ripoffs galore

[Will and Grace Fanatic]

What sitcoms were ripoffs of another sitcom?

I always thought that Grace Under Fire was a single woman ripoff of Roseanne. But GUF was the unfunny version.

[Brian Damage]

Unhappily Ever After was a ripoff of Married with Children

Parker Lewis Can't Lose was a ripoff of Ferris Bueller's Day Off(the movie not tv show)

Step By Step was a modern day ripoff of The Brady Bunch.

Munsters were a rippoff of The Addams Family

Growing Pains was a ripoff of Family Ties

[Sean Snow]

Originally posted by briandamage

Munsters were a rippoff of The Addams Family


I don't think Munsters ripped off Addams Family..they both premired in fall of 1964, it would've been pretty hard to rip each other off.

[TJL]

That happens all the time. Rival networks always have similar shows in development, mostly because shows get shopped around to many networks. Once one hears another is developing a show, they rush right in and develop thier own...
Case in Point, "Chicago Hope" premiered the same night as "E.R." Both medical shows. Coincidence?

One of the most blatant ripoffs I can remember was "Charlie And Company" starring Flip WIlson. The press had a field day declaring it a "Cosby Show" clone...

[JT]

Even though they aren't sitcoms, I think "One Life to Live" ripped off "Days of Our Lives," because we should only have one soap with the word Life or Lives in it....

[Brian Damage]

Originally posted by TJL
One of the most blatant ripoffs I can remember was "Charlie And Company" starring Flip WIlson. The press had a field day declaring it a "Cosby Show" clone...

Thank you! I wanted to post that show but I couldn't think of the name!

Even though there have been several primetime cartoons that have come and gone, there were 3 that tried to capitalize on the Simpsons initial success: Capitol Critters, Fish Police and Family Dog.

[LucyFan]

"The Cosby Show" was a rip-off of "The Brady Bunch" in a black version.

"Laverne & Shirley" - - - I wouldn't say it was a rip-off, but an updated verson of "The Lucy Show".

[Will and Grace Fanatic]

Originally posted by LucyFan
"The Cosby Show" was a rip-off of "The Brady Bunch" in a black version.



Are you the same person who said that in the Brady Bunch posts. That is so racist. The Brady Bunch is nothing like The Cosby Show.

But anyways I think the biggest ripoff in television history was Unhappily Ever After that ripoffed Married With Children and I recently found out why it was such a ripoff, Some of the people who did Married With Children also did Unhappilly Ever After.

[TJL]

Another great ripoff was "You Can't Hurry Love," CBS's attempt to jump on the "Friends" bandwagon. Hoo-boy, what a mistake that was..

My apologies to the Nancy McKeon fans out there. I know she did her very best in that short lived sitcom, but it was not good...

[Shelley]

Originally posted by LucyFan
"The Cosby Show" was a rip-off of "The Brady Bunch" in a black version.

IMO, it is not a ripoff. I like the Cosby Show. Not all Brady Bunch fans think that it is. I don't think it is a ripoff. I am a big Brady Bunch fan. Also I am a big Facts of Life fan. I am a Cheers fan, too.

[Brian Damage]

Originally posted by LucyFan
"Laverne & Shirley" - - - I wouldn't say it was a rip-off, but an updated verson of "The Lucy Show".

I would say that Laverne & Shirley was more of a ripoff of the Odd Couple than anything else.

[TJL]

I wouldn't call "Laverne And Shirley" a ripoff, because it aired after "Odd Couple" went off the air. It was also produced by the same people, so "L&S" has the same "buddy comedy" feel as "Odd Couple."

Probably the next ripoff to look out for is the various "Osbourne" clones that will be popping up. What celebrity family will be the next ones to allow us into thier homes?

[Sitcomwriter]

Originally posted by Will and Grace Fanatic


Are you the same person who said that in the Brady Bunch posts. That is so racist. The Brady Bunch is nothing like The Cosby Show.

But anyways I think the biggest ripoff in television history was Unhappily Ever After that ripoffed Married With Children and I recently found out why it was such a ripoff, Some of the people who did Married With Children also did Unhappilly Ever After.

And the original title was "Not a Married with Children Ripoff" so that says alot there!

[Czas na Zywiec]

Originally posted by LucyFan
"The Cosby Show" was a rip-off of "The Brady Bunch" in a black version.

Nope, in my own unprejudiced mind, it was not a ripoff.

When I typed Cosby, I mean The Cosby Show, not the 90's Cosby. I just didn't want to type the whole thing out every single time.

Brady Bunch has two parents with 3 kids each who got married.

Cosby had 5 kids and the parents were already married when the show started.

Brady Bunch has 3 girls, 3 boys.

Cosby had 4 girls and a boy.

In Brady Bunch, all the kids lived at home (For the most part)

In Cosby, Sondra, Denise, Theo, and Vanessa had all moved out by the end of the show (Which left Rudy :D and Olivia :p)

Brady Bunch was set in a big house in Cali (Or so they say in the Brady Bunch Movies)

Cosby was set in an apartment in NY (Brooklyn I think)

Brady Bunch had a dog (For at least a while)

Cosby never had any permanent pets.

Brady Bunch became singers (Like the Partridge Family)

Cosby kids didn't become singers, but pursued real careers.


So you see my friends, after looking at just the basic info, The Cosby Show was no way a rip-off of Brady Bunch.

[°Bubbly Blonde°]

Originally posted by LucyFan
"The Cosby Show" was a rip-off of "The Brady Bunch" in a black version.
Whatever. That is just so stupid to say LucyFan! The Cosby Show wasnt nearly as corny the Brady Bunch. The Cosby show dealth with issues taht would never be discussed on the Brady Bunch in some episodes. So how could they be a ripoff? I agree, he's racist....

[Christopher]

Peolpe say I Dream of Jeannie was a rip off of Bewitched.

[Will and Grace Fanatic]

Originally posted by Silver Daze
Peolpe say I Dream of Jeannie was a rip off of Bewitched.

When I saw the E! true hollywood story on Bewitched they said they Elizabeth Montgomery herself despised Jeannie because she felt they were ripping off her show.

[I Dream of Jeannie]

Yes, that's really true Elizabeth like really hated I Dream of Jeannie. I do have evidence to suggest that IDOJ was not a total ripoff. Although even I think it took some of the basic concepts of Bewitched.
Jeannie lived in a bottle before she met Tony.
Sam lived on a cloud before she met Darrin.

Sam and Darrin were already married.
Jeannie and Tony fell in love and got married during the coarse of the show

Sam and Darrin had 2 kids.
Jeannie and Tony had 0 kids (partly because they weren't married most of the show's run)

When Jeannie got sick she wouldn't get spots all over her face.
While on Bewitched when the witches got sick they usually had spots.

Darrin worked in advertising.
Tony was an astronaut.

But the most and best evidence of all is that:
The episode 145 "Samantha's French Pastry" aired Nov. 14, 1968.
This episode is about Uncle Arthur bringing Napoleon to Sam's house on accident.
This episode aired more than a year after the episode 58 "My Master, Napoleon's Best Buddy" which aired April 3, 1967.
In this episode Jeannie blinks Tony and her to France to meet Napoleon. So it looks as if Bewitched copied IDOJ, and this is not the only time that Bewitched copied IDOJ either.

All and all they copied each other a lot. But I don't care they are two of the greatest shows every made (I THINK IDOJ IS THE GREATEST). So even if IDOJ was a rip-off of Bewitched it doesn't change the fact that IDOJ is a great show likewise with Bewitched!

[DJM77]

Webster was a major ripoff of Diff'rent Strokes. Murphy Brown was somewhat of a modern day ripoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

[Christopher]

Originally posted by DJM77
Webster was a major ripoff of Diff'rent Strokes. Murphy Brown was somewhat of a modern day ripoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.


How was Webster a rip off of Diff'rent Strokes?

[Sitcomwriter]

I'm surprised no one said Sabrina and Bewitched!

They even hired Barbara Eden (I dream of Jeannie) as the Endora-type aunt Ida!

[TJL]

A recent ripoff was last seasons "Tucker" with Katey Segall.
Any similarities to "Malcom In The Middle" were purely intentional...