Some shows seem like they will last forever, like I Love Lucy. Some shows have short runs but live on as cult classics, like Police Squad. Others gain eternal fame for the magnitude of their failure- Turn On!. Or the extremity of their concept- My Mother The Car. Many others fall somewhere in between, in the realm of rerun or at least the "oh yeah, what ever happened to that show."
But those are for other lists. These are the forgotten ones. The real shows that draw only blank stares or "really?" These are the eight shows that, despite having good reasons to have made some impact, have been forgotten by the American public. It is TV Land's sworn duty to bring as many of these shows as possible back to the small screen. In the meantime, we can only describe them.
1. Domestic Life
Produced by Steve Martin and starring Martin Mull, this 1984 sitcom was a sort of Home Improvement as Mull played Martin Crane, a commentator who provided a regular humorous report entitled "Domestic Life" on a local Seattle TV station. Those two gentleman have a pretty good track record, but this isn't part of it.
2. Dusty's Trail
Everyone knows Gilligan's Island and F Troop, too, but the world has forgotten the strange combination of the two that aired in 1973. It was the exact same plot as Gilligan, except that Bob Denver was now leading a lost wagon train in circles around the Old West. Forrest "Sarge" Tucker took on the Skipper's role, and there was a pair of wealthy aristocrats along with some pretty women and one more guy to round things out. There was never, needless to say, a made-for-TV reunion movie for this show.
3. Duck Factory
Back in 1984, Jim Carrey was Skip Tarkenton, a fresh-faced rookie cartoonist in a Hollywood animation studio. The show also featured Jack Gilford, perhaps best known for his sad-faced roles in the long-running series of Cracker Jack advertisements.
4. Circus Boy
A kid show featuring future Monkee Micky Dolenz as an orphan traveling with the circus.
5. Rags To Riches
Not seen in syndication, apparently because the underlying music rights make it either very complicated or very expensive to show. Joe Bologna starred in this Bachelor Father meets Cop Rock. He was the wealthy playboy who got stuck adopting a houseful of orphan girls. Here's the kicker: they would burst into song, generally sixties pop rock or R&B with new lyrics that related to the episode's story line.
6. The Hathaways
Jack Weston and Peggy Cass taking care of a family of performing chimpanzees! As far as shows with monkeys go, this one was among the very best, definitely better than Ted Bessell's Me and the Chimp, and rivaling Lancelot Link.
7. The Mothers-in-Law
Lucy-and-Ethel-esque situation comedy with Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard, along with their hubbies and the occasional appearances of executive producer Desi Arnaz as bullfighter Raphael del Gado.
8. Saturday Night Live
No, not NBC's Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. This was the fall of 1975 premiere that attempted to bring the verve and spontaneity of live television back to the American viewing public with comedy, music, and variety. This was the one that didn't work. (Even though Bill Murray was actually a featured player on this Saturday Night Live, he didn't join the other one until later.)
