All-Time Worst TV Sitcoms
My Mother the Car, Joanie Loves Chachi, Hogan's Heroes, and More
My Mother the Car, Joanie Loves Chachi, Hogan's Heroes, Life with Lucy, and other examples of poorly executed television sitcoms
For years, the reigning champion of bad sitcoms has been “My Mother the Car.” In 2002, TV Guide dubbed it the second worst television show in history (after The Jerry Springer Show).
The biggest forehead-slapper question for most television viewers has been: how can networks continue to buy and air such turkeys year after year? To be honest, there is no answer to this question. With that said, here’s a list of rotten sitcoms.
“My Mother the Car”
This 1960s sitcom’s premise is as follows: an attorney (played by Dick Van Dyke’s brother Jerry) buys an antique car at a used car lot and it winds up being haunted. He discovers this when he hears the voice of his dead mother “reincarnated” on the car’s radio.
Amazingly enough, “My Mother the Car”, long considered one of TV’s biggest flops, actually lasted for thirty episodes.
After “My Mother the Car”, poor Jerry Van Dyke went on to star in a string of flop sitcoms, making him joke fodder for late night comics for years. Thankfully, his career was more than resuscitated in the nineties with his scene-stealing “dumb guy” role in the successful high-quality MTM sitcom, “Coach.”
“Small Wonder”
Although “Small Wonder” was basically a kids’ show, it was still spectacularly creepy and deadly unfunny. The biggest “wonder” was how did this syndicated series last for four seasons?
The premise: A robot that looks like a 10-year-old girl and acts like a zombie lives with its inventor’s family and is passed off as his daughter … and the 10-year-old girl robot also has super-human strength.
During its four season run, robotic actress Tiffany Brissette aged and the quick-thinking show writers passed off her aging process as the inventor’s “robotic upgrade.” Yow!
“Joanie Loves Chachi”
This series was the result of too many poorly conceived character spin-offs from one hit series, in this case, “Happy Days.” This was a trend that abounded in the seventies. In the case of “Joanie Loves Chachi”, it was spawned from two of the least interesting characters from “Happy Days”, a series that was chock full of uninteresting characters (except for “The Fonz”).
Mercifully, the series only lasted one season and the two characters were placed back into “Happy Days.”
“AfterM*A*S*H”
They should’ve called this series “AfterB*I*R*T*H.” It was yet another ill-conceived spin-off from a hit series, in this case “M*A*S*H.”
Before the last season of “M*A*S*H”, the cast members voted on whether to end the series. Only three actors voted against ending it: Harry Morgan (Colonel Potter), Jamie Farr (Klinger), and William Christopher (Father Mulcahey). The majority won out, and M*A*S*H ended.
The producers, however, decided to “award” the dissenting actors with their own series, “AfterM*A*S*H.” The premise: The Korean War is over and three “M*A*S*H” characters wind up working in a VA hospital. Hijinks ensue.
It’s doubtful that even Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce character could’ve rescued this gut-wrenching atrocity.
“Gloria”
And now one final deadly hit seventies sitcom spin-off: “Gloria” starring Sally Struthers, continuing her role as Gloria Bunker Stivic from “All in the Family.”
The premise: her husband Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner) is dead; her parents Archie and Edith Bunker (Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton) live in another city; and poor Gloria pushes on without an ensemble to play with. Nothing more need be said.
“Life with Lucy”
“Life with Lucy” was Lucille Ball’s last sitcom. Although it wasn’t a bad show, mostly thanks to the presence of comic foil master Gale Gordon, it was painful to watch septuagenarian Lucy still doing pratfalls. (“Oh my God! No, Lucy! You’ll break your hip!”) Again, nuff said.
“Hogan’s Heroes”
Okay, so “Hogan’s Heroes” was a hit show, and some critics actually have considered it to be a classic, but come on! Funny Nazis played by Jewish actors running a prisoner of war camp?!
“Cop Rock”
Created by “show runner” producer Steven Bochco, no one knows what he might have been smoking when he created “Cop Rock” in 1990. It was one part police drama (Bochco also created “Hill Street Blues”) and one part Rockettes extravaganza. Yes, cops broke into choreographed dance numbers mid-drama. While it wasn’t conceived as a sitcom, “Cop Rock” was loaded with unintentional yoks.
As one might suspect, the show’s strangeness has created its own cult following, and it currently enjoys an afterlife on VH-1.
“Homeboys in Outer Space”
This was a WB show about two guys from the ‘hood flying around the galaxy in their Space Hoopty. Okay, it sounds rotten, but it was one of those so-totally-rotten-it’s-good shows.
