This will be the last season of According to Jim, and I will miss it. Not because I liked the show, or even watched the show (I did see one episode while waiting on line at UPS and then decided to never watch it again), but because According to Jim has been the target of all my jokes about the lack of quality network television for virtually as long as its been on the air.If you care about such things, then spoilers follow about the series finale.
The series finale airs on June 2nd, and involves Jim choking on a shrimp puff and dying. He goes to the Afterlife and God (played by Lee Majors) and the Devil (played by Erik Estrada) put him on trial to see if he's worthy of Heaven or Hell. I may try to catch it, if only because it's a perfect analogy to my thoughts about the series. Was it worth the film it was recorded on? Did it contribute to society in any way?
My final question: what scripted series can now pick up the slack as the bottom of the television barrel? Any suggestions?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-20-2009 @ 3:20PM
Brian said...
I shall be the first of what will be many to say Two and a Half Men.
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5-20-2009 @ 4:07PM
TotallyNormal said...
Disagree. Certainly not television Shakespeare, but not the bottom of the barrel. See Gary Unmarried for that.
5-20-2009 @ 3:39PM
Chas Winterbottom said...
Any word on the upcoming spin-off "According to Jules"?
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5-20-2009 @ 4:27PM
MDR said...
So you based your entire opinion of a show that's been on the air for years by viewing one episode? Interesting. Obviously, it was popular enough to last all these years while dozens of other shows came and went. Maybe if you had watched a couple of more episodes, you would have found that it was nothing more than a funny television show and wasn't meant to be anymore than that. No need to contribute anything to society other than a few laughs and sell a few ads.
And why limit your search for bottom of the barrel television to scripted shows? Turn to VH1 and MTV reality shows for true wastes of film (or video tape). Blaming the lack of quality television on one show is ridiculous. Maybe you should analyze the other shows that failed during run of ATJ to understand the real reasons for poor quality television.
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5-20-2009 @ 4:47PM
Ed Venture said...
The bottom of the barrel is currently American Idol. Having taken over since Battlestar Galactica is off the air.
According to Jim was never even close to the bottom.
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5-20-2009 @ 5:11PM
Andrew said...
I've never really understood all the hate towards this show. It's just another dopey family sitcom like all the rest, it's just lasted longer.
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5-20-2009 @ 5:23PM
Brent McKee said...
I won't believe it until someone drives a wooden stake through its heart and someone's head gets cut off just to be sure.
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5-20-2009 @ 5:25PM
GamerJunk.net said...
Shouldn't The Hills count as a scripted series? Obviously it isn't real.
That is my vote
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5-20-2009 @ 5:46PM
Jake said...
Anything on CBS will do.
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5-20-2009 @ 5:58PM
tv junkie said...
i don't watch shows that don't interest me, why would anyone intentionally do that?
But judging from promos that make me cringed and change the channel, here are a few: Two and a Half Men, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, any so-called "reality" with desperate whores on E!, VH1, MTV.
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5-20-2009 @ 6:25PM
gM said...
Not that I've ever even attempted to watch According to Jim, but how can you be so certain that it sucks without ever sitting down to watch? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it is awful, becaues Jim Belushi has never been funny, but why ridicule a show you've never given a chance to? Meanwhile, Big Bang Theory I actually HAVE tried to sit down and watch based on glowing recommendations from this very website, and I happen to find that to be the very bottom of the barrel of scripted comedies.
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5-20-2009 @ 7:45PM
surfer said...
Two and a Half Men is very popular, thus instant bait for the oh-so-hip lamers that consider According to Jim jokes to be clever writing.
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5-20-2009 @ 8:02PM
StillBash said...
Good you posted a picture with this post because otherwise I would've thought that what you wrote down happens in the Series finale as a joke. I mean seriously. "Alf" looks like Shakespeare compared to that.
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5-20-2009 @ 8:43PM
Argus said...
'Til Death is and always has been the bottom of the barrel.
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5-21-2009 @ 7:37AM
Nornny said...
I think Brad was saying he was indifferent to the show itself, but will miss all the trash-talking the show gets from the entertainment media (i.e. the perception of the show).
I too, will miss all the fury spewed from fans of shows that ABC canceled over According to Jim (*cough*Pushing Daisies*cough*). If Better Off Ted didn't get renewed over this show, I probably would've been one of them.
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5-26-2009 @ 2:25AM
HD said...
"Jim" wasn't a bad show - it just wasn't a great show. It ran almost a decade because it was cheap to produce, syndication friendly and convenient filler whenever ABC needed it.
I watched largely because of Kimberly Williams, and she moved on in the final season to have yet another future country music star (one can only assume).
"According to Jim" will make almost no ones top ten list, but it did its job well and enjoyed a much longer run than thousands of other high concept, expensive or Emmy winning shows.
Enjoy the residuals boys...
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