Where Have These Shows Gone?

[The Brain]

With all the cable channels we have nowadays I would think that any show that had a run of a few years would be on in syndication somewhere. There are a couple shows I really used to like but haven’t seen them in years.

Night Court

This was an awesome show. The cast was great and despite the comedy often being so off the wall it could be serious from time to time too. The jokes were usually crude and immature but were delivered in a way that they were always funny. John Larroquette won four consecutive Emmy Awards for his brilliant portrayal of Dan Fielding from 1985-1988 before asking not to be considered for the award in 1989. I loved this show as a kid because of Harry and Bull but years later grew to love Dan as I finally understood the jokes that went over my head as a child. It was a big hit for nine years on NBC so why has it disappeared?

Perfect Strangers

This show always made me laugh. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it that I wonder if it will hold up over time for me. It was my favorite as a kid so maybe it’s better off in my memories but I’d love to see it again. Mark Linn Baker and Bronson Pinchot had such perfect chemistry together that only they could have played Larry and Balki. I can’t imagine the show being any good with anyone else in either role. Even though it’s been many years since I’ve seen this I still bust out a Balki catch phrase once in a while.

I don’t know the legalities about obtaining the rights to broadcast these shows but I don’t see any reason they are not on in syndication right now. Do we really need a dozen episodes of The Nanny every night between TV Land and Nick at Nite? I’m sure those networks could make room for more great shows instead of showing hours of the same one all the time. If anyone knows that these shows are on please let me know where and when. What are some other shows that have disappeared that should be brought back for us to relive?

 

[UnBEARaBULLfan]

I know a few years ago NightCourt was on Tvland or WGN something like that, but i haven't seen it in a while, as for Perfect Strangers I haven't seen that in forever. Growing up I liked both shows they were very entertaining.

What about Wings? I thought that was one of the funniest shows on tv at one point. I know they had it on the USAnetwork for years but now I never see it.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I'd theorize the reason you don't see Perfect Strangers is because its spin-off is a sitcom classic. People would rather watch Family Matters than Perfect Strangers. I love me some Bronson Pinchot, but he will never be as funny as Urkel.

 

[Mike C.]

Family Matters is among if not the worst sitcoms ever. They set their formula the first episode they put Urkel in and they never changed it. Every show is the same as the one before it. I watched it a lot as a kid, but then realized as an adult that I had mostly just wasted hours and hours of my life expecting anything remotely different out of a show that had no new ideas (until they created Stephan, which was incredibly ridiculous).

Anyway, I haven't seen Night Court (well except for the episode of 30 Rock with the Night Court cast) or Perfect Strangers in a decade. I would love to see them mostly because they were cancelled right around the time I started understanding more of the jokes. I don't know if they're any good, but I loved watching them with my grandparents.

 

[TSG]

Another show that you don't see much anymore is The Fresh-Prince of Bel-Air. It used to be on The N and Nick at Nite, but the only place it can seemingly be found anymore is weekday mornings on TBS. It is a shame really, as it is one of the better sitcoms I have discovered from times before I regularly watched TV. It had great comedy, but it had those special moments or episodes that just evoked such emotion. The cast had great chemistry and I think it is a show more people should be able to see regularly.

As far as the shows you brought up, I remember Night Court being on a channel, possibly Superstation WGN in Chicago, a few years back, but I am not sure what happened to it. It might have had a run on TV Land as well, I cannot remember. It really isn't shown as much thought because of the success of Family Matters, though. More people want to see it than Perfect Strangers.

 

[JW'sGirl]

Another show that you don't see much anymore is The Fresh-Prince of Bel-Air. It used to be on The N and Nick at Nite, but the only place it can seemingly be found anymore is weekday mornings on TBS. It is a shame really, as it is one of the better sitcoms I have discovered from times before I regularly watched TV. It had great comedy, but it had those special moments or episodes that just evoked such emotion. The cast had great chemistry and I think it is a show more people should be able to see regularly.

I find Fresh Prince on TV a lot and on multiple channels at the same time. It's on KICU a lot which I think is a local channel and I'm not sure what yours would be, but they play Friends and Seinfeld as well as Fresh Prince. It's mostly on in the day time. I've seen it on TBS as you mentioned as well as WGN and I'm pretty sure it still plays on Nick at Nite, it's just later now than it used to be.