My Very Gonzo Life

A conversation with Dave Goelz, the man who for nearly 50 years has served as the voice and puppeteer of Gonzo — the pain-loving, dare-deviling, chicken-dating, Charles Dickens-impersonating, furry blue star of the Muppets

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13 Disastrous Attempts by Major Networks and Corporations at Comedy

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13 Disastrous Attempts by Major Networks and Corporations at Comedy

20th Television, Sony Pictures Television

Sadly, comedy has been continuously exploited for corporate greed. Commercials are notorious for it. How many awkward high fives have helped hawk products over the years? How many actors will proclaim “You’ll be shocked” in electric car commercials? We foresee many more of those in the near future. As you’ll see on this list, an even more egregious infraction is a successful ad campaign being given its own sitcom! They really thought that they could get season after season of material out of a 30 second concept, and we’re glad they learned the hard way.

We can just see those fat cats in their corner offices now… Plotting what they think are fresh and even quirky ways to capture an audience — without once caring about quality. Yes, it’s the entertainment “business.” We get it. But these failed attempts to line executive pockets were so glaring that they just feel greasy. We’re not ones to wish ill on a project (especially a comedy) but these shows peeled the corporate greed curtain a little too far back, and it’s just impossible to feel bad for them. Here are 13 disastrous comedic attempts by major networks and corporations.

30 minutes is a lot different than 30 seconds!

Disastrous Comedy 2007 Cavemen Geico's original so easy a caveman could do it ads were pretty funny, but did not warrant their own show. The ABC sitcom only lasted six episodes, and was dubbed one of the worst ever. CRACKED

Disney–ABC Domestic Television

Screen Rant

Remember how the Nazis and Jews just “didn’t get along”?

Disastrous Comedy 1990 Heil Honey I'm Home! A British sitcom involving Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun not being able to get along with their Jewish neighbors aired one episode, but everyone wondered how the highly offensive show ever aired at all. This shock value was out of touch. CRACKED

Hollywood Films

Screen Rant

Get it?! Like, After ’M*A*S*H’!

Disastrous Comedy - - - 1983 AfterMASH M*A*S*H is arguably the most beloved series of all time, so producers obviously wanted to keep the money train rollin'. The brutal spinoff put a few of the co-stars in suburbia after they got home from battle, but audiences were content with how M*A*S*H concluded. CRACKED

20th Television

The A.V. Club

A rare instance of an ’80s toy-to-TV show that didn’t work.

Disastrous Comedy 1983 Rubik, the Amazing Cube He-Man was a highly successful show based on a toy, because look at the characters they had to work with. Giving a Rubik's Cube an alien-like face and random powers only lasted 13 strange episodes, and did nothing to help hawk the product. CRACKED

Worldvision Enterprises

Secret Galaxy/YouTube

CBS made three attempts to capitalize on The California Raisins.

Disastrous Comedy 1989 The California Raisin Show The claymation Motown group had a string of successful '80s ads. CBS aired the TV special Meet the Raisins! in 1988, they released a Saturday morning series in 1989, and a sequel to the special in 1990. Wow, they really kept trying to make it work! CRACKED

CBS

TV Insider

People forget just how big Jon Heder was for a hot minute.

Disastrous Comedy 2010 INGSI Big Lake It was originally a vehicle for Jon Heder, but he left due to creative differences. Produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, it was canceled after 10 episodes, because the original draw was that it would feature that guy from Napoleon Dynamite (not the up-and-coming Chris Gethard). CRACKED

Debmar-Mercury

The A.V. Club

Hallmark and Mattel team up for a failed money-grab.

Disastrous Comedy 1984 Rainbow Brite The Hallmark-owned Rainbow Brite started out as a line of greeting cards, and was made into an animated series in 1984. Mattel introduced a line of dolls for the show, but the show only lasted eight episodes and was a complete flop. CRACKED

DIC Entertainment

CBR

He can box, he can hawk a grill, but it was no surprise that he couldn’t carry a sitcom.

Disastrous Comedy 1993 George Thinking he was a draw, ABC gave former heavyweight champion George Foreman a TV comedy about a retired boxer running a youth center, forgetting that he's not an actor or comedian. The show bombed and was canceled in two months (leaving one episode unaired). CRACKED

Sony Pictures Television

TV Insider

Wait, the ever hilarious Heather Graham couldn’t carry a primetime sitcom?

Disastrous Comedy 2006 Emily's Reasons Why Not The ABC sitcom starring Heather Graham was canceled after one episode. Programming chief Steve McPherson said, It's not going to get better. Apparently ABC committed to the show without even seeing its pilot. CRACKED

Sony Pictures Television

Vulture

Hey, America! Look how advanced we are, technologically!

Disastrous Comedy 2000 Dot Comedy As the internet was still this new and exciting thing, ABC tried to capitalize by having a terribly unfunny host show off silly computer products, like a mouse that doubles as a deodorant stick. It aired one episode and was canceled two days later. CRACKED

Casey-Werner

YouTube

Ohhh, “unleashed.” We get it now, Animal Planet!

Disastrous Comedy 2002 Comedians Unleashed Not to be confused with Comics Unleashed, this was Animal Planet's attempt at a stand-up comedy show. Here's the kicker: It was only animal-themed jokes. They only aired one episode. CRACKED

Animal Planet

Throwbacks

Hey, kids! Remember that movie you definitely weren’t allowed to watch?!

Disastrous Comedy 2001 Alienators: Evolution Continues The raunchy sci-fi comedy Evolution was not for children, but the spinoff cartoon series tried to make it for kids by ripping off Real Ghostbusters and releasing a toy line. The movie wasn't all that memorable, so no adult or child ever asked for this. CRACKED

DIC Entertainment

CBR

A show spawned from a commercial that involves a talking baby! Network TV!

Disastrous Comedy 2002 Baby Bob Need Turning an ad into a sitcom, this talking baby got his own CBS primetime show after a string of Freelnternet.com commercials. It's 14 episodes of Wait, that baby can talk? moments that got old right away. CRACKED

CBS

The Michigan Daily
YouTube

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My Very Gonzo Life

A conversation with Dave Goelz, the man who for nearly 50 years has served as the voice and puppeteer of Gonzo — the pain-loving, dare-deviling, chicken-dating, Charles Dickens-impersonating, furry blue star of the Muppets

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