Hawkee
09-16-2022, 03:43 AM
The 90's seemed to be a banner year for CBS in sitcoms especially when they introduced new and upcoming stars and gave them their own sitcoms to start with to make them huge in TV and movies. One such star was comedian Brian Benben who starred in his very own sitcom The Brian Benben Show. And from the overhyped previews of it CBS had very high hopes for The Brian Benben Show but after one season it was cancelled. But Brian Benben went on to be a successful movie star
Bestie
Nivri
09-17-2022, 11:03 AM
If you want to read more about this show and other "one-year wonders," see
https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Laughs-Episode-Sitcoms-Probably/dp/1593932251/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1W2ETJOTU58YK&keywords=%22forgotten+laughs%22&qid=1663426874&sprefix=forgotten+laughs+%2Caps%2C55&sr=8-1
If you want to read more about this show and other "one-year wonders," see
https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Laughs-Episode-Sitcoms-Probably/dp/1593932251/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1W2ETJOTU58YK&keywords=%22forgotten+laughs%22&qid=1663426874&sprefix=forgotten+laughs+%2Caps%2C55&sr=8-1
Short-Lived Sitcom Potpourri (XVIII) (https://jacksonupperco.com/2023/05/31/short-lived-sitcom-potpourri-xviii/)
Only four episodes (https://books.google.com/books?id=43FuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=THE+BRIAN+BENBEN+SHOW&source=bl&ots=LZ5AB2z3b_&sig=ACfU3U1J5nJ6vzAjB--woOcjPELZouOdsA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjh4Z3hmKT_AhXLlWoFHVW_DmU4bhDoAXoECAMQAw) were broadcast (https://variety.com/1998/tv/reviews/the-brian-benben-show-2-1200455157/), but I see no sign (https://books.google.com/books?id=GqRWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT551&lpg=PT551&dq=THE+BRIAN+BENBEN+SHOW&source=bl&ots=eIwhfk1DsT&sig=ACfU3U1d_-kFtwCgfZo3UxfLRkMrs2yt5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjh4Z3hmKT_AhXLlWoFHVW_DmU4bhDoAXoECAIQAw) of likely improvements coming (https://www.courant.com/1998/09/06/benben-still-butt-of-jokes/). (Interestingly, this was (https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/must-he-tv/) the show (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brian_Benben_Show) that Becker officially replaced on the CBS (https://www.deseret.com/1998/9/17/19401875/cbs-is-a-little-bit-inconsistent-with-its-new-monday-sitcoms) schedule (https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1998-09-20-3207634-story.html).)
Short-Lived Sitcom Potpourri (XVIII) (https://jacksonupperco.com/2023/05/31/short-lived-sitcom-potpourri-xviii/)
ONE SEASON WONDERS: The Brian Benben Show (https://benjamonsterstv.blogspot.com/2023/03/one-season-wonders-brian-benben-show.html)
Brief Pilot Review:
This was one of those pilots that was inherently somewhat interesting to me because it was set at a TV station and those types of shows always interest me. But this was not The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Murphy Brown, this was a mostly unfunny pilot. The main character (with the same first and last name as the actor) was the best part of the sitcom. Brian Benben had a few naturally funny moments and an easygoing personality. But he wasn't enough of a personality to transcend an otherwise by-the-book sitcom. The 90s had many stand-up comics getting their own sitcom and though they ranged wildly in quality, they usually took on some of the voice of the comic. This was a show built around an actor but not a stand-up comic so it was lacking a voice.