TVSquad

I'm guessing that people who never liked According To Jim or understood why it remained on ABC's schedule for so many seasons think that this is an appropriate title for the series finale. Me? I never hated or loved the show. It was just "there," an innocuous family sitcom that a lot of people seemed to like. Also: Courtney Thorne-Smith is really hot.

Did you happen to watch this episode? What did you think of this show being on for so long, in general?

Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the TV Squad Put Me Out Of This Misery Award for 2008 is ... According To Jim!

It was inevitable, really. It was the heavy favorite in the TV Squad offices, and the show has really been baffling TV fans with its uncanny ability to survive. A show hasn't survived like this since CBS' Yes, Dear, which lasted for many seasons, then was seemingly canceled, only to come back out of the ashes later with new episodes that hadn't aired yet (hell, it could still come back: the web site is still live).

While it was the clear winner in the category, that doesn't mean there wasn't any discussion. My personal choice for the award was Last Call with Carson Daly, which just seems to be a nothing show, with a lackluster host and bad guests, in a time slot that no one cares about. And his coming back early from the WGA strike didn't endear Daly to many either. But in the end we realized that even though his show is deadly, it's on at 1:35 in the morning and doesn't have the head-slapping "WTF" factor that According To Jim seems to get every season that it's renewed (full disclosure: while I think its time has passed, I find According To Jim rather harmless and better than has been advertised).

This must be Short-Lived Sitcom week. Yesterday I told you about Married People, and today it's Day By Day.

This was a short-lived show on NBC (ran for 33 episodes in 1988-89). It was about Brian and Kate Harper, a professional couple (Doug Sheehan from Knot's Landing played stockbroker Brian, and Linda Kelsey from Lou Grant played lawyer Kate) who decided to open an in-home day care center. Their teen son Ross was played by C.B. Barnes, who played Greg in the Brady Bunch movies and starred in the Starman TV series and Malcolm and Eddie.

But I'd like to talk to you about the two other females in the cast. Two that went on to much bigger things later in their careers.

I have a confession to make: I don't hate According To Jim.

Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for home-based sitcoms or maybe it's because I've had a huge crush on Courtney Thorne-Smith since the 80s (Day By Day!), but the few episodes I've seen were cute, amusing, and harmless.

Of course, that doesn't mean I necessarily welcome this news, that ABC is in talks with ABC Studios to bring the show back for an eighth season.

According to Jim is getting one more season. No, seriously.

TV Guide is reporting that ABC has suddenly renewed the sitcom for another 18 episodes. No word on why. The sitcom wasn't on the network's fall schedule, so everyone presumed it was canceled and ABC Entertainment President even alluded to that possibility.

Did anyone even make a stink about According to Jim not returning? I've heard about a lot of fan efforts to bring back shows, but I'm pretty sure I didn't hear anything about resurrecting According to Jim.

*Apparently Courtney Thorne-Smith is pregnant. Maybe they've decided to add another member to the family.

I never watched Melrose Place. And it wasn't because I was anti-soap opera. I watched every single episode of Knot's Landing, and I've been watching Guiding Light since around 1979 or '80, but Melrose Place never caught my interest. I think I saw just two scenes, both with Marcia Cross. The scene where she took her wig off, revealing a scar, and the scene where the she blew up the complex. Beyond that, even though the show starred Courtney Thorne-Smith (big crush), I didn't see any of the episodes.

But fans can rejoice: the first season of the show will be released on DVD November 7. It will be an 8 DVD set, but no word on what the extras will be.

It seems like the number one example that anyone seems to give when discussing the all-important topic of "What's Wrong with Sitcoms?" is According to Jim. And with good reason: it's not funny. It's a paint-by-numbers script full of lame jokes. Jim Belushi's character is the epitome of the fat, lazy husband that doesn't do anything to deserve his unblievably hot wife. Oh, and did I say it's not funny? I did? Well I'll say it again: it's not funny.

But, for some reason, ABC likes this show, despite its declining ratings. How do I know? Well, Jim Belushi mentioned the show's pickup for the fall when he was on the Howard Stern show today. This means the show will be entering it's sixth season -- and has enough episodes to hit the syndication jackpot -- while innovative shows like Sons & Daughters, supposedly a favorite of ABC executives, gets the ax.

So, does anyone here actually watch According to Jim? And, if so, why do you like it? I'm extremely curious as to what you see in this show year after year. Is it the family element? Unrequited crush on Courtney Thorne-Smith? I want to know!