Music-Heavy Sitcoms

[NotMyNewsChannel3]

Which NETWORK sitcoms (obviously, I'm not counting Disney Channel, Nick, et al) were the most music-heavy shows ever aired?

My nomination would be Full House, as looking at many of the episodes, it seems that when they cast the roles, they had a requirement stating: "Must Have at Least an Average Singing Voice". (Maybe that's what caused John Posey to lose the Danny role)

[comedyfreak]

The Partridge Family, which was about a family in the music business. The show was on NBC I believe.

[catlover79]

WKRP and Happy Days are the first ones which come to mind.

[KurtfromPitts]

The Partridge Family, which was about a family in the music business. The show was on NBC I believe.
PF was on ABC.

[NotMyNewsChannel3]

The Brady Bunch, especially the last two and a half seasons

[catlover79]

Alice -- Linda Lavin did quite a bit of singing. Martha Raye sang as well when she joined the cast.

[Madame X]

The most music-heavy sitcom was probably "I Love Lucy." Not only could the stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sing and dance, but the co-stars Vivian Vance and William Frawley were hired with the understanding that they could perform also.

Add to that the fact that live music was featured with a real orchestra and conductor Wilbur Hatch. Many songs were written for the show, but well-known standards and popular Latin songs got equal time as well.

Hundreds of songs were featured; none were lip-synched, and no musician was fake. Almost every episode featured at least one song, and many had several.

This show must have been the "most music heavy" network sitcom.

[Sal]

"The Partridge Family" is, in my opinion, the best of them all. The show was created with the hopes that it would match, and copy, the success of another great musical sitcom from a few years earlier, which it did. That show would have been, of course, "The Monkees". Davy, Micky, Mike, and Peter may not have looked or sounded like a real band (at least not in the beginning) but I loved them anyway. Both series were popular with children and teenagers, who bought the many hit songs that were produced by both groups and that were featured prominently in each episode. Both series are also among my all-time Top 10 favourites.


Other examples of music-heavy sitcoms that I could think of:

Make Room For Daddy --- Danny Thomas played an entertainer and would often sing on the show, or would have his guest star do so.

The Donna Reed Show --- Featured the talents of the show's youngest cast members Shelley Fabares ("Johnny Angel") and Paul Petersen ("My Dad", "She Can't Find Her Keys").

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet --- Ricky Nelson is credited with being the first teenage TV star to promote his many hit songs by singing them every week on his show.

WKRP In Cincinnati --- The music here came not from the cast but from the records that they played in their jobs as radio DJs, which has unfortunately led to controversy regarding copywright ownership that has affected how the series has appeared in syndication and on their new DVD.

Happy Days --- The first 2 seasons were filled with hits from the 50s that were featured in the background and used mainly as a soundtrack to whatever was going on that week. From the 3rd season on, Richie's band would play a song or two for the folks at Arnold's each week, usually at the beginning of the episode.

Throb --- A short-lived sitcom from the late 80s similiar to WKRP about a crazy office staff in the music business, starring "Frasier"'s Jane Leeves and featuring many musical performers as guest stars.

Those were the best examples I could think of. Now if your taste runs more towards country music than rock, you could hear it every now and then on one of the following shows:

The Beverly Hillbillies
The Andy Griffith Show
Gomer Pyle USMC
The Dukes Of Hazzard

[Madame X]

"The Partridge Family" is, in my opinion, the best of them all. The show was created with the hopes that it would match, and copy, the success of another great musical sitcom from a few years earlier, which it did. That show would have been, of course, "The Monkees". Davy, Micky, Mike, and Peter may not have looked or sounded like a real band (at least not in the beginning) but I loved them anyway. Both series were popular with children and teenagers, who bought the many hit songs that were produced by both groups and that were featured prominently in each episode. Both series are also among my all-time Top 10 favourites.


Other examples of music-heavy sitcoms that I could think of:

Make Room For Daddy --- Danny Thomas played an entertainer and would often sing on the show, or would have his guest star do so.

The Donna Reed Show --- Featured the talents of the show's youngest cast members Shelley Fabares ("Johnny Angel") and Paul Petersen ("My Dad", "She Can't Find Her Keys").

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet --- Ricky Nelson is credited with being the first teenage TV star to promote his many hit songs by singing them every week on his show.

WKRP In Cincinnati --- The music here came not from the cast but from the records that they played in their jobs as radio DJs, which has unfortunately led to controversy regarding copywright ownership that has affected how the series has appeared in syndication and on their new DVD.

Happy Days --- The first 2 seasons were filled with hits from the 50s that were featured in the background and used mainly as a soundtrack to whatever was going on that week. From the 3rd season on, Richie's band would play a song or two for the folks at Arnold's each week, usually at the beginning of the episode.

Throb --- A short-lived sitcom from the late 80s similiar to WKRP about a crazy office staff in the music business, starring "Frasier"'s Jane Leeves and featuring many musical performers as guest stars.

Those were the best examples I could think of. Now if your taste runs more towards country music than rock, you could hear it every now and then on one of the following shows:

The Beverly Hillbillies
The Andy Griffith Show
Gomer Pyle USMC
The Dukes Of Hazzard

Great post, Sal! :tiphat:

[mstewart]

The last three seasons of Petticoat Junction where they incorporated singing in many of the episodes. They were not good addition. I did not like hearing Steve sing at all.

Too Close for Comfort brought music into some of the plots with Nancy Dussault's character, Muriel Rush, was once a big band singer. It was great hearing Nancy's voice and she got quite a voice.

Every season on Amen they had a musical Christmas episode but it was painful to hear Sherman Hemsley trying to sing.

Eight is Enough had Tommy playing guitar as well as David and Abby singing. I love hearing Betty Buckley sing and the episodes where she got to sing was great. The camera work they did on her songs were powerful.

The Cosby Show was heavy on the music. The lip sync to the grandparents. I liked the 49th one a lot better when Rudy sang Baby. That was classic.

One Day at A Time had three music oriented episodes but the worse when they had Valerie Bertinelli singing Hey Big Spender. She cannot sing.

The Dick Van Dyke Show in many ways was a variety show within a sitcom with Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore doing song and dance numbers together. They were, in my opinion, the Fred Aistaire and Ginger Rogers of sitcoms. The chemistry between those two came alive in their song and dance numbers. I love the Christmas episode, The Alan Brady Show presents. Mary sure could sing back then.

[Classicshowsgurl15]

The Wonder Years
Happy Days
The Partridge Family

[NotMyNewsChannel3]

Saved By the Bell was pretty heavy on the music as well.