RIP Gary David Goldberg

Yeah, no kidding...

I just think if you took Gaffigan, or Brian Regan and put a good cast around them, I can't imagine how it wouldn't be at least a decent hit. Hell, shows like Yes, Dear and According to Jim both lasted forever, so I can only imagine how a well-written family show would do.

I've heard Regan say he has no interest in doing a sitcom, which is unfortunate, but Gaffigan is making the talkshow and podcast rounds for his "Dad is Fat" book, and he would be perfect to play a goofy dad on a sitcom.

I know people have said that making sitcoms are expensive, but I can't imagine that it would be more expensive than some of these shows with ensemble casts like Parks and Rec and 30 Rock.

 

After a poor first season, Cheers was a moderate hit by its second season and climbing fast. It was entering its third season with a strong head of steam when The Cosby Show came on the air, so I don't think it really owed much to Cosby. And Cheers held the 9 p.m. eastern slot while Cosby had the 8 p.m. so there was a half-hour between, removing the lead-in theory. Family Ties was in a similar position. It also had gained a strong footing and had a ton of momentum entering its third season.

Family Ties, Cheers and Hill Street Blues had given NBC a very strong foundation by the time The Cosby Show arrived. Michael J. Fox was being touted as an up-and-coming star and was in the process of being cast for Back the the Future before the Cosby effect ever took off.

NBC also lucked out in the 10 p.m. slot in that just as Hill Street Blues expired, LA Law came onto the scene like a house afire. And when LA Law expired, ER jumped in without a missed beat.

The Cosby Show certainly had some effect, but Family Ties and Cheers were already on their way and I believe those two shows actually were much better buys in syndication than The Cosby Show was. Cheers anchored the half-hour after the 11 p.m. (10 central) newscast for years whereas The Cosby Show never did.

 

FYI, Gaffigan had a pilot at CBS in contention for the 2013-14 season, but it was not picked up. Last I heard/read it was still potentially alive for down the road, but would be re-shot and potentially re-cast. Gaffigan was the star and was basically playing himself; Mira Sorvino was cast as his wife. The showrunner was/is Peter Tolan, who co-created "Rescue Me" and "The Job" with Denis Leary. The script was pretty funny IMO.

Also, I'm very surprised that nobody seems to have mentioned "Modern Family" as a successful network sitcom that's geared to the whole family. And while I don't really watch them, others like "The Middle" and maybe "Suburgatory" might qualify. Probably no coincidence that they are all on ABC.

 

Leaving aside the idea of the gay family, which would probably be an immediate disqualifier in most parts of the country, Modern Family frequently has shows that deal with sex very overtly -- the kids walking in on Phil and Claire, Phil finding out Haley isn't a virgin, the Valentine's Day episodes, and a host of others.

Funny show. Not for kids below high school, maybe middle school.

 

I remember Peter Tolan as one of the lead writers on The Larry Sanders Show. If he can deliver something of similar quality, I'll be watching.

 

Yeah, I don't care about the gay couple on Modern Family, but as LTL said, there's a lot of sex talk. I love the show, I never miss it, but I'm not going to let my 7-year-old and 5-year-old watch it. Maybe in a couple years... I don't see Suburgatory appealing to kids younger than 12 or so. I've only seen The Middle a couple times, so I can't really comment on it.

 

Apparently, CBS didn't have much room on the fall schedule, which was one of the reasons it also passed on the NCIS:Red. I'm guessing these days it's a lot easier to get a sitcom placed on NBC than it is on CBS.

Gaffigan, Sorvino and Peter Tolan? I'd watch in a heartbeat.

 

Fair enough.

Though the fourth episode of the very first season of Family Ties is about Alex losing his virginity to a "college girl," and another first-season episode is about one of Mallory's HS friends getting pregnant. The show definitely dealt with sex.

Still, the sex-related plots on that show were played as much as After School Special "lessons" rather than straight comedy. So I take yours and Mizzou's point.

And Mizzou, you're absolutely right that CBS had fewer holes in its schedule than the others and picked up fewer new shows as a result.

 

Brooklyn Bridge was a great show for a tiny demographic. Luckily, I was in that demographic.

And I agree that there are basically no network sitcoms which I can watch with my kids.