Shortest Lived Comedy - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Miss Golden · 05-12-2005, 02:03 AM

What is the shortest lived comedy???

I believe it is DANNY which aired on CBS for 2 weeks in the Fall 2001.

troopoleon8897 · 05-12-2005, 07:03 AM

Commando Nanny Had a set time and date on wb this season and then at last minute it got canned

tvfan0101 · 05-12-2005, 09:15 AM

Not counting shows like Snip and The Grubbs which had a number of episodes produced before the network cancelled the show and shelved the episodes, the shortest-lived comedy would be Co-ed Fever, which aired once in 1979. It was a sitcom that ripped off Animal House. The next shortest-lived shows include Roxie and Take Five, which like the aforementioned Danny each aired twice. A more recent comedy that ran for two episodes would be Imagine That, a Hank Azaria vehicle that tanked in January of 2002 on NBC.

If you want to count a sketch comedy/variety show then 1969's Turn On easily wins the shortest-lived show award. It aired once and was so incredibly bad/outrageous that some affiliates pulled it from the air before the initial broadcast was complete.

Miss Golden · 05-12-2005, 12:23 PM

Danny is the one that comes to mind.

There was also a show called Meego that premiered in 1997 starring Bronson Pinchot that was probably the worst show I had ever seen, but it lasted six or so episodes because CBS was attempting to make family comedies for there own TGIF that year to compete with ABC.

treky · 05-13-2005, 01:08 AM

this wasn't a comedy, but there was a show in 1960 that Jackie Gleason hosted, that was so bad, he ended up apoligizing to the audience for it.
It was a game show called "You're in the picture" and the network (I think it was CBS) only showed 1 episode.

And, I think I read somewhere once that in 1968 or something, there was a show on, I think CBS, that was so bad, they canncelled it in the middle of the first broadcast.

jamesanthony · 05-13-2005, 11:40 AM

Melba a sitcom that starred Melba Moore was cancelled before it ever premiered. It was supposed to start the night of the space shuttle crash in 1986. Only one episode aired later on in that season.

treky · 05-13-2005, 04:19 PM

"WALTER" a spinoff of "MASH" about Radar as a cop, only aired once, in a couple areas of the country, in July of, I THINK, 1986. It was preempted in the rest of the country.

tvfan0101 · 05-13-2005, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treky

"WALTER" a spinoff of "MASH" about Radar as a cop, only aired once, in a couple areas of the country, in July of, I THINK, 1986. It was preempted in the rest of the country.

The pilot for W*A*L*T*E*R aired on July 17th, 1984 on the East Coast. Read more here.

And treky, Turn On is the show you were talking about in an earlier post, the one that was cancelled during its initial broadcast. I mentioned it in an earlier post of my own. Certainly was a poor decision on ABC's part to air it in the first place.

greenlaser5555 · 05-13-2005, 09:53 PM

Roxie (a spin-off of Kate & Allie) aired 2 episodes on CBS in the Spring of '87.

Daboss94 · 05-13-2005, 11:19 PM

Life On A Stick---3-4 Episodes??

tvfan0101 · 05-13-2005, 11:36 PM

EDIT: Nevermind.

Michael72581 · 05-13-2005, 11:47 PM

"The Mike O'Malley Show" lasted for 2 weeks for 2 episodes on NBC's Fall schedule from September 21st, 1999 to September 28th, 1999.

treky · 05-14-2005, 12:41 AM

"The Mary Tyler Moore hour" (I think that was the name of it) aired for just 4 episodes on CBS in, it was either 1976 0r 77. It was a failed comedy-variety show that Mary Tyler Moore hosted after her sitcom ended.

Tweety · 05-26-2005, 12:19 AM

Police Squad only ran 6 episodes... this show differs from most of the other shows listed in the fact that it was actually a very funny comedy.... it's problem was that there was too much "visual" humor, and not enough people would pay attention to the visual humor which took place, and thus, it's ratings were not good...

This show was in the same mold as the movie "Airplane", and only 6 episodes were aired. Another episode (involving John Belushi) was never aired..

Police Squad always introduced a celebrity guest in the opening credits...the announcer would say "...and special guest star, Florence Henderson." And they'd actually show Henderson (or William Conrad, or whoever else they had) working in the kitchen, and then she'd be killed somehow... I know it sounds strange, but it was "Get Smart" type "violence"...no blood or anything... but that would be a running gag on the show... they'd introduce a "special guest star" in the opening credits, they'd get killed, and that was that...that was their "guest appearance". They'd never appear in the episode...

Anyway, one episode featured John Belushi being killed in the opening credits... but as it turned out, Belushi died just days before the episode was supposed to air...and the networks pulled that epiosde.
Don't know if it was ever re-broadcast...

But seriously, if TV Land or N@N ever shows reruns of Police Squad, check it out...and most importantly, PAY ATTENTION!!! They always had a lot of funny things going on in the background, as well as with the main characters...

treky · 05-26-2005, 01:27 AM

I remember that show. That was HILARIOUS!!

I was so mad when it was canncelled.
For those who never saw it, it starred Leslie Nielson, and was a parody of a cop show made in the 60s. With a deep-voiced anouncer shouting the title at the beggining, and other things.

05-12-2005, 02:03 AM	#1
Miss Golden Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Posts: 1,231	Shortest Lived Comedy What is the shortest lived comedy??? I believe it is DANNY which aired on CBS for 2 weeks in the Fall 2001.

05-12-2005, 07:03 AM	#2
troopoleon8897 Let's Go!! Senior Member Join Date: Jun 28, 2004 Location: Not Hell, But the same Zip Code Posts: 1,751	Commando Nanny Had a set time and date on wb this season and then at last minute it got canned
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05-13-2005, 01:08 AM	#5
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	this wasn't a comedy, but there was a show in 1960 that Jackie Gleason hosted, that was so bad, he ended up apoligizing to the audience for it. It was a game show called "You're in the picture" and the network (I think it was CBS) only showed 1 episode. And, I think I read somewhere once that in 1968 or something, there was a show on, I think CBS, that was so bad, they canncelled it in the middle of the first broadcast.
	__________________ the Clampetts are in a fancy Beverly Hills jewelry store. Granny points to a tray of rubies. Granny: "How much fer one o' them red diamonds?" clerk: "Madam, those are rubies." Granny: "OK ask her kin we buy one offa her." clerk: " The ruby I am talking about is not a lady." Granny: "Lissen, how she got them diamonds is her business. I'm just sayin' ask her kin we buy one from her."

05-13-2005, 09:53 PM	#9
greenlaser5555 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 09, 2003 Posts: 311	Roxie (a spin-off of Kate & Allie) aired 2 episodes on CBS in the Spring of '87.
	__________________ A Clare Carey (Kelly from Coach) fan since 1997

05-13-2005, 11:19 PM	#10
Daboss94 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 17, 2005 Posts: 77	I think this one is over?? Life On A Stick---3-4 Episodes??

05-12-2005, 09:15 AM	#3
tvfan0101 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 29, 2003 Posts: 961	Not counting shows like Snip and The Grubbs which had a number of episodes produced before the network cancelled the show and shelved the episodes, the shortest-lived comedy would be Co-ed Fever, which aired once in 1979. It was a sitcom that ripped off Animal House. The next shortest-lived shows include Roxie and Take Five, which like the aforementioned Danny each aired twice. A more recent comedy that ran for two episodes would be Imagine That, a Hank Azaria vehicle that tanked in January of 2002 on NBC. If you want to count a sketch comedy/variety show then 1969's Turn On easily wins the shortest-lived show award. It aired once and was so incredibly bad/outrageous that some affiliates pulled it from the air before the initial broadcast was complete.

05-12-2005, 12:23 PM	#4
Miss Golden Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Posts: 1,231	Danny is the one that comes to mind. There was also a show called Meego that premiered in 1997 starring Bronson Pinchot that was probably the worst show I had ever seen, but it lasted six or so episodes because CBS was attempting to make family comedies for there own TGIF that year to compete with ABC.

05-13-2005, 11:40 AM	#6
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Melba a sitcom that starred Melba Moore was cancelled before it ever premiered. It was supposed to start the night of the space shuttle crash in 1986. Only one episode aired later on in that season.

05-13-2005, 04:19 PM	#7
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	"WALTER" a spinoff of "MASH" about Radar as a cop, only aired once, in a couple areas of the country, in July of, I THINK, 1986. It was preempted in the rest of the country.

05-13-2005, 11:36 PM	#11
tvfan0101 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 29, 2003 Posts: 961	EDIT: Nevermind.

05-13-2005, 11:47 PM	#12
Michael72581 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 13, 2004 Location: Staten Island, NY Posts: 289	The Mike O'Malley Show "The Mike O'Malley Show" lasted for 2 weeks for 2 episodes on NBC's Fall schedule from September 21st, 1999 to September 28th, 1999.
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05-14-2005, 12:41 AM	#13
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	"The Mary Tyler Moore hour" (I think that was the name of it) aired for just 4 episodes on CBS in, it was either 1976 0r 77. It was a failed comedy-variety show that Mary Tyler Moore hosted after her sitcom ended.

05-26-2005, 12:19 AM	#14
Tweety Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 18, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 6,804	Police Squad only ran 6 episodes... this show differs from most of the other shows listed in the fact that it was actually a very funny comedy.... it's problem was that there was too much "visual" humor, and not enough people would pay attention to the visual humor which took place, and thus, it's ratings were not good... This show was in the same mold as the movie "Airplane", and only 6 episodes were aired. Another episode (involving John Belushi) was never aired.. Police Squad always introduced a celebrity guest in the opening credits...the announcer would say "...and special guest star, Florence Henderson." And they'd actually show Henderson (or William Conrad, or whoever else they had) working in the kitchen, and then she'd be killed somehow... I know it sounds strange, but it was "Get Smart" type "violence"...no blood or anything... but that would be a running gag on the show... they'd introduce a "special guest star" in the opening credits, they'd get killed, and that was that...that was their "guest appearance". They'd never appear in the episode... Anyway, one episode featured John Belushi being killed in the opening credits... but as it turned out, Belushi died just days before the episode was supposed to air...and the networks pulled that epiosde. Don't know if it was ever re-broadcast... But seriously, if TV Land or N@N ever shows reruns of Police Squad, check it out...and most importantly, PAY ATTENTION!!! They always had a lot of funny things going on in the background, as well as with the main characters...

05-26-2005, 01:27 AM	#15
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	I remember that show. That was HILARIOUS!! I was so mad when it was canncelled. For those who never saw it, it starred Leslie Nielson, and was a parody of a cop show made in the 60s. With a deep-voiced anouncer shouting the title at the beggining, and other things.