More Non-Honorables.

Other sitcoms that might be considered to be on some peoples Top Ten
Favorites list, but don't even rate Honorable Mention on mine, for one reason or another:

MASH---- Loved the movie, which was extremely hip. The TV series was extremely square.
It was also badly cast, overacted, preachy, and had a one-joke character (Klinger) whom they tried to sustain
for the entire series.

The Office----Never saw either version.

Ellen----Enjoyed it until she came out of the closet. Then, it became extremely, uncomfortably militant.

Rhoda----Not bad, but her husband was a cipher. And they consistently talked about scenes that would have been much better if they were shown.

The Jeffersons---Just loud and silly.

Topper----Clever, well written, but I'm just not big on fantasies.

Ozzie And Harriet----I enjoyed it a lot, but it just didn't try very hard.
The story lines all smacked of minutia.

WKRP In Cincinnati----Sometimes very funny, like when they dropped the turkeys out of the sky because Mr. Carlson thought they could fly. The supporting cast was very good, and made an indelible impression.
But the lead actor, Gary Sandy, added nothing to it.
I basically took it or left it.

Designing Women---Written by women, about women, for women.
I had no designs on these women. It was not for me.

The Real McCoys----Almost qualifies for Honorable Mention. Many good things about it.
The writing, for one. Walter Brennan was great, as was Richard Crenna.
But Little Luke was a character who had corn coming out of his ears.
And there were soooooo many shows that I enjoyed more.

The Mothers-In-Law----The only reason I'm bringing it up is that it was one of the very few 3-camera sitcoms that went for hard laughs once Van Dyke went off in the 60's.
And Desi Arnaz was in charge, and his fingerprints were all over it.
And Kaye Ballard was a hoot.
But Eve Arden's timing had grown lethargic.
The show in general was a little too broad.

The New Dick Van Dyke Show---The writing was there, but Hope Lange was no Mary Tyler Moore.
The supporting cast in general was completely undistinguished.

The Abbott and Costello Show----They did two seasons in the early 50's.
If the second season was anywhere near as good as the first, it might even crack the Top Ten.
That's how bad the second season was. It was as if it was shot underwater.

Okay. Next time, I'll begin the actual Honorable Mention list.

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My book, "Show Runner" can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store, if you search my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, and Happy Days.
You might want to check it out.

The paperback, "Mark Rothman's Essays" is still available for people without Kindle. I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.

You might want to check out the Kindle Store in general. It is the wave of the future, so consider me a surfer.

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