I know that this sort of sounds like a total oxymoron but there also always has to be some sort of cult following type of angle and/or aspect to like at. The first one that comes to mind is the Honeymooners which only made 39 episodes but continuted to air in syndicated reuns up through the 1980s. It even inspired animated parodies (i.e. involving rats) and the Flintstones. But in a way, it's still a bit unclear to say since the whole thing started and pick up as a string of sketches on various variety shows. Another show is Police Squad which spawned the Naked Gun movies even though the TV show itself only made about six episodes.

I don't know if the word "popular" applies in the case of "My Mother The Car", but this short-lived series has become the benchmark against which all other bad TV comedies are measured.

Briget Loves Bernie (1972-1973)
Joanie Loves Chachi (1982-1983)
That's My Mama (1974-1975)
Fish (1977-1978)
Hello, Larry (1979-1980)
My Sister Sam (1986-1988)
The Munsters (1964-1966)
The Charmings (1987-1988)
Just The Ten Of Us (1988-1990)
Angie (1979-1980)

"The Brady Brides" (1981)

Automan (1983-1984, ran for 13 episodes)
Manimal (Sep. 1983- Dec. 1983, ran for 8 episodes)
Street Hawk (1985-1986, ran for 13 episodes)
The Powers of Matthew Star (1982-1983, ran for 22 episodes)
Starman (1986, ran for 22 episodes)

This wasn't really short-lived, it went for 44 episodes and an unsold spin-off pilot, but i really wish The Greatest American Hero would have lasted longer, (so I could have seen it when I was older than 1 or 2). By the way, the spin-off pilot was for a new show to be called The Greatest American Heroine.

I guess it doesn't qualify as a true sit-com, but I'm sure you remember "Turn-On," a "Laugh-In" spin-off. The head writer was a George Schlatter associate, Digby Wolfe, and the first/last guest-host was Tim Conway. As folklore reports, this show was cancelled halfway through its premiere via a phone call from a network executive. I actually saw this show...live. Never saw another one ;-).

What about the Greatest American Hero? That show did not seem to last for very long. However ABC was patient with this show, it actually lasted 45 episodes.

I liked the theme song "Believe IT or Not", but I only watched the show a couple of times. I think maybe a couple of times too many.

I know technically this may not have been classified as a sitcom, but the portrayal was very comical in nature.

The Critic (1994-1995)
The Dana Carvey Show (1996)
Freaks And Geeks (1999-2000)

Gidget has to be one of the most popular short-lived shows ever. It lasted one year and ABC? jumped the gun by cancelling it too soon. Then during the reruns in the summer of 1966, the show became very popular but it was too late, it was already cancelled. It was so popular that in the 1980's you could actually see it in syndication.

Fawlty Towers! Only 12 episodes but it's a VERY popular show!

The Alice spinoff Flo. Didnt last very long but it was popular enough to put Polly Holiday on the cover of TV Guide ( and many other magazines ). CBS moving it around to different time slots
I heard was what killed that show.

The Ropers was another show that was fairly popular but didnt last long either.

Back in the late 70s - early 80s when Real People became popular
( I believe it was NBC's most popular show at that time besides Little House ) many shows copied their format and many are still remembered today.Some were popular enough to last a full season and more while others didnt last a month. Examples like Games People Play, Speak UP America, The World of People, and Bob Barker's Thats My Line and of course Thats Incredible and PM Magazine.

Pink Lady and Supertrain lasted only weeks and to this day they are both remembered for being so bad.

Interesting comments bb. I had forgotten about Flo, she was a very popular character on Alice. Some will say that her humor is what kept Alice on the air. She would be a natural choice to star in her own series.

Your comment on Real People had got me thinking back to that series. I am not sure but I believe that former Minnisota Vikings Quarterback Fran Tarkington was on that show as well as Byron Allen. It was a great show.

Originally posted by Tiger32
Interesting comments bb. I had forgotten about Flo, she was a very popular character on Alice. Some will say that her humor is what kept Alice on the air. She would be a natural choice to star in her own series.

Your comment on Real People had got me thinking back to that series. I am not sure but I believe that former Minnisota Vikings Quarterback Fran Tarkington was on that show as well as Byron Allen. It was a great show.

Fran Tarkington was on Thats Incredible. As with John Davidson Cathy Lee Crosby.

Real People was hosted by Byron Allen, John Barbour, Bill Rafferty,
Fred Williard ( later shows ) , the late Skip Stepheson, and of course..Sarah Purcell ( my first major crush ).

Speak UP America didnt last long but it starred Jayne Kennedy
and Marjor Garter, dont know the spelling but he was a former child preacher.

Games People Play was hosted by Bryant Gumbel ( before Today )
and was famous for featuring Mr. T before A-Team and even Rocky.

The World of People didnt last long , at least not where I lived at. It was soon replaced by Bullseye ( the game show ). PM Magazine- who hosted it varies from city to city.

Interesting thing about Thats Incredible was that the people behind Real People tried to sue ( they may have ) ABC as they felt TI was a rip off.

John Barbour on one ep. of Real People actually bashed ABC for airing Thats Incredible. That one show was even included in the reruns of People , though it wasnt rerun-ed very much. The now defunct CBS Eye on People channel til early 1999 carried Real People reruns and the "anti-ABC" ep. was one they shown.

CBS Eye also carried Thats Incredible too- even featured in a marathon one holiday ( just like TBS and many other channels ).

Needless to say neither show aged very well so its doubtful they will be re-runed again anytime soon. Glad I got a bunch of those shows on tape.

Thanks bb, I got the two shows mixed up.

My very FAVOURITE short lived show was the Powers That Be with John Forsythe, David Hyde Pierce and Peter McNichol. CLASSIC!!!

Out of this Word is very popular...
Family Dog (that was a primetime cartoon on CBS in early 90's)
Thunder Alley (remember ABC aired it? It had Haley Joel Osment and Ed Asner)

Originally posted by pavanbadal
Out of this Word is very popular...
Family Dog (that was a primetime cartoon on CBS in early 90's)
Thunder Alley (remember ABC aired it? It had Haley Joel Osment and Ed Asner)

I remember Family Dog and Thunder Alley. I used to watch them when I was a kid. I thought Thunder Alley aired on CBS, or am I mistaken?

I remember thunder alley, I liked that show

This was the FUNNIEST show I've ever watched!

Sledge was Dirty Harry/Maxwell Smart/Inspector Clouseau all rolled into one man. Lots of sight gags you had to pay attention for (ala Airplane! or Police Squad!)

This show never had a chance though. The first season, they sandwiched him in the Friday timeslot against powerhouses Dallas & Miami Vice (which became fodder for a punch line in one episode). When it was surprisingly renewed for a second season (which left the writers having to explain their cliffhanger - Sledge accidentally nuked the entire city in the season finale), the reward was the timeslot opposite number-one rated COSBY! (Sledge, you are the weakest link, goodbye!)

others:
The Charmings (ABC) - the other guinea pig in ABCs counterprogramming against Cosby/ Family Ties that year.

Empire (CBS) - A Dallas/Dynasty type parody which starred Patrick Macnee (The Avengers) & Richard Mazur (One Day AT A Time). I only saw one episode, but it was hilarious! I went to tune in the following week, but it was gone for good.

Originally posted by MacLeaper
Automan (1983-1984, ran for 13 episodes)


That has to be the greatest short-lived show EVER! Who wouldn't want a hollogram man to fight bad guys for you?

I'm not entirely sure if it was supposed to be funny or not, but it was! :lol:

The most popular/shortest lived sitcom would have to be "Police Squad!" , hands down. Only SIX episodes & yet it spawned THREE movies!

others:
"Sledge Hammer!" (my all-time favorite & in the same vein as "Police Squad!" - note the "!" in both titles)
"Rhythm & Blues"

Police Squad. It lasted only six episodes but it is one of the funniest shows ever made. My favorite episode would have to be the second episode. When Frank visits the boxer in the sewer. Also when Frank finally believes the boxers wife has been kidnapped because of a toaster.

Spinning off ofcource the "Naked Gun" movies.

Originally posted by tvje
Police Squad. It lasted only six episodes but it is one of the funniest shows ever made. My favorite episode would have to be the second episode. When Frank visits the boxer in the sewer. Also when Frank finally believes the boxers wife has been kidnapped because of a toaster.

Spinning off ofcource the "Naked Gun" movies.

I agree! This was perhaps the greatest short-lived sitcom of all time! Typical dialog:

Lt. Drebin's parther is giving him the background on a suspect they are looking for:

"Married.......one child.......that didn't work out, so he married a grown woman".

Classic stuff!

I also agree, Police Squad was very funny. I thought that it should have lasted much longer.

Originally posted by AKA
The Critic (1994-1995)
The Dana Carvey Show (1996)
Freaks And Geeks (1999-2000)

Oh my god! The critic. Isn't that the one with John Lovitz, I loved that show!!!

Drebin - "Cigarette?"

Suspect - "Yes, it is"

The boxer episode was the best one.

wife - "You're not the man I married"

boxer - "How can you say that?"

wife (opening closet, revealing a man inside) - "because this is the man I married"

also:

Drebin (in total darkness) - "Alright Rocco. Don't move. I've got a gun in your ribs"

boxer's wife - "I'm not Rocco, & those aren't my ribs"

GAH was one terrific show. Great theme song, great characters, brillitant concept (a super hero who doesn't know how to use his powers!!)
One thing I remember, the show debuted in early 1981 --- with the main character's last name of Hinckley. Then, in March, John Hinckley shot president Reagan. The powers-that-be decided that the name Hinckley would be innappropriate for a superhero, so for a few episodes (presumibly those already in the can when the president was shot) whenever anyone said "Hinckley", there was a plane flying over, or school bell ringing (he was a high school teacher), or some such cover-up. Afterwords, he was always referred to as "Mr. H".

Now for my blast from the past -- how about that great Mel Brooks feature "When Things Were Rotten" (fivality in the time of Robin Hood), or another long lost (really lost in time) short lifer -- "It's About Time". That had two astronauts (in a Gemini capsule, which would place the show in the mid-60s) get trapped in a time warp and are sent back to the stone age. I remember my 5th grade version of the theme song "It's about time ... it's about space ... it's about time for me to slap your face!" (Which makes me wonder what the real theme song was ... another challenge for our master!)

Well, I've rambled enough -- so I guess it's about time for me to go, before things get too rotten. (sorry, I teach middle school and my brain is a little goofy this time of year)

Frank's Place 87-88
Our World 86-87
The Immortal 70-71
Max Headroom 87
Gabriel's Fire 90

I kind of liked Frank's place, because I really liked Tim Reid from WKRP, and Simon and Simon.

Jesse on NBC went from 98-00 it ranked number 5 its first season then number 14 its second season. I wish it was still on.

Bridget Loves Bernie (1972-1973) That was when my crush on Meredith Baxter began. I was on the treshhold of puberty at the time.

Fay (1975) Actually TV's first show with the star as a divorced woman. Fay was on before One Day At A Time. Lee Grant paved the way for Bonnie Franklin.

Against the Grain (1993) Great show but was not given a fair shake.

The Brian Keith Show/The Little People (1972-1974 or 73) Very good wholesome show that was not given a chance to find an audience. Shelley Fabares was a hottie in that one.

Room for Two (1992-93) Great TV comeback for Linda Lavin but ABC had the audacity to schedule the show against Cheers and that is what killed the show. Ironically the final show made the top 20.

Some of the true popular short-lived shows are:
Bridget Loves Bernie
the Ropers
Flo
Angie
Madman of the People
Boston Common
The Single Guy
Fired Up
Union Square
Jesse

The Get Smart clone Sledge Hammer only lasted 2 seasons, but, i still hear a lot of people talking about it today

Firefly, Twin Peaks, All-American Girl (with Margaret Cho) and Bridget Loves Bernie are a few that come to mind. There's my own favorite, Christy (CBS, 1994-95), that has a rabid fan base to this day.

I also remember Thunder Alley; I watched it every week.

Square Pegs (1982-1983) starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Jami Gertz and Tracy Nelsen. There were only 20 episodes produced, but every single one was brilliant. The writing was very clever and the characters were some of the most memorable in TV history.

:yeahthat

i'm going to go out on a limb and say that i think "Star Trek" would probably be the most popular, short lived show.

i'm going to go out on a limb and say that i think "Star Trek" would probably be the most popular, short lived show.

Well, it was on for three seasons, so it really doesn't qualify as short-lived. When I think of a show that was short-lived, I think of one that was only on for a single season.

Firefly, Twin Peaks, All-American Girl (with Margaret Cho) and Bridget Loves Bernie are a few that come to mind. There's my own favorite, Christy (CBS, 1994-95), that has a rabid fan base to this day.

I also remember Thunder Alley; I watched it every week.I loved that show. I think it would do better today than when it originally aired.

The Prisoner

Just one general question -- do high Nielsen Ratings even mean popularity, anyway? If a network TV show is a main eventer in the Nielsen ratings (being placed in the Tio 10), it is liable to get over with the viewers (the extent to which that TV show has been accepted by the viewers).

There are other indicators of popularity, but Nielsen provides network and sponsor with comprehensive information about viewer demographics, not just the number of eyeballs watching.

Actually, I'm not quite sure I understand your question. It's hard to argue against a show which places in the top 10 in the Nielsens being a hit, but it's certainly been done before--most infamously in the case of a show mentioned by a number of posters, Bridget Loves Bernie.

The sitcoms Union Square and Jesse were cancelled by NBC after short runs because they lost a lot of ground from Friends. A high-rated show should not be cancelled just because it lost ground to another program. If only I had gone to the fan fiction and fake-renewed the shows for a few additional seasons. Christina Applegate would have been good-looking on Jesse After Married With Children. NBC would be such an idiotic network to cancel a high rated show without giving the show a chance to go out with a good series finale, like The Single Guy did. They shouldn't even be cancelling a Top 30 show for no reason even when it loses ground to another Top 30 Show.

Sledgehammer
When Things Were Rotten
Gilligans Island
The Addams Family
The Musters
Lots Of Luck
Battlestar Galactica
Buck Rogers in The 24th Century
Police Squad
The Last Precinct

I know Last Precinct aired in 1986 on NBC Friday nights and can name two of its stars, but that's because I'm a geek. I think it's been largely forgotten for decades.

Freaks And Geeks without a doubt.

Well, it was on for three seasons, so it really doesn't qualify as short-lived. When I think of a show that was short-lived, I think of one that was only on for a single season.
and; despite the impression you might get; it was NEVER a big ratings hit.

Shows such as The Honeymooners, The Addams Family, The Munsters and F-Troop, all relatively short lived series, became popular and cult followed in syndication. Maybe they should be in a separate catagory then other shows listed here that are rare and sometimes forgotten.

Many of the other shows mentioned here would be such a treat to see get a dvd release , if they haven't been released already!

I don't know if the word "popular" applies in the case of "My Mother The Car", but this short-lived series has become the benchmark against which all other bad TV comedies are measured.
....that and Sherwood Schwartz' Its About Time (1966-67)

"Life With Lucy" - Unfortunately, the last project in Lucy's stellar career which makes it one of the 'most popular'. I had read (after Lucy died) that she was embarassed by this project, and regretted ever doing it and making this her final TV outing.

It ran for 13 eps in 1986, then ABC had enough sense to pull the plug on this lame sitcom.

What about Clone High!
That was a fun show while it lasted.
I kinda miss it

I know Last Precinct aired in 1986 on NBC Friday nights and can name two of its stars, but that's because I'm a geek. I think it's been largely forgotten for decades.

With good reason. It was horrible.

Depends what you mean by popular? The highest rated short-lived show was Bridget Loves Bernie which finished ranked #5 for the season. In terms of longevity, The Honeymooners ran for one season and has been rerunning for over 50 years.

I think Pink Lady & Jeff, Manimal, and Supertrain belong on the list because their awfulness is legendary!! Not to mention those flops all but ruined Fred Silverman's career and his NBC tenure was a disaster.

I heard somewhere that the short-lived Series Mr. Lucky actually was the NUMBER ONE rated show in its timeslot in the early 1960s, however the fact the Main Characture ran a Casino didn't fare well with some Moral Groups at the time, so it got cancelled. Can anyone verify this?

I heard somewhere that the short-lived Series Mr. Lucky actually was the NUMBER ONE rated show in its timeslot in the early 1960s, however the fact the Main Characture ran a Casino didn't fare well with some Moral Groups at the time, so it got cancelled. Can anyone verify this?

Just because it may have won its timeslot doesn't mean it was highly rated.

I think Pink Lady & Jeff, Manimal, and Supertrain belong on the list because their awfulness is legendary!! Not to mention those flops all but ruined Fred Silverman's career and his NBC tenure was a disaster.


Brandon Tartikoff was responsible for Manimal, I can still remember his appearances on TV promoting it.

I remember Family Dog and Thunder Alley. I used to watch them when I was a kid. I thought Thunder Alley aired on CBS, or am I mistaken?

Thunder Alley was an ABC sitcom. I believe it was originally paired with "Home Improvement" and "Grace Under Fire" on Tuesday nights. It had good ratings and was among the Top 20 shows of the season; but got canceled when ABC decided to remove most of it's "family" programming and try edgier, hipper shows; most of which sadly, failed miserably.

A popular new TV show getting cancelled only because it lost a considerable portion of its lead-in audience from an existing show is one way to get "Screwed Over by the Network".

"Life With Lucy" - Unfortunately, the last project in Lucy's stellar career which makes it one of the 'most popular'. I had read (after Lucy died) that she was embarassed by this project, and regretted ever doing it and making this her final TV outing.

It ran for 13 eps in 1986, then ABC had enough sense to pull the plug on this lame sitcom.

They MADE 13 but they only aired 8 before pulling the plug on that bomb. A 30-something year old doing physical comedy is funny, a 70-something year old is frightening.

Arrested Development I guess is considered "short-lived", I think it had 3 seasons. It didn't have very high ratings, but was universally acclaimed among critics and a vocal audience who though small continues to support it to this day.

In fact, it is so popular that it has been revived by Netflix thanks to fan demand, for at least 1 more season.

It originally ran from 2003-2006 on Fox.



Also, My So-Called Life only produced 19 episodes that aired during the 1994-1995 seasons, but they were so universally acclaimed and popular among it's teenager fanbase that nearly two decades later people still talk about this show as one of the defining series of it's generation. This was before networks were concerned about programming for the teen audience; though FOX had a bunch of hit shows geared towards teens (B.H 90210 for one), few other networks cared about the teen viewers. This was before the advent of the WB network or The CW, and was the year that Friends debuted forever changing how networks thought about demographics; and the younger viewers. At this point "young" became what networks sought out. The success of The WB's "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer" and "Dawson's Creek" a few years later is what really changed everything and got networks to take-notice of the teen audience and changed the culture of demos driving a networks bottom-line, imho.

I bet who ever was responsible for cancelling Freeks & Geeks and My So Called Life wish they could go back in time! I think these two were the most popular short-lived shows, gaining a cult-following too late.

I bet who ever was responsible for cancelling Freeks & Geeks and My So Called Life wish they could go back in time! I think these two were the most popular short-lived shows, gaining a cult-following to late.

From what I understand, My So-Called Life came thisclose to having a second season, but was basically cut-off at the knees by two events: #1) Claire Danes asked ABC not to renew the show because she did not want to commit to another season. According to her so much time had elapsed between shooting the pilot and the shows final episode that she no longer wanted to stay with the show. I think it was something like two years between the pilot and the final episode.

The other event was that the ratings were just terrible for the show. It never helped that ABC aired it Thursday nights right smack-against "Mad About You" and "Friends" on NBC (both top 10 shows at the time, Friends was in the top 5), and "Martin" and "Living Single" on FOX.

They need to reboot these shows in the future: Popular, Maybe It's Me, Do Over and Kevin Hill. But later on, Greetings From Tucson.

One sitcom that was short-lived that I like is "Kirk" featuring Kirk Cameron and was produced by Scott Baio.

Kirk Cameron wasn't really preachy on the show despite being a Christian...his character even played this song!...

zUwEIt9ez7M

I wish The WB would get the older WB Shows on Netflix soon...I'd like to see this show on there despite only lasting a year and a half....

One sitcom that was short-lived that I like is "Kirk" featuring Kirk Cameron and was produced by Scott Baio.

Kirk Cameron wasn't really preachy on the show despite being a Christian...his character even played this song!...


I'd like to see this show sometime too if I can. I've heard about "Kirk" but somehow it totally slipped by the radar for me when it first aired. I think I just didn't have the WB channel at that time.
And as you pointed out, it is possible to be a Christian and do a TV show and not have to be "preachy" all the time (though I do think there are appropriate places where some "preaching" is good. TV shows do this all the time- every "very special episode", etc. And some are very well done- Family Ties managed to deal with a number of tough issues in an eloquent manner, I think. So did Growing Pains for that matter.)

These shows to be rebooted in the future:

- VR Troopers
- Superhuman Samurai Cybersquad
- Martial Law
- Popular
- Maybe It's Me
- Do Over
- Greetings From Tucson
- Half And Half
- Kevin Hill

Speak UP America didnt last long but it starred Jayne Kennedy
and Marjor Garter, dont know the spelling but he was a former child preacher.


His name was Marjoe Gortner, and he was said to have been a child preacher in his past.
I remember watching Speak Up, America, because it was one of the few original shows on tv during the Actors' Strike of 1980. It also starred the annoying Rhonda Bates, who was a 6'2" ex-gym teacher originally from Arkansas. As a TV Guide show review stated, she specialized in "gleeful smut", such as playing an undercover prostitute in one quasi-investigative segment.
I found out that the Actors' Strike was over when I was watching Speak Up, America one night. Sergio Aragones, known for his MAD Magazine margin drawings, was a cartoonist who appeared most episodes and drew a picture of the actors being ordered back to work by their union.

When it comes to one year wonders, I think there are only 3 shows that have a shot at the title:

Firefly
Freaks and Geeks
Police Squad!

My favorite one year wonder: The Good Guys (the Whitford/Hanks one).

Maybe it's me, popular and do over. They need rebooting in the near future and get aired in a private network and last longer this time.

I like a number of short-lived scifi and fantasy shows, but I don't think any of them would be considered for the title of most popular short-lived show ever- lol.:) :cool:

I can't believe Police Squad only lasted 6 episodes! That was classic!

I can't believe Police Squad only lasted 6 episodes! That was classic!
It was a classic and I loved the The Naked Gun movies.

Interesting comments bb. I had forgotten about Flo, she was a very popular character on Alice. Some will say that her humor is what kept Alice on the air. She would be a natural choice to star in her own series.


The title of my reply was the last line of the actual radio promo used for "Flo" in 1981--a clever little play on the other three words that rocketed Polly Holliday to fame in "Alice." The sad part was, she never got the same great characters to work with in "Flo." Her interaction with Mel, Alice and Vera seemed to come naturally, while her interaction with her new "family" on "Flo" seemed strained and forced.

Really a shame that after she got shot out of the stair-lifter in "Gremlins," Polly Holliday never seemed to come back, either on television or in the movies...and we're all the poorer for it.