Have you ever seen a show on television and wondered how it even made it to the filming process, let alone got picked up, and can’t even imagine how it ran for multiple seasons? Especially when there are truly funny shows with actual potential that were barely even given a chance?
In honor the new fall season, and the fact that some new comedies will last and others will likely get the axe before they’ve truly started, here’s a look at some memorable sitcoms gone wrong.
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Clark Gregg, this Kari Lizer sitcom somehow managed to last for five seasons (2006-2010) on CBS. And it’s still in syndication on Lifetime! Dreyfus played as a divorced mom who was so scatter-brained everything went over her head and despite her failed marriage, her ex-husband and his new girlfriend (known as New Christine since Dreyfus’ character is also named Christine) are two of her closest friends. Seriously? Aside from the fact that it’s strange to have to two main characters with the same name, the premise of the show is mind-numbing and the storylines are even worse.
My Name is Earl
For My Name is Earl, it only took four seasons (2005-2009) for NBC to realize that Jason Lee‘s show was a sitcom gone wrong. Lee plays Early Hickey, a disreputable man who happens to win $100,000 from the lottery. Shortly after he wins Earl is injured in a car accident and loses the ticket. Earl credits the turn of events to karma and makes a decision to turn his life around and make up for all the bad things he’s done and people he’s harmed. The premise isn’t the worst, but it’s far from the best. But what really makes this show such a bad choice is the so-called “comedy” – the jokes and the stories aren’t just shallow, they’re outright brainless and not even the slightest bit funny.
What I Like About You
Before Amanda Bynes was in trouble she starred in the WB sitcom What I Like About You for four seasons from 2002-2006. Bynes played Holly, a 16-year-old girl who moves in with her older and much more serious sister Valerie (Jennie Garth) in Manhattan after their father takes a job overseas. The two often clash but at the end of the day they lean on each other for all sorts of problems from boyfriends to work. Although it’s not nearly as bad a show as My Name is Earl, What I Like About You never did anything good, let alone great. The acting was so-so and the jokes were non-existent, making this show a definite sitcom gone wrong.
George Lopez
For six seasons (2002-2007) on ABC and now in syndication on Nick at Nite, George Lopez starred in this eponymous sitcom. The show focuses on Lopez’s work life as a manager at a factory that manufactures airplane parts as well as his family, which includes his wife, daughter, son, and cranky, unappreciative mother. Unlike most sitcoms gone wrong, this premise actual has potential, but the storylines and, mainly, the scripts were uninspired. In particular, Lopez’s stand-up comedy background just did not transfer well into a half-hour comedy.
Grounded for Life
Grounded For Life managed to hang on on FOX for two seasons and the WB for another three until it finally went off the air – but not for good, as ABC Family picked it up for syndication. This sitcom gone wrong focuses on the Finnerty’s, an Irish-Catholic family of five living in Staten Island, who often find themselves in crazy, troublesome situations. The storylines were humdrum and the comedy was nothing special, which explains why the show couldn’t last on one network (although it hardly explains how it made it for five years and then into syndication).
Cougar Town
Most people love the Courteney Cox who played Monica on Friends and Alex’s girlfriend on Family Ties, but the Courteney Cox that stars in and produces Cougar Town is an entirely different story. Miraculously, the show is still on the air, but only by the skin of its teeth – as TBS picked it up for its fourth season, slated to start in January 2013, when ABC dropped it after three unexciting seasons. While the show first aired with the premise of Cox playing a newly divorced woman discovering the dating world again and becoming a “cougar” it very quickly changed its tone completely, and for the second two seasons it featured a motley group of neighbors who call themselves the “cul-de-sac crew” and drink way too much wine. It’s a wonder how this foolhardy sitcom made it past the first few episodes back in 2009 (probably only because viewers were so attached to Cox), so it was certainly a good move on behalf of ABC to finally drop this sitcom gone wrong.
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