Shortest Lived/Worst Remakes - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

dawsongirl · 03-05-2002, 05:29 PM

Ah, it seems like producers will try to remake anything. Which TV remakes do you think were the worst in history?

I suppose if you want, you can include TV shows that were remade into movies.

ClassicComedyFan2 · 03-05-2002, 11:30 PM

I haven't really seen many remakes, but the ones I've seen aren't as deplorable as the reviewers make them out to be:

Beverly Hillibillies, The (MOVIE) - Jed and Elly May were miscast, but the rest were good, especially Lily Tomlin as Hathaway. Buddy Ebsen's Barnaby Jones cameo was clever.

McHale's Navy (1997 Movie) - It's was alright, and the Ernest Borgnine as Cobra cameo was a good one.

Lost in Space (1998 Movie) - Original cast cameos were too small, but it was very well written and produced.

The Little Rascals (1995? Movie) - been a couple of years since I saw this one, but I remember laughing alot.

Dennis the Menace (1996? Movie) - This one was actually really good. Can't remember if any originals made apperances or not.

Still, remakes aren't as good as the originals, especially theones more recently produced (can you imagine double entendre and mild profanity in a 60s sitcom), but at least original stars make cameos. Some series remakes (like ST: The Next Generation) simply shine while others (New Monkees, anyone?) fall flat.

joan davis fan · 03-06-2002, 06:54 AM

the movie Car 54 Where are you was terrible.

I also didnt care much for the "new" Route 66. I always thought it was made just to make Dan Cortese a star ( since he was big on MTV and those Burger King ads at the time ).

alas...it didnt work !! Same with Tabitha Soren.

joan davis fan · 03-06-2002, 07:02 AM

the movie Car 54 Where are you was terrible.

I also didnt care much for the "new" Route 66. I always thought it was made just to make Dan Cortese a star ( since he was big on MTV and those Burger King ads at the time ).

alas...it didnt work !! Same with Tabitha Soren.

dawsongirl · 03-06-2002, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by joan davis fan
I also didnt care much for the "new" Route 66. I always thought it was made just to make Dan Cortese a star ( since he was big on MTV and those Burger King ads at the time ).

alas...it didnt work !!

UGH! Bad remake!

I just got a copy of the first episode about a week ago. Okay, I can't say I hated it per-se, because I watched it all the way through without wanting to burn the tape, but I can't say it was good. I'm not sure it would have even been good had it not been a remake of Route 66. Dan Cortese's character was just too damn annoying. He seriously wouldn't shut up! And James Wilder-

What's worse is that in my opinion, this show (the original that is) worked because the two characters were so different- college educated Tod and street punk Buz. The remake- two guys who not only looked like each other (no one can accuse Marty Milner and George Maharis of looking alike), but acted like each other. This was an obvious product of the early 90's, given that they both look like grunge slackers. It was like Route 66 with two Buz Murdocks, neither having an ounce of the charm Maharis gave the character.

I could go on and on about what I thought was wrong with this show, but I'll just watch one of the original episodes and be happy.

bb · 03-07-2002, 05:03 AM

I too remember the "new" Route 66 and Dawson Girl took the words right out of my mouth about the problems with the new 66.

About the show being made just to make Dan Cortese a "star", I have heard that too. At the time of this show ( believe it was 94 0r 95 ) Cortese was considered "hot". He was doing MTV Sports, those " MTV style" Burger King ads ( which I hated so much at the time I started going to the Wendys next door )but he was dating
either a supermodel and/or a prono actress ( kinda like Kid Rock and many other rock stars would do later on , guess to prove how bad & cool they really are ). In other words a lot of people thought Dan Cortese really would be the next huge star. And the "new" Route 66 was supposed to be his launching pad...

But as Dawson Girl said, his character was annoying. I agree with that 100%. But I would like to take that one step further. Cortese himself was annoying. Same thing goes with the many of others who did MTV over the years. Tabitha Soren another example. Back in 1993 I covered then-President Clinton's trip to Culpepper,VA for a Northen Virginia country music radio station. When Soren and her MTV crew popped up along the parade route
and making comments to other reporters and the folks who lined up along the street to see Willie like "wanna party', "do you smoke pot? ", "I love guys with long goatees !! ", " you got a nice butt, like Chris Baron from the Spin Doctors" and going on about how SHE is the voice of generation x, no wonder many were NOT surprised to see the Soren days didnt last.

Jimbo · 03-23-2002, 08:09 PM

About 10 years ago, the FOX Network tried to bring back "Get Smart". Don Adams and Barbara Feldon both agreed to do the show (God only knows why!). Maxwell Smart was now the Chief of "Control", with Max and 99's son as one of the agents. The son was paired with a female agent known as "Agent 69" (okay, ha-ha, we get it). This was an absolutely terrible show, which thankfully only lasted a few weeks.

80skid · 03-30-2002, 09:54 PM

The Little Rascals rocks! My friend and I are SO into that movie... "Dear Darla: You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes. Love, Alfalfa." Or something like that. Anyways, my friend and I can quote that movie... not that we're proud of that fact!

karaokedude · 04-01-2002, 04:29 AM

Maxwell Smart's son in the "Get Smart" remake was played by the deplorable Andy Dick ("Newsradio"). That fact in itself prompted me to turn it off.

karaokedude · 04-01-2002, 04:37 AM

About the only sitcom-remake-movie I ever found entertaining was "The Brady Bunch", only because it was a PARODY of itself. That's what made it work & it even prompted a sequel (how many of these movies accomplish that?). Even the cameos were well done.

Did anybody ever see the syndicated "Monkees" remake series of the 80s? That was terrible!

Or "The NEW Odd Couple" in which Felix & Oscar were black (Ron Glass & Demond Wilson respectively) Gary Marshall even used the same scripts over. Bad idea.

karaokedude · 04-01-2002, 05:13 AM

There was a show called "Payne", which was hyped as an American version of the popular Britcom "Fawlty Towers". It starred John Larrouquette & Jo Beth Williams. It was funny, but I knew it was doomed because their characters had the corny names Royal Payne & Contance Payne.

"High Society", starring Jean Smart, was based on "Ab Fab". My favorite episode was the one with Tom Arnold playing a romance novelist with a female pen name.

StrawberryFields · 04-12-2002, 10:32 PM

I thought the Brady Bunch movie was terrible. The only good part was Davy Jones' performance. He looked great, and I think he even sounded better than he did in "getting davy jones". And I liked the cameo of davy, micky,and peter as judges. (I'm obviously a monkees fan!) I think I laughed maybe once when marcia's date said something about her tongue in his mouth--he obviously didn't know about french kissing--and maybe a few other things. But it was definitely a parody. They just weren't the originals.

Krystal Lake · 05-28-2002, 05:40 AM

Most SNL sketches that are turned into movies suck.
(With the exception of Wayne's World. )

It's Pat.
A Night at the Roxbury.
Superstar.

ThomasE · 06-03-2002, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo
About 10 years ago, the FOX Network tried to bring back "Get Smart". Don Adams and Barbara Feldon both agreed to do the show (God only knows why!). Maxwell Smart was now the Chief of "Control", with Max and 99's son as one of the agents. The son was paired with a female agent known as "Agent 69" (okay, ha-ha, we get it). This was an absolutely terrible show, which thankfully only lasted a few weeks.

It was 1995. I totally agree about that remake. If I recall, Max and 99 had twins. In the revival we only see 1 son. It could have been better with some retooling. Plus, 99 wasn't even featured in the opening credits. She was credited as being a"Special Guest Star".

03-05-2002, 05:29 PM	#1
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	Shortest Lived/Worst Remakes Ah, it seems like producers will try to remake anything. Which TV remakes do you think were the worst in history? I suppose if you want, you can include TV shows that were remade into movies.

03-07-2002, 05:03 AM	#6
bb Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2001 Location: Martinsburg, WV usa Posts: 276	I too remember the "new" Route 66 and Dawson Girl took the words right out of my mouth about the problems with the new 66. About the show being made just to make Dan Cortese a "star", I have heard that too. At the time of this show ( believe it was 94 0r 95 ) Cortese was considered "hot". He was doing MTV Sports, those " MTV style" Burger King ads ( which I hated so much at the time I started going to the Wendys next door )but he was dating either a supermodel and/or a prono actress ( kinda like Kid Rock and many other rock stars would do later on , guess to prove how bad & cool they really are ). In other words a lot of people thought Dan Cortese really would be the next huge star. And the "new" Route 66 was supposed to be his launching pad... But as Dawson Girl said, his character was annoying. I agree with that 100%. But I would like to take that one step further. Cortese himself was annoying. Same thing goes with the many of others who did MTV over the years. Tabitha Soren another example. Back in 1993 I covered then-President Clinton's trip to Culpepper,VA for a Northen Virginia country music radio station. When Soren and her MTV crew popped up along the parade route and making comments to other reporters and the folks who lined up along the street to see Willie like "wanna party', "do you smoke pot? ", "I love guys with long goatees !! ", " you got a nice butt, like Chris Baron from the Spin Doctors" and going on about how SHE is the voice of generation x, no wonder many were NOT surprised to see the Soren days didnt last.
	Last edited by bb; 03-09-2002 at 08:46 AM.

03-30-2002, 09:54 PM	#8
80skid smile :) Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 18, 2000 Posts: 971	The Little Rascals rocks! My friend and I are SO into that movie... "Dear Darla: You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes. Love, Alfalfa." Or something like that. Anyways, my friend and I can quote that movie... not that we're proud of that fact!
	__________________ need a new signature!

04-12-2002, 10:32 PM	#12
StrawberryFields Apple Scruff Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 10, 2002 Location: The Monkees' pad Posts: 117	I thought the Brady Bunch movie was terrible. The only good part was Davy Jones' performance. He looked great, and I think he even sounded better than he did in "getting davy jones". And I liked the cameo of davy, micky,and peter as judges. (I'm obviously a monkees fan!) I think I laughed maybe once when marcia's date said something about her tongue in his mouth--he obviously didn't know about french kissing--and maybe a few other things. But it was definitely a parody. They just weren't the originals.
	__________________ Adopt a cute Neopet! Join the Glass Onion Guild! Get $5 free to spend on candles!!! Rate music, get free stuff!!!

05-28-2002, 05:40 AM	#13
Krystal Lake I'll remember that.. Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 17, 2002 Location: Tied up at the moment... Posts: 485	Most SNL sketches that are turned into movies suck. (With the exception of Wayne's World. ) It's Pat. A Night at the Roxbury. Superstar.
	__________________ "If you want to learn how to build a house, build a house. Don't ask anybody, just build a house."

03-05-2002, 11:30 PM	#2
ClassicComedyFan2 Coolicious! Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 28, 2001 Location: AL, United States, Alpha Quadrant Posts: 698	I haven't really seen many remakes, but the ones I've seen aren't as deplorable as the reviewers make them out to be: Beverly Hillibillies, The (MOVIE) - Jed and Elly May were miscast, but the rest were good, especially Lily Tomlin as Hathaway. Buddy Ebsen's Barnaby Jones cameo was clever. McHale's Navy (1997 Movie) - It's was alright, and the Ernest Borgnine as Cobra cameo was a good one. Lost in Space (1998 Movie) - Original cast cameos were too small, but it was very well written and produced. The Little Rascals (1995? Movie) - been a couple of years since I saw this one, but I remember laughing alot. Dennis the Menace (1996? Movie) - This one was actually really good. Can't remember if any originals made apperances or not. Still, remakes aren't as good as the originals, especially theones more recently produced (can you imagine double entendre and mild profanity in a 60s sitcom), but at least original stars make cameos. Some series remakes (like ST: The Next Generation) simply shine while others (New Monkees, anyone?) fall flat.

03-06-2002, 06:54 AM	#3
joan davis fan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 07, 2002 Posts: 179	the movie Car 54 Where are you was terrible. I also didnt care much for the "new" Route 66. I always thought it was made just to make Dan Cortese a star ( since he was big on MTV and those Burger King ads at the time ). alas...it didnt work !! Same with Tabitha Soren.

03-06-2002, 07:02 AM	#4
joan davis fan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 07, 2002 Posts: 179	the movie Car 54 Where are you was terrible. I also didnt care much for the "new" Route 66. I always thought it was made just to make Dan Cortese a star ( since he was big on MTV and those Burger King ads at the time ). alas...it didnt work !! Same with Tabitha Soren.

03-23-2002, 08:09 PM	#7
Jimbo Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 29, 2001 Location: United States of America-One Nation UNDER GOD! Posts: 471	About 10 years ago, the FOX Network tried to bring back "Get Smart". Don Adams and Barbara Feldon both agreed to do the show (God only knows why!). Maxwell Smart was now the Chief of "Control", with Max and 99's son as one of the agents. The son was paired with a female agent known as "Agent 69" (okay, ha-ha, we get it). This was an absolutely terrible show, which thankfully only lasted a few weeks.

04-01-2002, 04:29 AM	#9
karaokedude Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 03, 2002 Location: PA Posts: 58	Maxwell Smart's son in the "Get Smart" remake was played by the deplorable Andy Dick ("Newsradio"). That fact in itself prompted me to turn it off.

04-01-2002, 04:37 AM	#10
karaokedude Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 03, 2002 Location: PA Posts: 58	About the only sitcom-remake-movie I ever found entertaining was "The Brady Bunch", only because it was a PARODY of itself. That's what made it work & it even prompted a sequel (how many of these movies accomplish that?). Even the cameos were well done. Did anybody ever see the syndicated "Monkees" remake series of the 80s? That was terrible! Or "The NEW Odd Couple" in which Felix & Oscar were black (Ron Glass & Demond Wilson respectively) Gary Marshall even used the same scripts over. Bad idea.

04-01-2002, 05:13 AM	#11
karaokedude Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 03, 2002 Location: PA Posts: 58	There was a show called "Payne", which was hyped as an American version of the popular Britcom "Fawlty Towers". It starred John Larrouquette & Jo Beth Williams. It was funny, but I knew it was doomed because their characters had the corny names Royal Payne & Contance Payne. "High Society", starring Jean Smart, was based on "Ab Fab". My favorite episode was the one with Tom Arnold playing a romance novelist with a female pen name.