Random TGIF Sitcoms Couldn't Turn Into A Smash Hit (17 items)

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  (#1) Teen Angel

  • Tim Curry, Maureen McCormick, Conchata Ferrell, Yeardley Smith, Ron Glass, Jerry Van Dyke, Corbin Allred, Tommy Hinkley, Jordan Brower, Mike Damus, Katie Volding

  What Was The Setup?: A teenager named Marty loses his life after eating a months-old burger on a dare and becomes a guardian angel to his best friend, Steve. Marty has a mentor in the shape of a disembodied head named Rod, who identifies himself as God's cousin and often talks directly to the audience. Maureen McCormick (of Brady Bunch fame) was cast as Steve's mom, but left the series about midway through its run.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 17 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: Teen Angel was one of several series in the '80s and '90s with angels as main characters, and the concept was starting to wear thin. Although ABC tried to capitalize on the show's fantasy elements by pairing it with Sabrina the Teenage Witch, few viewers tuned in.
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  (#2) Two of a Kind

  • Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Christopher Sieber, Orlando Brown, Sally Wheeler, Ernie Grunwald, David Valcin

  What Was The Setup?: Two of a Kind was an attempt to capitalize on the mega-popularity of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the twins who became stars on Full House. The last show produced by TGIF denizens Miller-Boyett Productions, it focused on a widowed college professor trying to raise his 12-year-old identical twin daughters with opposing personalities with the help of a quirky babysitter who the twins thought could be the perfect girlfriend for their dad.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 22 episodes. However, it had a long life in syndication, both in the United States and overseas. It also spawned a popular preteen book series, with around 40 individual books being written.

  Why Did It Fail?: While the series premiere had very good ratings, the numbers dropped off quickly. Evidently, the preteen Olsen twins were not as appealing to a television audience as they had been when they were babies. The show's failure barely put a dent in the Olsens' burgeoning media empire, as they embarked on a series of direct-to-video films in the late '90s and early 2000s.
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  (#3) Muppets Tonight

  • Dave Goelz, Kevin Clash, Brian Henson

  What Was The Setup?: The idea behind Muppets Tonight was to make an updated version of The Muppet Show, which had been a hit in the 1970s. Kermit and his friends are offered a spot on ABC's TGIF lineup if they can quickly come up with a variety show. But while The Muppet Show is set in a theater, Muppets Tonight takes place at a television studio.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 10 episodes (it moved to the Disney Channel for a second season)

  Why Did It Fail?: Instead of focusing on established characters like Kermit, Fozzie Bear, and Miss Piggy, Muppets Tonight introduced a bunch of new ones like Clifford, who filled Kermit's role as host for the variety show, and Pepe the King Prawn. But these new Muppets didn't have the same appeal for viewers, as shown by the low ratings. Some of the show's problems may also have been tied to the fact the Muppet franchise had not yet recovered from the loss of Jim Henson (who passed in 1990).
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  (#4) You Wish

  • John Rhys-Davies, Harley Jane Kozak, Jerry Van Dyke, Alex McKenna, Nathan Lawrence

  What Was The Setup?: An attempted modern twist on the hit 1960s show I Dream of Jeannie, but in this case the genie is male, while the reluctant "master" is a single mom.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 13 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: This was another attempt by ABC to find a show with fantasy/magical elements that could duplicate the success of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The producers tried to boost ratings by coming up with a crossover episode involving both Sabrina and Boy Meets World, but even that failed to draw viewers. It was the last episode that aired before You Wish went on a six-month hiatus. The poorly reviewed show was finally canceled in the summer of 1998.
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  (#5) Where I Live

  • Flex Alexander, Lorraine Toussaint, Doug E. Doug, Sullivan Walker, Shaun Baker

  What Was The Setup?: Praised for its realistic portrayal of Black urban life, and partially based on the life of star Doug E. Doug, the show focused on a Trinidadian American teenager living with his parents in Harlem and his adventures with his two best friends.

  How Long Did It Last?: Two seasons, 14 episodes (seven other episodes were produced but never aired)

  Why Did It Fail?: The ratings were not strong enough to get the show renewed for a second season. But the show had a powerful champion in Bill Cosby, who pushed for ABC to bring it back. For the second season, ABC moved the show from the TGIF block, where its lead-in was Full House, to Tuesdays, where it followed the far less successful sitcom George. This move resulted in Where I Live being canceled just three episodes into its second season.
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  (#6) On Our Own

  • Will Ferrell, Meagan Good, Jurnee Smollett, Kimberley Kates, Jussie Smollett, Roger Aaron Brown, T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh, Ralph Harris, Jake Smollett

  What Was The Setup?: A kind of cross between an African American Party of Five and the cross-dressing premise of Mrs. Doubtfire, On Our Own starred the real-life Smollett siblings as six of the seven fictional Jerrico siblings, the eldest of whom (Ralph Louis Harris) must dress in drag and pretend to be their aunt in order to keep the family together after they are orphaned. Problems arise when a social services administrator attempts to romantically pursue the "aunt."

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 20 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: Originally airing on Sundays, the show went on hiatus after 13 episodes; when it returned, the fictional aunt had been eliminated, with the eldest brother being granted custody of his brothers and sisters. It also became part of the TGIF lineup. But the ratings didn't improve, and the show was canceled.

  Two of the Smollett siblings - Jussie (Empire) and Jurnee (Friday Night Lights, True Blood, Eve's Bayou) - have gone on to successful acting careers as adults.
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  (#7) Aliens in the Family

  • Chris Marquette, Joey Mazzarino, Michael Gilden, John Bedford Lloyd, Michelan Sisti

  What Was The Setup?: A single dad is abducted by an alien single mom. They fall in love, get married, and try to live a "normal" life on Earth. The youngest member of this mixed-species family seems to be a predecessor to Family Guy's Stewie: a baby who possesses genius-level intelligence and constantly comes up with ways to dispatch his family.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, eight episodes (only two of which aired in the TGIF program block)

  Why Did It Fail?: An attempt to re-create success ABC had had with Dinosaurs (which was about a family of dinosaurs living in 60,000,000 BC, and used animatronic puppets to portray the creatures), the show featured alien puppets created by the Jim Henson Creature Shop. But it was a massive failure - ABC put the show on hiatus after just two episodes; when it returned, the remaining episodes aired on Saturday mornings.
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  (#8) Getting By

  • Cindy Williams, Telma Hopkins, Merlin Santana, Deon Richmond

  What Was The Setup?: This show, which starred Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley) and Telma Hopkins (Family Matters), centered around two single mothers, one white and the other Black. Best friends and co-workers, they decide to jointly buy a home in the Chicago suburbs where they can raise their kids.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season on ABC (one additional season on NBC), 12 episodes on ABC (19 additional episodes on NBC)

  Why Did It Fail?: For a pretty simple reason: ABC wanted to move Getting By to a Saturday night time slot. The producers refused to agree to this and took the show to NBC, where it originally aired on Tuesdays as the lead-out to Saved By the Bell: The College Years, only to get moved to Saturday because of poor ratings.
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  (#9) Hi Honey, I'm Home!

  • Charlotte Booker, Stephen C. Bradbury, Peter Benson

  What Was The Setup?: When their 1950s sitcom goes off the air, a TV family named the Nielsens (get it?) is transported to 1991 as part of the Sitcom Relocation Program (SRP), where they struggle to adapt to modern life and try to prove they deserve to be back on 1950s television. The teenager who lives next door, a fan of old television shows, is the only one who knows their secret. Hi Honey, I'm Home had a gimmick where nearly every episode featured a guest appearance from a classic sitcom star.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, six episodes (a second season, consisting of seven episodes, aired only on Nick at Nite)

  Why Did It Fail?: This show aired in the summer rather than as part of the regular September-May schedule. Nick at Nite would re-air the episodes on Sundays, making Hi Honey, I'm Home the first prime-time series to have original episodes be shown concurrently on both network and cable television.

  Ratings dropped swiftly after the premiere episode ranked in the Top 20 shows, and although some reviews were positive, ABC dropped it after airing six episodes. It did, however, get a second season on Nick at Nite.

  Making matters worse, Hi Honey, I'm Home ended up bringing ABC legal trouble. Two scriptwriters, Tom Robinson and Phil Herter, sued both ABC and MTV Networks, claiming the networks had taken their idea. They alleged that in 1988 they had sent Nickelodeon a script for a sitcom about a middle-class family haunted by the cast of a canceled 1950s show.
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  (#10) Baby Talk

  • George Clooney, Tony Danza, Scott Baio, Julia Duffy, Polly Bergen, William Hickey, Mary Page Keller, Vernee Watson-Johnson, Francesca P. Roberts, Tom Alan Robbins, Lenny Wolpe, Ryan Jessup

  What Was The Setup?: Based on the hit movie Look Who's Talking, Baby Talk focused on toddler Mickey, who would express his thoughts (voiced by Tony Danza) to the viewers. In the second season, the focus shifted to the experiences of Mickey's single mother.

  How Long Did It Last?: Two seasons, 35 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: For one thing, the show couldn't hold onto its stars or producers. The original female lead, Connie Sellecca, quit after filming the pilot, resulting in the premiere being pushed from the fall of 1990 to the spring of 1991. Male lead George Clooney, the original producers, and Sellecca's replacement, Julia Duffy (who hated the show's infantile humor), all left by the end of the first season. Reviewers found that the sitcom lacked the humor and quirkiness of the film it was based on. Despite that, it ended its first season ranked a respectable 27th.

  In the second season, the main roles were played by Mary Page Keller and Scott Baio, but the ratings quickly declined, and it got canceled in the spring of 1992.
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  (#11) Billy

  What Was The Setup?: This sitcom starred Scottish actor Billy Connolly, who had taken on the role of the teacher in the last season of Head of the Class. A spinoff of that show, Billy is about a man who marries for convenience so he can obtain a green card, then has to deal with his wife and stepkids while convincing immigration authorities that the marriage is legitimate. The concept is reminiscent of another ABC immigration-marriage sitcom, 1987's I Married Dora.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 13 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: Despite trying the show in several time slots on Friday and Saturday, ABC was never able to find an audience for the sitcom.
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  (#12) Camp Wilder

  • Jared Leto, Hilary Swank, Jay Mohr, Jerry O'Connell, Tina Majorino, Mary Page Keller, Margaret Langrick, Meghann Haldeman

  What Was The Setup?: Ricky, a single mother, raises her young daughter and her two teenaged siblings after her parents' demise, attempting to be both a cool older sister and a strict parental figure. She also serves as a surrogate parent for her siblings' friends, who prefer the laid-back atmosphere of her home to their own stricter ones. The cast included several future well-known actors, such as Hilary Swank, Jerry O'Connell, Jared Leto, Jay Mohr, and Tina Majorino.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 19 episodes (a 20th episode was produced but went unaired)

  Why Did It Fail?: Low ratings were the reason given for the show's cancellation. But perhaps if a show were going to be made about a family or orphans who are raised by the eldest sibling in the late 1980s/early 1990s, it needed to be a drama, like Party of Five, not a sitcom like Camp Wilder or On Our Own.
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  (#13) Odd Man Out

  • Markie Post, Jessica Capshaw, Brandon Routh, Natalia Cigliuti, Austin Nichols, Erik von Detten, Vicki Davis

  What Was The Setup?: Erik Von Detten played the teenaged Andrew, the only male member of his large family. The episodes focused on his relationship with his mom and sisters, and his lack of privacy in the otherwise all-female household.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 13 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: By the time Odd Man Out debuted in 1999, ABC's TGIF programming block was in serious ratings trouble. In fact, ABC would scrap the TGIF concept the following year. So, despite it being heavily marketed, the chances of Odd Man Out succeeding were slim even before a single episode had aired.
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  (#14) Going Places

  • Heather Locklear, Staci Keanan, Holland Taylor, Alan Ruck, Philip Charles MacKenzie, Jerry Levine, Steve Vinovich, Hallie Todd, Christopher Castile, J. D. Daniels

  What Was The Setup?: Four young writers (two women and a pair of brothers) live together in a rented house and work together on a hidden-camera show called Here's Looking at You. Both brothers are attracted to the sexy Alex, while Kate's sarcastic attitude causes occasional friction with the other three. When the hidden-camera show is canceled, all four get jobs on The Dick Roberts Show, a daily talk show hosted by an unlikable egomaniac. 

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 19 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: Going Places was produced by Miller-Boyett Productions, a company that was already responsible for three of the tent-pole shows for ABC's TGIF lineup (Full House, Perfect Strangers, and Family Matters). The pilot based the characters of Jack, Charlie, and Alex on the leads from The Fabulous Baker Boys, but with them being writers instead of musicians. In the pilot, Jack and Alex are romantically involved, and the trio moves from Chicago to LA together, where they team up with Kate.

  But despite casting Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller) and Heather Locklear (pre-Melrose Place, but post-Dynasty) in starring roles, Going Places struggled to find viewers, coming in at No. 50 in the November sweeps. ABC urged the producers to put more emphasis on preteen characters; a mid-season change in how the main characters were employed and the addition of Kate's young nephew as a featured character helped the ratings and made it more compatible with other shows in the TGIF lineup.

  When the show went on hiatus in March, there were hints that ABC might move Family Matters to Tuesdays, with Going Places being slotted into that vacant time slot for its second season. Instead, Family Matters remained in its Friday slot, and Baby Talk, which had outperformed Going Places in the ratings after filling its time slot during the latter show's hiatus, ended up replacing Going Places on the fall schedule.
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  (#15) Brother's Keeper

  • Elizabeth Berkley, William Ragsdale, Sean O'Bryan, Justin Cooper, Bess Meyer

  What Was The Setup?: An updated twist on The Odd Couple (Tony Randall and Jack Klugman even made a guest appearance on one episode), the series centered on Porter Waide, an uptight widowed professor raising his young son, who reluctantly agrees to take in his irresponsible younger brother Bobby. Bobby is a pro football player whose contract requires him to live with someone responsible enough to keep his troublesome behavior in check.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, 23 episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: ABC canceled Brother's Keeper after one season despite the fact the show was pretty funny and often won its Friday 9:30 pm time slot. So it's not clear why ABC scrapped it.
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  (#16) Family Man

  • Alison Sweeney, Mimi Kennedy, Richard Libertini, Whit Hertford

  What Was The Setup?: A comedy writer with a much younger wife tries to navigate the ups and downs of married life and fatherhood; his wife has two children from a previous marriage, while the couple also has a daughter together. It was based on the life of executive producer Earl Pomerantz (the original producer of The Cosby Show).

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, seven episodes

  Why Did It Fail?: Originally developed for NBC and meant to be more of a dramedy than a pure sitcom, it was picked up by FOX after NBC turned it down, then moved to ABC when FOX decided it didn't fit into its lineup. Because it was a last-minute decision by ABC to try it out as a mid-season replacement, the show received meager promotion. Low ratings resulted in ABC's decision not to renew the show after its initial run.
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  (#17) The Thorns

  • Christine Baranski, Maureen Stapleton, Kelly Bishop, Lori Petty, Tony Roberts, Lisa Rieffel, Mary Louise Wilson, Marilyn Cooper

  What Was The Setup?: This sitcom was centered around a wealthy, social-climbing couple in New York and their problems dealing with their children and the husband's mother, who had moved in with them. Kelly Bishop, who later found success on Gilmore Girls, played the wife.

  How Long Did It Last?: One season, seven episodes (12 episodes were produced, but five went unaired)

  Why Did It Fail?: Meant to be a satire about yuppies, the show suffered from unlikable lead characters, and viewers stayed away. ABC pulled the plug on The Thorns after just seven episodes.

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