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Home » sitcom

6 TGIF Shows That Left A Mark

October 9, 2015 By Anne Burwell Leave a Comment

If you grew up in the 90s you surely remember some of the shows that ABC aired on Friday night and that seemed to contain important life lessons for your “problems” at the time or talk to you in particular. And in fact, they were. Because the shows in question were good wholesome situation comedies designed specifically to be viewed by families, hoping to instill that happy, balanced, feel-good vibe which should reign whenever a family gathers to spend some leisure time together.

But they probably wouldn’t have had the popularity and appeal they had if Jim Janicek (a writer and producer for ABC) hadn’t went to the network executives and pitched the idea of TGIF. It’s an acronym which has a double meaning, making reference to both the well-known expression in English “Thank God It’s Friday” as well “Thank Goodness It’s Funny”.

In short, Janicek, nostalgic after his childhood memories of his family watching “The Wonderful World of Disney” together, wanted to create a family-oriented programming block on Friday night. For the network, it would be a good thing because it would possibly convince viewers to watch all of ABC’s family oriented shows (of which “Perfect Strangers”, “Full House” and “Mr. Belvedere” enjoyed popularity already) one after the other.

So he sold the idea to the network, who agreed and the TGIF block which ran from 1989 to 2000 (and then had a re-run from 2003 to 2005), achieving great ratings, especially in the 1989 – 1990 period was created. Let’s remember 6 TGIF shows that left a mark.

1. Perfect Strangers (1986 – 1993)

Perfect Strangers, one of the 6 TGIF shows that left a mark.

Revolves around the mismatched life-styles and behavior of Larry Appleton (played by Mark Linn-Baker), a Chicago reporter, and his long-lost unexpected cousin Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot) as they have to live together as roommates.

The show, apart from its great fun and the endearing yet annoying character of Balki is also notable for having led to the creation of the “Family Matters” spin-off (another popular TGIF show) and for helping the TGIF concept take flight as it was moved early to Friday night and its stars hosted the first inter-segments between all the shows (doing so for the entire ’88-’89 season).

2. Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1996 – 2003)

6 TGIF shows that left a mark - Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

Based on the character in the series published by Archie Comics (starting in 1962), Sabrina is a teenage-girl who finds out she’s a half-witch via her father. Then the series revolves around her attempts to control her new-found powers and use them for good while simultaneously dealing with the problems of adolescent life, all the while not revealing the fact that she is a witch.

The show was so popular that it moved to Warner Bros for its final three seasons, managing to outrun the TGIF programming block which had ended. Melissa Joan Hart stars as Sabrina and Nick Bakay as her also-noteworthy talking and sarcastic cat Salem (an ex-witch punished for attempting to rule the world).

3. Boy Meets World (1993 – 2000)

One of the 6 TGIF shows that left a mark is Boy Meets World.

Also catering to adolescents, “Boy Meets World”‘s subject is the dangers of growing up as it follows the life of Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) all he way from junior high, through college, up to his marriage. Funny and striking true emotionally for all the young viewers who saw at least parts of themselves in Corey’s journey, the show aired in 1993 and lasted until 2000, making it probably the best known of the later half of the TGIF period.

4. Family Matters (1989-1998)

6 TGIF shows that left a mark - Family Matters.

It started out as a show centered on a pretty normal African-American family of the working-class with a twist: their next door neighbor Steve Urkel who happened to be a boy-genius who invents all sorts of cooky stuff. For good or for worse (depending on which fans you ask), the Steve Urkel character played by Jaleel White gained such popularity that the show gradually turned into a platform for him to showcase his brilliance, despite still managing to focus somehow on the Wilson family. It ran for 9 seasons in total (the last of which, on CBS).

5. Step by Step (1991 – 1998)

Step by Step is one of the 6 TGIF shows that left a mark.

The story of Frank Lambert (construction worker) and Carol Foster (beautician), both of them widowed and with 3 children each. As you can see from the start, it featured the extended families motif and the working-class character background of other TGIF shows, but added to that the widowed status of both protagonists. An interesting twist, extending the target audience of families and individuals some other shows catered to, by promoting the idea that, despite the hardships of integrating 2 different families, “everything will be alright, you can get your life together if you just find the right person and work at it” for people in the situation of the protagonists, which were played by veteran TV stars Suzanne Summers and Patrick Duffy.

6. Full House (1987 -1995)

One of the first 6 TGIF shows that left a mark, Full House.

Possibly the TGIF show that springs to most people’s minds first. Maybe because it was one of the earliest TGIF shows and, as a precursor, it contained “the formula” that would be varied by others. It centers on the life of Danny Tanner (Bob Seget), morning talk show host, faced with the problem of raising his three little girls (D.J., Stephanie and Michelle played by Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin and the Olsen twins respectively) after his wife is suddenly killed by a drunk driver. He calls his brother in-law Jesse Katsopolis (a rock musician played by John Stamos) and his best friend Joey Gladstone (comedian, played by Dave Coulier) to help him with raising the girls and so their life together unfolds. Extended family? Check. Mismatched life-styles? Check. Emotional? Check. Add to that a lot of catchphrases and simplistic good-natured lessons and the formula for good wholesome fun is complete.

 Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Filed Under: movies Tagged With: comedies, comedy, family, family fun, sitcom, TGIF, wholesome

14 Facts About Home Improvement

September 16, 2015 By Paul Leave a Comment

Home improvement was a 1990s TV sitcom that documented the Life of Tim the “Toolman” Taylor. This sitcom launched Tim Allen’s career and had a good run for almost 10 years. The series centers on comedian Tim and his family. It was one of the highest rated sitcoms for almost an entire decade.

If you love Tim Allen then you can’t miss our 14 facts about Home Improvement. The 90s were crazy, but I didn’t thought they were that crazy for Hollywood.

Tim Allen Turned Down Roles

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Tim Allen

Tim admitted to New York Times that he turned down iconic roles such as the ones in Dead Poets Society and the TV version of Turner and Hooch because he wanted his own sitcom. Disney made the magic happen by hiring Matt Williams, the creator of Roseanne, to produce it.

Jill Was Played by Frances Fisher

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Frances Fisher

In the pilot, Jill was played by none other than Frances Fisher. She is well known for her dramatic roles in Unforgiven and Titanic.  Frances was casted as Tim’s wife Jill but after shooting the pilot she was replaced. Since the crowd did not like her, Patricia Richardson took her part.

Stephen Tobolowsky Was Al

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Stephen Tobolowsky

Stephen was casted as Al, Tim’s Tool Time partner. While everybody was waiting for ABC to give the green lights for the sitcom, Stephen dropped out. He wanted to financially secure his family so he was looking for movie roles. While he could have had a good run with Home Improvement, Stephen got to star in Groundhog Day.

Richard Karn’s Part

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Richard Kran

Richard was sent to traffic school because he did not halt at a stop sign. This is where he met the agent who told him about Home Improvement, securing an audition and eventually his role.

Ashley Judd Got Rejected

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Ashley Judd

She auditioned for the Tool Time girl but she got rejected because she was way too gifted for such a tiny roll. The producer came up with the perfect role for Ashley which was as Tim’s sister. Judd’s agent refused his proposal as the actress decided she wanted to appear in movies.

Randy Was The Oldest

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Jonathan Taylor

Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) was older than his other two on set brothers. He was born on September 8th 1981, which made him one month older then Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan).

Tool Time Audience

14 Facts About Home Improvement - The Tool Time Audience was a hit

People wanted to go to Home Improvement tapings because Tim Allen was a true comedian. Oh, yes and the fact that some got the chance to appear on episodes.

Allen’s Clothes

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Allen's Clothes

There was a rule on the set that all Tim’s clothes would be only from schools and universities from his home state of Michigan. There was one accident in the episode “Al’s Video” where Tim wears Wofford College sweatshirt, which is in South Carolina.

An airport runway got shutdown

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Burbank Airport

In “The Great Race II” a Burbank Airport runway was closed to shoot the climactic scene.

Wilson’s full name was Wilson W. Wilson

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Wilson’s full name was Wilson W. Wilson

In the series final episode, Wilsons’s full face was revealed.

Hillary Clinton

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton’s press secretary reached out to the studio with the idea of having the First-Lady on the show. This was not meant to be in the end.

Super Nintendo Game

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Super Nintendo Game

As Home Improvement gained popularity, Super Nintendo released “Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit”. The gameplay consists of Tim searching for missing tools and fighting actors dressed as dinosaurs and other creatures.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

14 Facts About Home Improvement - Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Thomas left the show during the final season to concentrate on his school life. In 2013 he guest starred in Tim Allen’s latest sitcom called Last Man Standing

Ninth season

14 Facts About Home Improvement - The Ninth Season was the last

There was a plan for a ninth season but both Allen and Richardson turned down very generous offers. Richardson was offered $25 million and Allen was offered $50 million. Home Improvement ended with 8 seasons and 203 episodes.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Filed Under: movies Tagged With: home improvement, sitcom, Tim Allen

The Top 10 Moments from ‘The Big Bang Theory’

April 9, 2012 By Vernon Gadson 4 Comments

Last Thursday, the 100th episode of American sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’ aired for the first time in the United Kingdom (yes, I know it aired in the States back in January, but hey, us Brits are slow). To coincide with this momentous event, I thought I’d take a look back at the top ten moments from the geek-friendly, underdog-championing comedy show that has made us all laugh, cry, cry with laughter and scratch our heads in googly-eyed bemusement; some of the show’s more scientific elements can be rather mind-boggling. [Read more…]

Filed Under: fun, top list Tagged With: comedy, emmies, funniest moments, funny, geeky, golden globes, jim parsons, kaley cuoco, nbc, science, sheldon, sitcom, the big bang theory, top 10 moments, tv show

The Strange Career of Sgt. Al Powell

February 16, 2012 By Vernon Gadson 3 Comments

Reginal VelJohnson is probably best known for his role as Carl Winslow in the sitcom “Family Matters” (where he played a cop) or Sgt. Al Powell in Die Hard and Die Hard 2 (where he played a cop) or Det. David Sutton in Turner & Hooch (where he played a..wait for it..cop). The following article is an attempt to string together all of actor Reginal VelJohnson’s film and television roles in which he plays a police officer. I did skip some very small roles that were either too obscure or cases where trying fit them into the narrative would stretch an already thin premise. [Read more…]

Filed Under: fun Tagged With: al powell, carl winslow, comedy, die hard, die hard 2, family matters, films, jaleel white, movies, police officer, reginald veljohnson, sitcom, steve urkel, strange, tv show

The Top 10 Reasons You’ll Miss Community

February 3, 2012 By Vernon Gadson Leave a Comment

Television has grown more and more competitive these days, putting it up to Hollywood to keep their standards high. If you snooze you lose, and right now Hollywood’s threatening to take a long doze into hibernation.

This is due to fantastic shows – Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Wire and The Sopranos – breaking onto the scene in recent years. Sure, HBO dramas are garnering a lot of attention, but do any comedies deserve mention in that same list? Yes, actually. Louie, for one. And Curb Your Enthusiasm. South Park, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Arrested Development. And perhaps my favourite show of them all. Community..

Known for it’s pop culture references and ability to adopt other television shows’ styles and tropes, Community has become a favourite to comedy fans everywhere. After two and a half seasons, however, NBC decided not to include Community in its mid-season line-up, instead opting for the almost-as-funny 30 Rock. The remainder of season three’s episodes will be played after the mid-season line-up, but for now the long-term future of the show is unknown.

We need to save the show. Find out how you can help at the bottom of the page. [Read more…]

Filed Under: fun, top list Tagged With: chevy chase, comedy, community, donald glover, nbc, sitcom, television, top 10, tv, tv show

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