TV Guide
Review of MwC's First Season
July 25, 1987
Looking for Some Original Programming This Summer?
The new Fox network's presenting first-run shows; our writer examines the strategy and offers
capsule critiques.
By Andy Meisler
[article includes a picture of the Bundys from episode 104]
[big snip about Rupert Murdoch, etc]
"... Still, FBC's overall lineup is a weak one. The problem, I'm afraid, is nothing more complicated than
a law of averages: the failure rate for new shows is notoriously high. Only a handful of new network shows
survive their first season; when your entire lineup is brand-new, most of your entries, almost by definition,
will be duds. And then there are those little twists. In my judgment, one or two of the producers' departures
from TV conformity work brilliantly; the rest, alas, are simply failed experiments. But if it makes anyone
feel any better, most of Fox's programs fail interestingly. Not a big comfort to execs and station owners,
granted, but a nice harbinger of better things. What to watch these days, then? Well, after going over Mr.
M's lineup, I've rated each program with zero to five snowflakes - five being sensational, a hit on any
man's network, and zero being the dregs. My best advice: just hang in there, viewers, and wait for the dross
to subside. Until then - play ball!
The shows in order of merit:
Duet [...] 4 1/2 snowflakes.
Mr. President [...] 3 snowflakes.
The Tracey Ullman Show [...] 2 1/2 snowflakes.
Karen's Song [...] 2 1/2 snowflakes.
21 Jump Street [...] 2 1/2 snowflakes.
Married with Children (Sunday, 8 P.M.):
Yes, I know what they're trying to do here. The world isn't made up of Cosby households; the Huxtables'
bon mot-and-designer-knitwear life style is a worthy target of satire. But the producers of this sitcom
use a sledgehammer instead of a stiletto. Al and Peggy Bundy (Ed O'Neill and Katey Sagal) are a "typical"
suburban couple: he's a beer-drinking slob and she's a lazy shrew. They sit around and insult each other
incessantly; when they're not, they're doing thinga like shooting a dog or plotting to appropriate their
naive neighbors' addition to their house. The gags aren't funny (neighbor to Al, inviting him out to eat
in a nice restaurant: "C'mon, you can't spend your life ordering food through a clown's head!" Al turning
to Peggy: "HEY, honey! How about some food?"), mainly because the Bundys are nasty caricatures, not real
people. It's not The Cosby Show that's being lampooned here: it's anyone not rich or good-looking enough
to have a TV show assembled around him. A good idea gone bad. 1 1/2 snowflakes.
The New Adventures of Beans Baxter [...] 1 1/2 snowflakes.
Down and Out in Beverly Hills [...] 1 snowflake.