Where are all the Coach fanatics? Let me hear it for my Becker obsessives! Who's got at least five syndicated repeats of Dharma and Greg in their DVR queue at all times? Anybody?Cue the crickets.
Arthur Smith, a researcher with The Paley Center For Media, defines the aforementioned sitcoms as "middlin," or shows widely considered to be "forgettable ... programming [the] equivalent of end tables. They look fine in the room, but if they disappeared, you might not notice for a while."
Not that Coach or Becker or Dharma and Greg (or, for that matter, The King of Queens, Still Standing, or Yes, Dear) are necessarily awful shows. Granted, none of them could step foot in the shadow of the quality boasted by reruns of Arrested Development, The Office, or syndication staple Seinfeld, but obviously someone had to be watching them, right? ... Right?
Smith describes his friend, Chris, as a man who possesses an inexplicably unyielding passion for Wings, that old NBC sitcom starring Tim Daly and Crystal Bernard (aw, Crystal Bernard!) about an airport or something. In fact, Chris owns the ultimate VHS collection of the show, including every single episode ever aired.
All wing-on-fire jokes aside, Smith points out that Chris had a reputable taste in television programming. Wings was just, apparently, the guy's "thing." Sure, he could talk at length about SCTV and NewsRadio, but like visiting Willy Wonka's factory and requesting an air-flavored lollipop, Chris's viewer loyalty lie in a show that - perhaps to his advantage - no one ever seemed to talk about.
What about you? Are there any "middlin" series you secretly [or not so secretly] continue to cherish?















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
12-21-2008 @ 9:02PM
Geoff said...
Wings was a funny show! Just look at what the cast has gone on to do since then (with the exception of Ms. Bernard)
Reply
12-21-2008 @ 9:13PM
Ralph said...
I'm sure I'll get slammed for this, but I'd rather watch Wings over Seinfeld, The Office, or 30 Rock ANYDAY! Wings had characters you cared about unlike the annoying characters on some other shows....and it was a riot most of the time.
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 8:34AM
Dave said...
I couldn't agree more. Wings was highly underrated. Seinfeld, et al are highly overrated.
12-21-2008 @ 9:23PM
Bill said...
I won't go the same lengths as Ralph, but as far as middling sitcoms go, Wings was pretty darn good.
Reply
12-21-2008 @ 9:32PM
hessian said...
Neither COACH nor WINGS was brilliant, but they were both dependably competent. You knew what you were going to get, and the shows delivered week in and week out.
They never jumped the shark, they were just funny.
I'd LOVE to be part of a middlin' sitcom that was on the air for 7 years.
A respectable paycheck, indeed.
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 5:22AM
Curt said...
I disagree... Coach DID jump the shark the last season when he took on the coaching job for the Orlando Breakers.
12-21-2008 @ 9:40PM
Cody said...
Yes, Dear was one of the best sitcoms of the turn-of-the-century broadcast television lineup. It's still a must-watch on days when I'm staying home from work for whatever reason (3 and 3:30 on TBS).
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 9:58AM
Modwild said...
I admit to loving Yes, Dear, as well. It was consistently funny. So it wasn't intellectual humor. Who the hell cares? I work all damned day. Do I have to work for my comedy, too? I think not. :-)
12-21-2008 @ 10:15PM
Michael Moncur said...
I loved "Wings". It wasn't perfect, but it was consistently funny, and any show with Tony Shalhoub, Steven Weber, and Thomas Haden Church in it has to have SOME redeeming value.
"Dharma and Greg" was pretty good too.
Both of those shows probably gave me more laughs than blog darling Arrested Development - not because they were better, but because they were "middlin" enough to last several years longer than AD did...
Reply
12-21-2008 @ 10:30PM
DaveD said...
(1) Spackling the bridal dress.
(2) Faking the injury at the Pineapple Bowl.
(3) Christmas Eve with the Rosebrocks singing carols and ending up proposing to Christine.
(4) Spending the entire night listing your life's priorities on postcards.
(5) Taking a snowmobile through the front door *and* whatever. Luther and Dauber stuck in cement trying to do-it-yourself in the game room. The helicopter pouring water on the fire tower to stop the fire. Chocolate in the VCR.
Coach WAS one of the best comedies ever. It may have jumped the shark - but the physical comedy, the moments of sincerity, and the characters blow the hell out of Seinfeld and Arrested Development. Period.
Now, about The Office? It's just starting to equal Coach. They need the equivalent of Stuart as "Buzzy the Beaver" though.
The other shows you mentioned were things you watch while dozing off in the recliiner. But Coach? A classic for the ages. Unlike just about EVERY show you've mentioned - the characters actually changed over the years. But only in context.
Jeez. Yeah dude, for your first post ever on this blog you missed the mark big time.
Reply
12-21-2008 @ 10:32PM
Taylor said...
I'd rather watch any episode of the sorely underappreciated The King of Queens than any episode of the vastly overrated Seinfeld anyday.
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 12:35AM
Stang said...
DaveD, I think he did a fine job. Just because the writer disagrees with YOU doesn't mean that he "missed the mark big time."
Also, I'm going to have to go out on a limb and say that Craig T. Nelson and Dick Van Dyke's brother can barely hold a candle to Jeffrey Tambor and David Cross. There's a reason a cult classic is considered as such - because not enough people can appreciate a good thing, especially on television. And that's certainly the case with Arrested Development.
Reply
12-21-2008 @ 11:30PM
Ann said...
I also loved Wings. Great cast - Tim Daly, Steven Weber and Tony Shaloub. Whatever happened to Crystal Bernard? Anyone ever hear from her again.
Reply
12-21-2008 @ 11:43PM
Will said...
I don't remember ever watching Wings, but The King of Queens was-is- a great sitcom, I'll still watch reruns even though I've seen them all several times. It lasted for 8 or 9 years, so I must not be the only one who enjoyed it.
Reply
12-21-2008 @ 11:48PM
ncp said...
"Middlin'" sitcoms last forever because they're like regular folks. Most of us aren't capable of witty, incisive commentary; irony is beyond our capabilities; and at the end of a long day's work, we just want to chill out in front of the TV and laugh at the antics of some poor schlubs just like us -- only slightly funnier.
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 12:30AM
BHcolin said...
Coach was da-n funny. The cat just really gelled. I really liked the relationships on that show and that helped it really work.
I remember liking Wings growing up, but not one I chose to sit and watch now.
King of Queens I liked -- that couple was just bad, the sh-t they'd do. That's why I liked it they seemed like nice people but they would just end up being so bad. I've watched those episodes a lot - right now I'm over it though
Yes, Dear while not the greatest show had it's moments. Same with Still Standing. It reminds me of a King of Queens with a family.
I'll add Reba to the list. I really liked that show. I think it deserved more respect than it got. I'll watch that on Lifetime. I thought Reba M was great in that. I wish she would do another comedy. It's a show that had a great cast that really worked well together.
I think Arrested Development ,30Rock and The Office are three of the best comedies out there ever. I get out my AD dvds every couple months and just laugh. And that's what I want to laugh and that's why I can watch Reba over and over and used to watch Coach over and over (when it ran on USA). The may not get the same respect but they are great shows
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 1:06AM
Adam said...
I loved Becker. He was basically Larry David in Curb on network TV.
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 12:53AM
Taylor said...
I love AD too, but Showgirls is a cult classic as well...
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 1:14AM
Dory said...
Not gonna lie, I love this show. I used to get so excited for snow days or sicks days so I could watch Wings re-runs on USA. I believe it was on at 10:00am and 10:30 am, if I remember correctly, haha.
Reply
12-22-2008 @ 1:54AM
Jordan said...
I like Wings, Coach, and King of Queens. One that hasn't been mentioned that I have always liked is Mad about You.
The great thing about these shows is that when you are just sitting at home relaxing, they are great shows to watch when nothing is on (say before primetime on the weekdays and throughout the day on the weekends). Sure they are no Seinfelds, but it something that keeps us around until Seinfeld comes on.
I see My name is Earl as a modern example of these shows, something keeping us in front of the tv before the office and 30 rock start. Funny show, but nowhere near the quality of the other 2.
Reply