Ted Baxter Deserved His Own Show! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 06-26-2010, 04:46 PM

Ted Baxter & his wife Georgette were great together. They had a good chemistry that I think could've worked in a sitcom of their own. Does anybody agree? Disagree?

scotsguy · 06-26-2010, 04:59 PM

Yes I think that would have been funny,Betty White and Georgia were both wated on "The Betty White Show",which although funny in places,was a waste of their talents.

Mr. Television · 06-26-2010, 05:07 PM

Maybe they should have given them their own show in 1977 after MTM ended. They might not have wanted to do that during the time the show was on after Rhoda and Phyllis already left for their shows. Ted Knight did try an unsuccessful sitcom in 1978 not long after the show ended so he might have been game.

treky · 06-26-2010, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Ted Baxter & his wife Georgette were great together. They had a good chemistry that I think could've worked in a sitcom of their own. Does anybody agree? Disagree?

yes, I agree! I remember thinking that when the show first aired.

Brian Damage · 06-27-2010, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

Ted Knight did try an unsuccessful sitcom in 1978 not long after the show ended so he might have been game.

Really? I did not know that. What was it called?

treky · 06-27-2010, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Really? I did not know that. What was it called?

it was a sitcom called "THE TED KNIGHT SHOW" (wonder how long it took to think up that name?

)
It also aired on saturdays, on CBS. He played the head of an escort service.

caro · 06-27-2010, 05:04 AM

I kept hearing how Knight wanted to get out of his contract. Apparently they kept throwing money at him to continue. They brought in Georgette to expand his character.

scotsguy · 06-27-2010, 09:16 AM

Yes Caro I heard that too,Ted Knight got really upset,thinking that people thought he was as dumb as Ted Baxter,so I think if he'd been offered a spinoff,he'd have turned it down.

Mr. Television · 06-27-2010, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Really? I did not know that. What was it called?

Yea it was the Ted Knight Show. It aired for about a month in April 1978.

Mr. Television · 06-27-2010, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotsguy

Yes Caro I heard that too,Ted Knight got really upset,thinking that people thought he was as dumb as Ted Baxter,so I thibk if he'd been offered a spinoff,he'd have turned it down.

It's sad really because he was really good at playing Ted Baxter. He was my favorite actor on that show.

Brian Damage · 06-27-2010, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotsguy

Yes Caro I heard that too,Ted Knight got really upset,thinking that people thought he was as dumb as Ted Baxter,so I thibk if he'd been offered a spinoff,he'd have turned it down.

True, but like with every other MTM Enterprises show, Ted Knight's character could've been tweeked to make him the leading man in a series. They did it with Lou Grant, Rhoda and Phyllis, so why not Ted?

caro · 06-27-2010, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

It's sad really because he was really good at playing Ted Baxter. He was my favorite actor on that show.

I know how he said that he felt like he was such an intelligent guy and both him and his family would be targets of jokes in public.

I was looking into the fact that Jack Cassidy turned down the role,
Jack sort of originated the Ted-like character on the HE and SHE show.
Jack was not on the last 3 shows of the season. Even though that show won an Emmy for best comedy, it was cancelled.

Jack got an Emmy nom for that role.
Later that year, the played in the tele-play,' The Andersonville Trial" and got an Emmy nom for that. Then he concentrated on dramatic roles.

Just show you have to be one step ahead in type casting.

scotsguy · 06-27-2010, 01:37 PM

I guess so folk are never happy,Ted Knight was down on his luck when he go the part of Ted Baxter,instead of enjoying the role,he seemed to worry all the time,what you call being anxious Actor.

Ted was apparently a lovely guy but the part of Ted Baxter did seem to trouble him.

catlover79 · 06-27-2010, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotsguy

I guess so folk are never happy,Ted Knight was down on his luck when he go the part of Ted Baxter,instead of enjoying the role,he seemed to worry all the time,what you call being anxious Actor.

Ted was apparently a lovely guy but the part of Ted Baxter did seem to trouble him.

Yes, I've heard that, too. I guess he was much more relaxed when Caddyshack and Too Close For Comfort came along. But Ted really was a great actor...it takes someone very smart to play such a buffoon so convincingly!!!

caro · 06-27-2010, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Yes, I've heard that, too. I guess he was much more relaxed when Caddyshack and Too Close For Comfort came along. But Ted really was a great actor...it takes someone very smart to play such a buffoon so convincingly!!!

I

I agree. I think when Max Baer, JR refused to show up in the Beverly Hillbillies reunion he said that nobody wants to see a 50 year old Jethro.
Nobody wants to see that character grow old.
I think that you need to have other people in the business believe in you though.
With Jack Cassidy, I believe that Geoge.C Scott's wife recommended him for the role in the Andersonville Trial because of his stage work and it turn his career direction around.
People knew that Ted could do other work and this alleviated whatever feelings he had about Ted Baxter.

06-26-2010, 04:46 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Ted Baxter Deserved His Own Show! Ted Baxter & his wife Georgette were great together. They had a good chemistry that I think could've worked in a sitcom of their own. Does anybody agree? Disagree? Attached Images
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06-26-2010, 05:07 PM	#3
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,133	Maybe they should have given them their own show in 1977 after MTM ended. They might not have wanted to do that during the time the show was on after Rhoda and Phyllis already left for their shows. Ted Knight did try an unsuccessful sitcom in 1978 not long after the show ended so he might have been game.
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06-27-2010, 09:16 AM	#8
scotsguy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 25, 2002 Location: Edinburgh,Scotland Posts: 696	Yes Caro I heard that too,Ted Knight got really upset,thinking that people thought he was as dumb as Ted Baxter,so I think if he'd been offered a spinoff,he'd have turned it down.
	Last edited by scotsguy; 06-27-2010 at 01:35 PM.

06-26-2010, 04:59 PM	#2
scotsguy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 25, 2002 Location: Edinburgh,Scotland Posts: 696	Yes I think that would have been funny,Betty White and Georgia were both wated on "The Betty White Show",which although funny in places,was a waste of their talents.

06-27-2010, 05:04 AM	#7
caro Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 04, 2009 Location: suburbs Posts: 232	I kept hearing how Knight wanted to get out of his contract. Apparently they kept throwing money at him to continue. They brought in Georgette to expand his character.

06-27-2010, 01:37 PM	#13
scotsguy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 25, 2002 Location: Edinburgh,Scotland Posts: 696	I guess so folk are never happy,Ted Knight was down on his luck when he go the part of Ted Baxter,instead of enjoying the role,he seemed to worry all the time,what you call being anxious Actor. Ted was apparently a lovely guy but the part of Ted Baxter did seem to trouble him.