me nightmares as a kid... "The Perils of Punky" ep of PUNKY BREWSTER.

As an aside... Just digging around brought me to the HAPPY DAYS (clearly not appropriate for this thread) wiki and the "neologisms" that originated there. These terms can apply to a ton of sitcoms (and probably some shitty ones, if they will only be remembered): "Jumping the Shark", "The Fonzie Effect", and "The Chuck Cunningham Syndrome". I also kinda dug that TV Land clip show that had a theme every week and explored shows that used that theme ("The sassy black female character", "The drug episode", etc).
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post #46 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew S. View Post
Here's another good example-

Hi Honey, I'm Home! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqiNfBEMgW0):
wow. i thought my memory of that show was a figment of my imagination. scary stuff that that crap was real.
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post #47 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:24pm
There's only one Golden Girls spin-off worth talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbWoYmOfGxo

I bet Blanche was all up in Don Cheadle's junk.
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post #48 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:38pm
I'm fairly certain one of the Backstreet Boys played the neighbor's son on HI HONEY I'M HOME.

Not to suggest I'm not enjoying talking about all these shows, but...I don't really recall Empty Nest being that much more low-budget than Golden Girls. Most sitcoms in the '70s and '80s were low-budget, used videotaped and had only a few sets, but I think we're trying to figure out ones that seemed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. A lot of these shows we're discussing had some very famous, well-liked actors and good writing.
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post #49 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:43pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, by definition most sitcoms are low budget. The goal here is to find the really atrocious shitty ones that were even worse than average. If it aired on a network in prime time for its entire run, it probably doesn't count.

There are exceptions to that, though.
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post #50 of 58
3/24/09 at 10:45pm
Yeah, I doubt The Golden Palace was a cheap show to make. 3/4 of the Golden Girls + Cheech = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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