TV Time Capsule

Bev Comes Out, ‘Roseanne’ Falls Further Downhill

“Thanksgiving Week” continues.

On November 26, 1996, ABC aired “Home is Where the Afghan Is,” the “Roseanne” episode in which Roseanne Conner’s drunken mother Bev (Estelle Parsons) made a shocking confession during Thanksgiving dinner.

“To sleep with a man is to know how much you hate them,” Bev declared. “By the end of my marriage, the only way I could have sex with my husband was if I stopped off at the store and bought myself a Playboy first!”

Critics saw Bev’s coming-out as another example of how “Roseanne” had lost its way during its final season, in which the Conners won the lottery and became super-rich.

USA Today’s Matt Roush called the episode “unconvincing” and “tawdry” – a rejection of the “barbed satire against hypocrisy” that became “Roseanne’s” signature during its working-class heyday.

“Home is Where the Afghan Is” was also a ratings flop: It was seen in just 9.9 million homes, finishing third in it time slot and ranking 31st for the week.

See for yourself: “Home is Where the Afghan Is” is part of the “Roseanne: The Complete Ninth Season” DVD set.

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Tuesday, November 26, 1996:

8: “Roseanne” (ABC), “Promised Land” (CBS), “Cliffhanger” (Fox), “Mad About You” (NBC), “Moesha” (UPN)

8:30: “Life’s Work” (ABC), “Something So Right” (NBC), “Homeboys in Outer Space” (UPN)

9: “Home Improvement” (ABC), “In Cold Blood” (CBS), “Frasier” (NBC), “The Burning Zone” (UPN) 

9:30: “Spin City” (ABC), “Caroline in the City” (NBC)

10: “NYPD Blue” (ABC), “Dateline NBC”

 

The Record

For the week of November 24, 1996:

Top novel: “The Deep End of the Ocean” by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Top song: “No Diggity” by BlackStreet

Top movie: “Star Trek: First Contact”

Top TV show: “Monday Night Football” (ABC)

In the news: North Korea freed a jailed American

 

 

Captions: Bev, played by Estelle Parsons, declares her attraction to women during Thanksgiving dinner in the “Home is Where the Afghan Is” episode of ABC’s “Roseanne” (top); sisters Roseanne and Jackie – played by Roseanne Barr and Laurie Metcalf – react when Al Roker appears on the Conner’s new big-screen TV (bottom).

‘Beatles Anthology,’ ABC’s Not-Magical Misery Tour

On November 19, 1995, ABC launched “The Beatles Anthology,” a six-hour documentary that featured George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr’s first on-camera reunion since the band’s breakup in 1970.

The trio appeared together at the beginning of “Anthology” and separately in interviews throughout the three-part film, which also featured archival performance footage and the debut of two new Beatles songs – “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” which the surviving members created using rough tapes John Lennon made before his 1980 death.

The Washington Post’s Tom Shales called the documentary “a wan and whining drone;” the Los Angeles Times’ Robert Hilburn lamented its lack of “an outside point of view.”

“Anthology’s” first installment drew viewers in 16.7 million homes, ranking sixth in the weekly ratings; part two drew 12.9 million homes, ranking 13th.

The conclusion, which aired Thanksgiving night, dropped to 9.9 million homes, finishing 36th.

See for yourself: “The Beatles Anthology” is on DVD.

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Sunday, November 20, 1995:

7: “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (ABC), “60 Minutes” (CBS), “Space: Above and Beyond” (Fox), “Brotherly Love” (NBC), “Pinky and the Brain” (WB)

7:30: “Minor Adjustments” (NBC), “Kirk” (WB) 

8: “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (ABC), “Cybill” (CBS), “The Simpsons” (Fox), “Mad About You” (NBC), “Sister, Sister” (WB)

8:30: “Almost Perfect” (CBS), “Martin” (Fox), “Hope & Gloria” (NBC), “Cleghorne!” (WB)

9: “The Beatles Anthology” (ABC), “Remember Me” (CBS), “Married … With Children” (Fox), “Dead By Sunset” (NBC), “First Time Out” (WB)    

9:30: “Married … With Children” (Fox) “Simon” (WB)

 

The Record

For the week of November 19, 1995:

Top novel: “The Lost World” by Michael Crichton

Top song: “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey

Top movie: “GoldenEye”

Top TV show: “Monday Night Football” (ABC)

In the news: The federal government shutdown continued

 

 

 

 

 

Captions: The Beatles, from left, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr on TV Guide’s November 18, 1995, cover (top, illustration by Peter Blake); ABC’s advertisements for “The Beatles Anthology,” also from that issue.

‘Treehouse of Horror VI’

“Treehouse of Horror Week,” a celebration of “The Simpsons’” Halloween episodes, continues.

The episode: “Treehouse of Horror VI” 

Airdate: October 29, 1995

The trilogy: Angry billboard icons savage Springfield (“Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores”); Groundskeeper Willie terrorizes Springfield’s children (“Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace”); and Homer visits the third dimension (“Homer3”).

The Kang and Kodos kameo: In “Attack,” the deviously clueless aliens hitchhike. Kang: “Remember the story. We’re newlyweds on the way to Earth Capital.”

Great moment: 3-D Homer: “Man, this place looks expensive. I feel like I’m wasting a fortune, just standing here.”

Trivia: The Washington Post’s Tom Shales declared the episode “reaches wow-worthy heights of visual trickery. There aren’t many producers who would go to such lengths to amuse and surprise. …”

The audience: 12.4 million households watched; the episode ranked 21st in the weekly ratings.

“Treehouse of Horror VI” is part of “The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season” and “Treehouse of Horror” DVD sets.

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Sunday, October 29, 1995:

7: “America’s Funniest Home Videos”* (ABC), “60 Minutes” (CBS), “World of James Bond” (Fox), “Brotherly Love” (NBC), “Pinky and the Brain”* (WB)

7:30: “America’s Funniest Home Videos”* (ABC), “Minor Adjustments” (NBC), “Kirk” (WB)

8: “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”* (ABC), “A Streetcar Named Desire” (CBS), “The Simpsons” (Fox), “Mad About You” (NBC), “Sister, Sister” (WB)

8:30: “Too Something” (Fox), “Hope & Gloria” (NBC), “Cleghorne!” (WB)

9: “The Last Boy Scout” (ABC), “Married … With Children” (Fox), “Degree of Guilt” (NBC), “First Time Out” (WB)

9:30: “Misery Loves Company” (Fox), “Simon” (WB)

* Repeat

 

The Record

For the week of October 29, 1995:

Top novel: “The Lost World” by Michael Crichton

Top song: “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey

Top movie: “Get Shorty”

Top TV show: “ER” (NBC)

In the news: The Senate voted to cut welfare

 

  

 

Captions: Homer visits the third dimension in “Homer 3” (top); a clip from “Homer3” (courtesy of Hulu, middle); Fox’s advertisement for “Treehouse of Horror VII,” from TV Guide’s October 28, 1995, issue (bottom).

‘Treehouse of Horror IV’

“Treehouse of Horror Week,” a celebration of “The Simpsons’” Halloween episodes, continues.

The episode: “Treehouse of Horror IV”

Airdate: October 28, 1993

The trilogy: Homer sells his soul for a doughnut (“The Devil and Homer Simpson”), a gremlin on the side of the school bus menaces Bart (“Terror at 5½ Feet”) and the Simpsons become vampires (“Bart Simpson’s Dracula”).

The Kang and Kodos kameo: The aliens, watching Bart and the gremlin, laugh at him for being “frightened by a creature that does not exist.”

Great moment: The Simpsons re-enact the final scene of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” complete with Santa’s Little Helper dancing like Snoopy and Milhouse playing Schroeder’s piano.

Trivia: This is “probably the best” of the “Treehouse of Horror” specials, according to Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, authors of the “I Can’t Believe It’s a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide.”

The audience: 13.6 million households watched; the episode tied with CBS’s “Love & War” for 17th in the weekly ratings.

“Treehouse of Horror IV” is part of “The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season” DVD set and can be downloaded from iTunes and Amazon.com for $1.99.

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Thursday, October 28, 1993:

8: “Missing Persons” (ABC), “In the Heat of the Night” (CBS), “The Simpsons” (Fox), “Mad About You” (NBC)

8:30: “Martin”* (Fox), “Wings” (NBC)

9: “Matlock” (ABC), “Eye to Eye with Connie Chung” (CBS), “In Living Color” (Fox), “Seinfeld” (NBC)

9:30: “Bakersfield P.D.” (Fox), “Frasier” (NBC)

10: “Primetime Live” (ABC), “Picket Fences” (CBS), “L.A. Law” (NBC)

* Repeat

 

The Record

For the week of October 24, 1993:

Top novel: “The Bridges of Madison County” by Robert James Waller

Top song: “Dreamlover” by Mariah Carey

Top movie: “Demolition Man”

Top TV show: “Home Improvement” (ABC)

In the news: Congress received President Clinton’s health care reform plan

 

  

 

Captions: Marge turns out to be the mother of all bloodsuckers in “Bart Simpson’s Dracula” (top); a clip from “The Devil and Homer Simpson” (middle, courtesy of Hulu); and Fox’s advertisement for “Treehouse of Horror IV,” from TV Guide’s October 23, 1993, issue (bottom).

Saturday, February 20, 1993

Last month, President Obama followed his first State of the Union Address with an appearance on YouTube, where he answered a handful of questions from more than 11,000 submitted via video and text.

Perhaps Obama was hoping to emulate the success of “President Clinton: Answering Children’s Questions,” a live Saturday morning TV special that aired 17 years ago today, shortly after Clinton’s first congressional address.

Peter Jennings moderated the ABC News production, in which Clinton took questions from an audience of children at the White House, as well as youngsters who called in via a toll-free telephone number.

The broadcast also included a taped segment in which Jaleel White, playing his “Family Matters” character Steve Urkel, explained – with help from House Speaker Tom Foley and Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole – how bills become law.

The New York Times called the special “a cross between ‘Donahue’ and “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.’ …

The children’s questions … included the cute (“Is Chelsea single?”), the soft (“Why did you want to become President?”) and the politically pointed (“As a country we are very biased towards homosexuals; what are you going to do to help America accept them?”).

Clinton earned rave reviews.

The Washington Post’s Tom Shales described him as “warm, accessible, straightforward, self-effacing: Your Pal the President” and suggested toy manufacturers consider selling a Bill Clinton action figure. (“Don’t laugh. Remember where the teddy bear came from,” Shales wrote.)

The special wasn’t without its hitches: At the last minute, producers were short about 10 children, so Jenning’s son Christopher, 10, and daughter, Elizabeth, 13, were put in the audience.

“President Clinton: Answering Children’s Questions” was intended to be a 90-minute broadcast but proved so lively once it got rolling that ABC gave Clinton and Jennings an extra half hour.

Smart move: The special significantly outperformed the shows it pre-empted, including “Winnie the Pooh” and “Darkwing Duck.”

 

Elsewhere on Television

TV Guide listings for February 20, 1993:

8PM CBS DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN (CC) – Drama 1:00

A cowpoke (John Schneider) reaches the end of his rope trying to care for his ailing infant, so he leaves the baby in the care of Mike (Jane Seymour). Sully: Joe Lando. Matthew: Chad Allen. Colleen: Erika Flores. Brian: Shawn Toovey. Loren: Orson Bean.

9:30 NBC MAD ABOUT YOU (CC) – Comedy

The eccentric billionaire (Jerry Lewis) who wants Paul to make a film about him is a little too friendly, while Paul’s new editor-cameraman (Steven Wright) will hardly even speak.

 

… And in the News

New York Times excerpts from February 20, 1993:

At McDonald’s, Hold the Smoke

McDonald’s will test a no-smoking policy next week at about 40 restaurants nationwide.

The announcement yesterday by the McDonald’s Corporation, based in Oak Brook, Ill., came six weeks after a report by the Environmental Protection Agency that said secondhand smoke is a carcinogen that kills about 3,000 nonsmokers a year. …

Dozens of Wendy’s restaurants banned smoking last year; Burger King has no plans to close sections for smokers.

Thursday, February 16, 1995

“Watch With Chris” looks at “The Alan Brady Show,” the “Mad About You” episodeNBC broadcast 15 years ago tonight. The  episode can be purchased at iTunes and is also part of the “Mad About You: The Complete Third Season” DVD set.

00:00:00 The last time I watched “Mad About You”, I managed to not find these characters too annoying. Let’s hope history repeats itself.

00:00:23 Too late. “Why must everything be a competition with you?” Kinda annoying.

00:00:43 That’s Bill Clinton’s picture in the paper. These credits were filmed in 1992, when he was still running for president.

00:01:08 Hey look, it’s Harv Smithfield, J.R. Ewing’s lawyer on “Dallas.” I forgot about his recurring role on “Mad About You.” He also popped up in “The Day After.”

00:01:54 This actress playing Jamie’s mom was replaced by Carol Burnett in later seasons. Carroll O’Connor replaced the actor who played Jamie’s dad.

00:02:07 Is the grandmother drinking beer? From a can? Nice.

00:02:22 Oh, that’s Jamie’s aunt, not her grandmother.

00:03:01 Everyone knows Alan Brady is a character from “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” right? If not, Google it.

00:03:14 “He’s like him but in color.” Funny.

00:04:38 OK, I suppose “duck off” makes the stupid bit with the charades worthwhile.

00:06:05 “Get outta here!” That made me laugh.

00:06:35 Carl Reiner: funniest finger snapper since “In Living Color’s” “Men on Film.”

00:08:10 HBO? Would it have killed the writers to make this a public television documentary?

10:24:00 “I can’t call her.” Who knew ol’ Harv was so funny? He’s stealing this show.

10:58:00 Oh dear. I think Mr. Reiner was a little long in the tooth (and flabby under the chin) for this flashback to be believable.

12:58:00 Keith Thibodeaux! Everyone knows that.

15:28:00 Six minutes? Sounds about right to me.

16:24:00 “It’s true.” For you kids out there, that’s a reference to this.

18:09:00 “That was just adorable.” Funny.

18:19:00 Helen Hunt’s Mary Tyler Moore impression is coming soon.

19:03:00 And there it is. It seems a little out-of-character for Jamie to weep, but oh well. It’s a nice nod to “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

21:45:00 Did you hear that? Was there a hyena in the studio audience?

22:38:00 Cute bit.

 

Elsewhere on Television

TV Guide listings for February 16, 1995:

9PM NBC SEINFELD (CC)

A physical therapist (Wendie Malick) bothers Jerry, annoys George and Elaine, and attracts Kramer. Meanwhile, Kramer promotes friendliness within his apartment building.

[Another episode follows.]

 

… And in the News

New York Times excerpts from February 16, 1995:

Kodak Plans New Cameras That Will Be All-Electronic

The Eastman Kodak Company is planning to produce all-electronic cameras costing $200 to $300 that may bypass photofinishers by printing images on printers costing about $300.

Another Winter Storm Throws Washington Off Its Stride

The third snowstorm in a month hit Washington yesterday, and although it was the smallest of the three it was enough to close schools and otherwise disrupt life in the capital.

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 1997

“Digging Deeper” is a closer look at notable TV moments from the past four decades.

I didn’t watch “Mad About You” regularly during its 1992-99 run on NBC. Frankly, I found the lead characters, Manhattan newlyweds Jamie and Paul Buchman (Helen Hunt, Paul Reiser), a little exasperating.

The Buchmans spoke in a verbal shorthand   that might as well have been Swahili. To say they finished each other’s sentences would be inaccurate because they rarely articulated complete thoughts.

And the things they talked about? All that kvetching about the minutiae of modern urban living?

Forget “Seinfeld” – this was the show about nothing.

At least that’s how it seemed at the time.

It’s not that I hated “Mad About You.”

It’s just that I didn’t like it very much.

Consequently, I haven’t thought much about the show in the past decade.

Then, the other day, I watched “The Conversation,” the “Mad About You” episode NBC aired on this night in 1997.

Much to my surprise, I wasn’t completely annoyed by it.

In fact, you might even say I enjoyed it.

“The Conversation” is one of those “very special episodes” the NBC promotions department was so fond of in the ’90s – except this one really was different.

Instead of a traditional sitcom story in three acts, “The Conversation” was a single, continuous scene, filmed in real time and aired without commercial interruption.

Imagine “24” if it was seen on HBO – with a laugh track.

The plot: Jamie and Paul, now first-time parents, try to teach newborn daughter Mabel how to go to sleep on her own by not responding to her crying for set intervals of time. The couple spends almost the entire episode posted outside their bedroom door, quietly chatting as Mabel cries herself in her bassinet.

Twelve years ago, I’m sure I would have found “The Conversation” maddening: 22 uninterrupted minutes with the Buchmans? Someone hand me the remote – quick!

But I was a different person 12 years ago.

In 1997, I was 23, semi-closeted and very much feeling trapped in suburbia.

Today, I’ve been happily “partnered” for more than nine years and live in Washington, a nice city, albeit one that’s much smaller than Manhattan.

Perhaps the biggest discovery watching “The Conversation” is how much Jamie and Paul’s relationship reminds me of the one I have with my partner Andrew.

Jamie is portrayed as smart and rational; Paul is neurotic and impulsive.

Witness this exchange, which occurs after Paul begins second-guessing the lesson the couple is trying to teach their newborn daughter.

JAMIE: I explained to you exactly what was going to happen. I told you the whole theory. You said, ‘OK.’

PAUL: No, I didn’t say, ‘OK.’ [Adopting a tentative tone] I said, ‘Okaaay.’”

JAMIE: I see.

PAUL: I mean, if it were up to me, I would go in right now and just pick her up.

JAMIE: Well it’s up to you.

PAUL: What do you mean?

JAMIE: It is. I’m not going to do this if you don’t feel right about it.

PAUL: Please don’t make it up to me.

Change “Jamie” to “Andrew” and “Paul” to “Chris” and this could be a transcript of a conversation that happens in my house on any given topic, any given day.

Later, Jamie and Paul sit on the floor outside the bedroom door:

PAUL: Look at that.

 

JAMIE: What?

PAUL: We have a cabinet here?

JAMIE: Uh huh.

PAUL: Did I know that?

Did I know that? Words I speak fairly regularly around our house.

“The Conversation” ends with Mabel finally drifting off to sleep, and Jamie second-guessing herself.

“We broke her heart,” Jamie tells Paul. “Now she knows we won’t always be there for her.”

Paul sweetly comforts his wife, in a way I’d like to think I comfort Andrew when he’s feeling insecure (which, like, never happens).

Since starting this blog, I’ve lamented how some of my favorite shows from the past don’t hold up.

It happened last month when I revisited “Diff’rent Strokes,” a show I adored as a kid; I’m sure it’ll happen many more times as TV Time Capsule continues.

But occasionally, the reverse is true: Sometimes taking a second look at a show you once dismissed reveals a hidden gem.

These are the happy discoveries in rerun-watching.

Don’t get me wrong: You’re not going to find “Mad About You” perched atop my Amazon wish list.

But the next time I stumble across the show, my first instinct won’t be to change the channel.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

8 PM UPN In the House (CC)

At Christmastime, Tonia’s sister (Yolanda Adams) voices to Marlon her doubts that the ministry is her true calling. Meanwhile, Maxwell doctor’s Tiffany’s biology paper.

8:30 NBC NewsRadio (CC)

Jimmy offers to rehire Matthew (Andy Dick) if a WNYXer wins a Christmas talent show, forcing Dave and Beth to sharpen their respective, hidden talents. Throwgall: Kevin McDonald. Jimmy: Stephen Root.

9 PM CBS Michael Hayes (CC) 1:00

A restaurant owner (Richard Sarafian) with a score to settle volunteers to set up an organized-crime boss (Seth Jaffe) who’s milking merchants in a protection scam.

Guest Cast

Jack DeGuiseppe … Castulo Guerra

Julie Siegel … Helen Slater

Tony Rago … Frank D’Amico

10 PM ABC NYPD BLUE (CC) – Crime Drama 1:00

Sipowicz tries to counsel an old school chum’s lowlife daughter, who’s involved with a hoodlum; Simone overhears Naomi (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) with an Australian accent; Medavoy and Martinez take on a ghoulish case. Wally Sayers: Herb Mitchell.

Thursday, Nov. 3, 1994

Fifteen years ago tonight, NBC aired “Blackout Thursday,” threading together three of the evening’s four Manhattan-set sitcoms with a plot about a citywide power failure.

The story began at 8 on “Mad About You,” where Jamie (Helen Hunt) triggers the outage by illegally installing cable TV in her bedroom.

At 8:30, the blackout spread to “Friends,” trapping Chandler (Matthew Perry) in an ATM vestibule with supermodel Jill Goodacre, who portrayed herself.

Fellow freshmen sitcom “Madman of the People” picked up the storyline at 9:30, when Dabney Coleman’s character is jailed after being mistaken for a post-blackout looter.

Appropriately, nothing – or at least nothing to do with electricity – happened at 9 on “Seinfeld,” which didn’t participate in NBC’s stunt.

Instead, “Seinfeld” aired “The Gymnast,” the episode in which Jerry dates a Romanian athlete and George’s girlfriend’s mother catches him eating an éclair from a trash bin.

NBC heavily promoted “Blackout Thursday,” even recruiting “Today” weatherman Al Roker to provide “news” updates on the power failure during that evening’s commercial breaks.

The network probably hoped to recreate its success from Nov. 9, 1991, when “The Golden Girls,” “Empty Nest” and “Nurses” scored their highest ratings of the season with a seamless storyline about a hurricane striking Miami, where each show took place.

On Feb. 29, 1992, a similar stunt – this one about a full moon causing Miamians to act strangely – also scored big ratings.

How did the gimmick work in 1994?

Each “Blackout Thursday” sitcom won its time slot and landed in that week’s top 20: “Mad About You” was 11th, “Friends” was 12th and “Madman of the People” was 17th.  

But “Seinfeld” – the lone “Blackout” holdout – turned out to be the evening’s most-watched show, ranking second for the week.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Nov. 3, 1994:

8 PM FOX MARTIN (CC)

Martin’s efforts to impress his future mother-in-law (Judyann Elder) may be in vain when he gets a visit from a boy claiming that he’s Martin’s son. Martin Lawrence. Angie: Kimberly Brooks. Mr. Jim: John Wesley.

8:30 FOX LIVING SINGLE (CC)

Fired by passion – and full of advice from nosy friends – Synclaire and Overton (Kim Coles, John Henton) take their relationship to a new level. Meanwhile, Khadijah (Queen Latifah) learns the power of a chain letter.

9 PM CBS CHICAGO HOPE (CC) – Drama 1:00

Dr. Geiger (Mandy Patinkin) performs a risky heart operation on an overweight mob killer (Ron Karabatsos) who’s a key witness for the FBI; two weary residents plot to get even with Geiger for his dour temperament; and the budding relationship between Dr. Shutt (Adam Arkin) and Dr. Antonovich (Margaret Colin) takes an alarming turn. Dr. Carney: Jon Favreau. Dr. Bradley: Taylor Nichols.

10 PM ABC PRIMETIME LIVE (CC) – Donaldson/Sawyer 1:00

Scheduled: An interview with former President George Bush, his wife Barbara, and sons George Jr. and Jeb (who are gubernatorial candidates in Texas and Florida). Also: a segment considering the extent of cheating on college campuses.

Thursday, Sept. 16, 1993

Sixteen years ago tonight, NBC introduced “Frasier,” possibly the best spinoff – and, by some measures, the greatest sitcom – in television history.

The series starred Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, a role he played for nine seasons on “Cheers” until it ended its run in May 1993.

In “Frasier,” the character abandoned his Boston barstool and returned home to Seattle to begin a new career as a radio psychiatrist and reconnect with his aging father Martin (John Mahoney) and younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce).

Spinoffs have a notoriously dismal track record, so the chances of “Frasier” succeeding weren’t high.

Rarer still is the successful “sequel spinoff” – spinoffs that debut after the parent show ends.

“Lou Grant” ran for five seasons after “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” concluded its seven-year run.

“AfterMASH” lasted just a season-and-a-half after “M*A*S*H” ended, while “The Golden Palace” (a “Golden Girls” spinoff), “Three’s a Crowd” (“Three’s Company”) and “Beverly Hills Buntz” (“Hill Street Blues”) each folded after a single season.

But the perfectly cast, sublimely written “Frasier” was an instant hit and went on to run for 11 seasons, just as “Cheers” did.

Along the way, “Frasier” collected a record 37 Emmys, including four acting awards for Grammer.

A 2006 British poll of people who work in sitcoms named “Frasier” the all-time best, edging homegrown fare like “Fawlty Towers” and the original “The Office.”

Grammer played “Frasier” for 20 years, tying with James Arness, who starred Marshal Matt Dillon during all seasons of “Gunsmoke,” as prime time’s longest-running character.

He also appeared as Frasier in guest stints on “Wings” and “The John Larroquette Show.”

Grammer has talked about bringing Frasier back for a third series, “when the television landscape is appropriately bleak.”

Until then, he’ll star in “Hank,” an ABC sitcom slated to debut this month.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Sept. 16, 1993:

8 PM CBS IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT – Crime Drama 1:00

In the seventh-season opener, Sparta city council opts for a change, replacing Chief Gillespie (Carroll O’Connor) with Insp. Hamilton Forbes (Carl Weatherly) from Mephis, who arrives in the midst of a probe into the murder of an unpopular man killed while awaiting his own trial for manslaughter.

Guest Cast

Billy Ray Caton … John Aaron Bennett

Arlo … Jason Byle

Lydia Caton … Ly Merritt

Holly Colmer … Wallace Merck

8 PM NBC MAD ABOUT YOU (CC) – Comedy

Paul may have to call K-911 when Lisa (Anne Ramsay), against his wishes, takes Murray for a walk and returns with a pooch that Paul doggedly insists can’t be Murray – this one is smart. Cop: Jerry Adler. Warren: Steven Wright. Ira: John Pankow. Paul: Paul Reiser.

9 PM FOX IN LIVING COLOR (CC)

Scheduled for the fifth-season opener: Wanda the Ugly Woman (Jamie Foxx); parodies of Ike Turner (David Alan Grier) and “Seinfeld” (James Carrey). New cast members: Anne-Marie Johnson, Carol Rosenthal, Marc Wilmore and Jay Leggett. Returning regulars include Tommy Davidson.