Why are some former hit sitcoms now seemingly forgotten

[TMC]

For instance:

• MURPHY BROWN
• ALICE
• DAVE’S WORLD
• BECKER
• CAROLINE IN THE CITY
• TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
• NEWHART
• CYBILL
• KATE & ALLIE
• EVENING SHADE
• GROWING PAINS
• NIGHT COURT
• DEAR JOHN
• WEBSTER
• ALF
• WHO’S THE BOSS?
• WELCOME BACK KOTTER
• EMPTY NEST
• LOVE AND WAR
• MAJOR DAD
• HEAD OF THE CLASS
• ELLEN
• THE NAKED TRUTH
• THE DREW CAREY SHOW
• MAD ABOUT YOU
• NEWSRADIO
• SUDDENLY SUSAN
• SPIN CITY
• STEP BY STEP
• JUST SHOOT ME
• NED AND STACEY
• VERONICA’S CLOSET
• YES DEAR

These following shows can be best described as being network stalwarts that lasted years. And yet, they’ve slipped under the radar for whatever the reasons. It could be because the shows skewed older, and thus the potential audiences are already limited. They were shows really only that benefited from great timeslots during their first-run on network television. They were shows that were, in some way or another, of their time. Or perhaps going back to the earlier point about the great timeslots, they were not actual hits in the first place.

Now, I don't think that it's entirely fair or accurate to say some of these are clear cut cases of long-running sitcoms that, for whatever reason, you never see anymore. Quite a few in recent times, have at the very least, aired on digital subchannels like MeTV, Decades, Antenna TV, Cozi-TV, and GetTV.

[king of comedy]

They aren't as memorable. A lot of them haven't age well. They forgot Wings.

[merlinjones]

Many of them are just too anchored to the times and culture they reflected (quite unlike the evergreen 50s/60s/70s shows that were more of a timeless nature in premise, casting, writing, and characterization). Some of these weren't that good to begin with or had bland, or annoying aspects even then -- or took themselves too seriously (without Lear's ear for sharp satire). And there is a sameness to them.

It's the fun shows with a youthful spirit that have lasted the longest and best (Bewitched etc). And to a degree they are filmed, single camera shows (or filmed three camera) that look better, fresher when restored from original film elements. Most of the shows listed above look like washed out, low res video as syndicated to date which doesn't help.

For example, filmed 60s single season shows with a youthful flair like Gidget and The Jetsons have gained attention over the years (and still look great) while some of those middling 80s video shows about cranky adults that were on a decade have been left far behind.

[Route66Fan]

From what I understand is that some of the shows listed also had music rights issues & unusual episodes (The Drew Carey Show is one example.) Other shows did not catch on with viewers until their 3rd or 4th season (Newhart after it was retooled after it's 2nd season & switched from videotape to film & Night Court, after the deaths of Selma Diamond & Florence Halop.) Other sitcoms, like Newhart & Evening Shade, had episodes that were double the length of a usual sitcom episode, or benefited from having a well known personality play a main character on them. Also some shows, like Webster & Step by Step (Due to their casting & storylines.), were treated like kids shows when they were put in syndication (I seem to remember that when Step by Step entered syndication, KSMO-TV, Ch. 62 in Kansas City, MO aired reruns of that show in the 10AM hour after their morning cartoons.).

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

For instance:

• MURPHY BROWN
• ALICE
• DAVE’S WORLD
• BECKER
• CAROLINE IN THE CITY
• TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
• NEWHART
• CYBILL
• KATE & ALLIE
• EVENING SHADE
• GROWING PAINS
• NIGHT COURT
• DEAR JOHN
• WEBSTER
• ALF
• WHO’S THE BOSS?
• WELCOME BACK KOTTER
• EMPTY NEST
• LOVE AND WAR
• MAJOR DAD
• HEAD OF THE CLASS
• ELLEN
• THE NAKED TRUTH
• THE DREW CAREY SHOW
• MAD ABOUT YOU
• NEWSRADIO
• SUDDENLY SUSAN
• SPIN CITY
• STEP BY STEP
• JUST SHOOT ME
• NED AND STACEY
• VERONICA’S CLOSET
• YES DEAR

These following shows can be best described as being network stalwarts that lasted years. And yet, they’ve slipped under the radar for whatever the reasons. It could be because the shows skewed older, and thus the potential audiences are already limited. They were shows really only that benefited from great timeslots during their first-run on network television. They were shows that were, in some way or another, of their time. Or perhaps going back to the earlier point about the great timeslots, they were not actual hits in the first place.

Now, I don't think that it's entirely fair or accurate to say some of these are clear cut cases of long-running sitcoms that, for whatever reason, you never see anymore. Quite a few in recent times, have at the very least, aired on digital subchannels like MeTV, Decades, Antenna TV, Cozi-TV, and GetTV.

I'll try to address some possible reasons why the shows that Ken Levine mentioned are in his mind, "forgotten".

In the case of Newhart, its long-term visibility was probably (and ironically enough) hurt by its final episode. The episode has become so iconic that it pretty much overshadowed (as well as Bob Newhart's prior sitcom, since it all tied back to it) everything else about the series. It's one of those cases, where "everybody knows how the show ends" so there's little investment in going back to rewatch it.

Newhart also suffered from its lumpy first season, which was shot on video tape and unpopular early season characters like Kirk DeVane. I had previously wrote that maybe Newhart was too low-key (at least in relation to Bob Newhart's style of comedy and acting), rural, and offbeat to really appeal to a wide-spread audience.

Step by Step was probably simply a case of a show that was overshadowed by the popularity of other shows in the TGIF block such as Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I think that audiences just saw it as a '90s version of The Brady Bunch and nothing more to really make it stand out on its own. Also many of the young actors on the show save for Christine Lakin left the show business game after the show ended. So if the actors aren't visible to the general public, it's going naturally be harder to maintain it in their coconsciousness.

Spin City was I think severely hurt by its final two seasons, when Charlie Sheen took over from Michael J. Fox as the lead. I've also in the past, theorized that the 9/11 attacks may have also hurt the show's appeal. More specifically, New York that Spin City created no longer felt relevant after something as horrible as 9/11 happened. It just didn't make sense to watch a light-hearted, zany political sitcom in New York in the year 2001-02, and yet act like something as hugely unprecedented as the Twin Towers falling didn't happen.

I have also previously wrote about Head of the Class and I said that it was probably too high brow/intellectual of sitcom instead of being pseudo-intelligent like The Big Bang Theory. Basically, even though it was set in a high school, it didn't exactly appeal to kids in a manner as say something like Saved by the Bell or Boy Meets World would've. Head of the Class in my estimation, was also very of its time (in other words, it's too dated and a product of the '80s). And of course, the show jumped the shark in the eyes of many people when Howard Hesseman left prior to the last season and Billy Connolly replaced him as the teacher.

Kate & Allie is probably forgotten now because its premise about divorced mothers living together doesn't seem very cutting-edge or groundbreaking now as it may have been back in 1984. I also said in the past that was also surprisingly "adult" for a sitcom. What I mean by "adult" is that the episodes were character driven rather than plot driven and focused on adult issues and concerns. Also, the kids weren't typical sitcom kids getting into all kinds of shenanigans and diverting focus from the leads.

Veronica's Closet may have likely simply been a case of being a show that was a "hit" in the sense that it benefited from its timeslot.

[Yong Fang]

Just some ideas why….

Most of these shows are hopelessly dated.

Many of these shows weren’t they popular in the first place and many of them were basically background noise of a bored population with nothing but time and a TV set. I doubt anyone really remembers “Major Dad” for example. Some shows were landmark series, like Seinfeld. Major Dad was on because the networks were predominant in the 1990’s and it was just something that happened to be on.

The consumer wants new content. For example, HULU began as a service to show reruns and sitcoms. That was their business model. Now it’s doing “original programming”. People want new content and not reruns of old shows.

Saying that, people would disagree and say “No, I love old shows, and I loved this show!” But Tv as a medium has been around for over 70 years (I consider I Love Lucy which is now 70 years old to be the real beginning of TV). Think how many shows, even successful shows has been on since then.

We live in a horrible time where maniacal leftists have taken over entertainment and what they don’t like will be “cancelled”. Anything about race, cancelled. Criticism or humor of alternate sexuality, cancelled. If you watched WKRP in Cincinnati and the episode “Cleaning Up Radio Everywhere”, the station was in the middle of a religious group led by the Jerry Falwell impersonator named Richard Paul, who demanded the station censor songs because of content or risk losing sponsors. This show was on forty years ago but still rings true today, except it is the far left and not the religious right doing the censoring. Free speech is dying a death in America because we have allowed the fruitcakes to take over. That stupid ass mask you are forced to wear and the shot of poison you will have to get or lose your job and your children is part of this also. Cultural Marxism.

Lastly, I can watch 98 percent of anything I want to watch online. I don’t need cable or even a TV and don’t pay for subscriptions.

[Yong Fang]

Just some ideas why….

Most of these shows are hopelessly dated.

Many of these shows weren’t they popular in the first place and many of them were basically background noise of a bored population with nothing but time and a TV set. I doubt anyone really remembers “Major Dad” for example. Some shows were landmark series, like Seinfeld. Major Dad was on because the networks were predominant in the 1990’s and it was just something that happened to be on.

The consumer wants new content. For example, HULU began as a service to show reruns and sitcoms. That was their business model. Now it’s doing “original programming”. People want new content and not reruns of old shows.

Saying that, people would disagree and say “No, I love old shows, and I loved this show!” But Tv as a medium has been around for over 70 years (I consider I Love Lucy which is now 70 years old to be the real beginning of TV). Think how many shows, even successful shows has been on since then.

We live in a horrible time where maniacal leftists have taken over entertainment and what they don’t like will be “cancelled”. Anything about race, cancelled. Criticism or humor of alternate sexuality, cancelled. If you watched WKRP in Cincinnati and the episode “Cleaning Up Radio Everywhere”, the station was in the middle of a religious group led by the Jerry Falwell impersonator named Richard Paul, who demanded the station censor songs because of content or risk losing sponsors. This show was on forty years ago but still rings true today, except it is the far left and not the religious right doing the censoring. Free speech is dying a death in America because we have allowed the fruitcakes to take over. That stupid ass mask you are forced to wear and the shot of poison you will have to get or lose your job and your children is part of this also. Cultural Marxism.

Lastly, I can watch 98 percent of anything I want to watch online. I don’t need cable or even a TV and don’t pay for subscriptions.