View Full Version : 10 EMBARRASSING 80s Sitcoms You Forgot About


TMC
09-11-2025, 04:57 PM
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Talking orangutans in the White House. Madeline Kahn moonlighting as a suburban thrill-seeker. A teen spy battling terrorists and deadly pumpkins. Welcome to the ’80s, where even the worst sitcom ideas got a season (or at least a pilot).

We’re digging up 10 of the most gloriously terrible one-season sitcoms from the decade of big hair and bigger TV flops. From Mr. Smith’s simian political strategist to Beans Baxter’s surreal spy antics on early Fox, this countdown features forgotten gems starring the likes of Redd Foxx, Kate Jackson, Mickey Rooney, and a very confused Steve Guttenberg. Some were ahead of their time. Some were just... bad. All of them are 100% ’80s nonsense.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
01:08 - Mr. Smith (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125239/http://www.jumptheshark.com/m/mrsmith.htm) — Cha Cha the Orangutan
04:07 - Oh Madeline — Madeline Kahn
07:21 - No Soap Radio (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125344/http://www.jumptheshark.com/n/nosoapradio.htm) — Steve Guttenberg
11:39 - Leo and Liz in Beverly Hills — Harvey Korman
15:34 - Pursuit of Happiness — Paul Provenza
18:33 - One of the Boys — Mickey Rooney / Maria Conchita Alonso
21:42 - Condo (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125247/http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/condo.htm) — MacLean Stevenson
25:07 - Baby Boom (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125231/http://www.jumptheshark.com/b/babyboom.htm) — Kate Jackson
27:53 - The Redd Foxx Show (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125331/http://www.jumptheshark.com/r/reddfoxx.htm) — Redd Foxx
30:59 - The New Adventures of Beans Baxter — Jonathan Ward

BestTVever
09-12-2025, 03:44 PM
Dreams (1984) should be on this list. John Stamos and his Philly rock band. They recorded 12 episodes but only aired 5 of them because the show was that bad. This was supposed to launch John Stamos's sitcom career and it tanked. Few remember it but it was promoted like crazy and I think the network thought women would watch just because of Stamos. You need more than just a pin up guy to make a sitcom.