Do many people think Silver Spoons was an underrated sitcom of the 80's?

[Hawkee]

In classic 80's sitcoms I think Silver Spoons was the most underrated sitcom of the 80's and that's why reruns of Silver Spoons are scarce to find after being shown on FamilyNet and I have never figured it out. Was it because when it debuted in 1982 Silver Spoons was a slow starter in ratings at first? But then it got popular in reruns after it's cancellation in 1987. Because like Small Wonder and It's Your Move Silver Spoons should become more popular in reruns again. Because aside from Ricky Schroder and Alfonso Ribeiro you hardly hear anything about the other stars of Silver Spoons like Leonard Lightfoot and Erin Gray
Was Silver Spoons a slow starter when it first began?
Bestie

[Heenan Fan]

Never cared for it after Derrick (Jason Bateman) left the show to star in the classic "It's Your Move". Julie was hot. River Phoenix was a reacuring actor. Plus they had the future STEEEEEVE from MWC and Chicago. No hot girls or cool guest stars in Silver Spoons that I recall. I liked Ricky in Lonesome Dove and NYPD Blue though.

[icecream]

Originally Posted by LaBestia

Because aside from Ricky Schroder and Alfonso Ribeiro you hardly hear anything about the other stars of Silver Spoons like Leonard Lightfoot and Erin Gray
Bestie

Leonard Lightfoot destroyed his career. He was fired from Silver Spoons after just 11 episodes, likely for bringing a gun to the set and serious personal problems.
https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...63&postcount=4
Besides, his replacement Franklyn Seales was a lot more interesting as Dexter.

[TMC]

I wonder why Joel Higgins (Edward) didn't do more high profile acting stuff after Silver Spoons. He could've easily landed another sitcom if he wanted to or was given the chance.

Joel on Silver Spoons was kind of the dad that you always wanted. While Edward was sort of a man-child, he still brought a calming, stable presence. Maybe he didn't want to be typecast as a goofy, lovable dad so he turned to theater.

I just realized that Joel did have a sitcom post-Silver Spoons called Have Faith. But it only lasted on ABC for seven episodes before it was canceled.

[TMC]

This is from the website aptly titled "AmIAnnoying.com" so take this as you will:
Why Silver Spoons might be annoying

• It was another cheesy, unrealistic 80's family sitcom.
• It had several awkward 'Very Special Episodes,' such as one where Ricky gets busted watching porn and another one featuring Bruce Jenner where Alfonso is diagnosed with dyslexia.
• It had a cross-over episode with Diff'rent Strokes.
• 80's boy band Menudo infamously appeared and performed on an episode.
• The show got less popular as Schroder got older and it ended up dying in syndication.
• Unlike its contemporaries, it hasn't been rerun much since it was canceled.
• Bateman's character was given a spin-off series that fizzled after a season.

Why Silver Spoons might not be annoying

• Mr. T. guest starred on one of the first episodes.
• Its child stars Schroder, Bateman and Ribeiro went on to have success as adults.
• It allowed Alfonso Ribeiro to show off his smooth breakdancing moves.
• Schroder's character, although spoiled, remained friendly and likeable throughout its run.
• One episode foreshadowed the internet dating craze when Ricky went out on a date with a girl he met on a pre-internet message board.

This article argued that Silver Spoons was likely a show that just didn't stand the test of time. While it did make Ricky Schroder a star (as well as giving early exposure to Jason Bateman and Alfonso Ribeiro) can you honestly remember anything about the show off the top of your head?

With in itself, the article that I just mentioned, said that Silver Spoons and the format that it used, felt like someone was recording a stage play. More to the point, it was one of those sitcoms from the '80s (its sister show, Diff'rent Strokes was another one) where the characters were pretty bland, romances were very clean, major issues were discussed quietly, and all problems were resolved at the end with two (or more) characters talking out the issue and ending with a big hug or a laugh.

Also, what might have made Silver Spoons a unique show for its time is now commonplace. It was built on the concept and gimmick of man-children like Edward Stratton III being forced to become "responsible" by having a kid. Also, at the time, Edward having video games in his house might have been absurd because they were as big as refrigerators and most played only one game. But now, nearly every kid plays video games at home.

I read elsewhere that in order to make a show like Silver Spoons work today, Edward would have to be an independent toymaker going against big corporations. Instead, the show merely constantly pointed out how filthy rich he was. While the latter may be cute for one or two scenes, it got redundant after a while.

[Mace Dolex]

As a kid I probably watched it out of boredom as it aired alongside Punky Brewster in an hour block and the next day it was the talk at grade school recess.

Revisiting the show now on The Roku Channel I can see how bland and tedious the show was and this was with most sitcoms in which pre-teens are the main stars of a show.