Damn, I love good situation comedies. You know, the ones that are actually funny. Itís mind blowing how many god awful sitcoms have made it onto the major networks over the years - not to mention the garbage that was churned out for syndication. (Do I really need to say She's The Sheriff to get my point across?) Anyway, you won't find any of that junk here. Tonight itís great sitcom after great sitcom, capped off by a hospital drama thatís also good for a few hearty laughs.
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7:30 - THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
Only the black and white episodes from the first five years of the showís
run. Thereís something about Mayberry in color that just ainít right -
especially with Don Knotts gone and Jack Burns taking over as deputy. Plus a
big Opie ainít as cute as a little Opie and Emmett never could fill the
shoes of Floyd the barber. (I think the secret was in the witch-hazel.)
8:00 - THE JACKIE THOMAS SHOW
Tom Arnold got his big break because he was doing the nasty with the star of
ABCís highest rated series. But this sitcom about a rags-to-riches comic who
terrorizes the staff of his hit TV show deserved a better fate than being
passed off as one of Rosanneís frivolous perks. Too bad America wasnít ready
for an updated white trash version of Alan Brady.
8:30 - TAXI
The comic genius of Andy Kaufman during Latkaís split personality story arc
is one reason to put this smart situation comedy on the ultimate TV
schedule. But itís the inspired one-on-one morality duels between Judd
Hirsch and Danny DeVito that really put this show about a group of New York
City cab drivers over the top. A series so well written that it even makes
Tony Danza look good.
9:00 - BARNEY MILLER
Good cops and bad coffee. One of my favorite sitcoms of all time. So howís
come the regulars from this show all but disappeared after it went off the
air? And why canít I get the reruns on my cable? Maybe we need to have Lt.
Scanlon of Internal Affairs look in to these matters.
9:30 - BUFFALO BILL
Dabney Coleman is Buffalo Bill, a self centered local TV talk show host
whose popularity is second only to his arrogance. Yes, another sitcom about
a television personality who abuses his staff and Iím running both of them
on the same night. And like The Jackie Thomas Show, this one didnít last
very long either. Canceled after one season because viewers were buffaloed
by a star they couldnít warm up to despite good scripts and a solid
supporting cast.
10:00 - ST. ELSEWHERE
Iíve never been a big fan of "doctor shows." Maybe itís because I hate
hospitals. (Theyíre full of sick people.) But St. Elsewhere was different.
It was part medical drama, part satirical black comedy and part twisted soap
opera. Plus it had a young Denzel Washington, a restrained Howie Mandell and
the brilliant comedy team of Craig and Ehrilich. And yet, in the end, it was
all just a well-scripted dream.