Three's a Crowd
(ABC, 1984-1985)
Three's Company's ladies' man Jack Tripper (John Ritter) was finally ready to settle down in 1985, when he popped the question to his stewardess girlfriend, Vicky Bradford. That set the stage for this short-lived sitcom (sometimes airing in syndication as Three's Company, Too), as their relationship is strained by the constant meddling of their landlord, Vicky's disapproving father. Sadly, he was not Mr. Roper. —K.S.
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
(NBC, 1966-1967)
Stefanie Powers starred as the ever-fashionable April Dancer (alongside her British partner, Mark Slate) in this offshoot of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. April's weapons of choice? Her feminine guile. Oh, and an exploding charm bracelet. No wonder the spy series was a dud. —K.S.
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
(NBC, 2005-2006)
Dick Wolf's Law & Order franchise comes in many flavors. There's the original, which has chugged quietly along for almost 20 years, SVU with it's sweet lineup of big-name guest stars, and Criminal Intent, which could be subtitled ''Vincent D'Onofrio Goes Bananas.'' All three shows put their own unique twists on the crime drama. So the weirdest thing about Trial by Jury was how un-twisted the show felt. Mixing together L&O veterans (Fred Thompson and Jerry Orbach) with bored-looking franchise newbies like Bebe Neuwirth and Kirk Acevedo, TBJ felt like it fell out of a world where lawyer shows never advanced beyond Perry Mason. Its failure was sad, but we think Mr. Wolf will get over it. —Darren Franich
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