Leicaman

24th Nov 2005

UHF (1989)

Chosen answer: It's making fun of "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!" which is an often referenced 'quote' from "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (Actually, the real line is "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!", but that's the way people say it.)

Myridon

Mel Brooks borrowed the line in "Blazing Saddles." In that film, the line actually was "We don't need no stinkin' badges."

Leicaman

19th May 2023

General questions

Are there any TV series that were cancelled before a complete first season was even aired? I am mostly curious about sitcoms and dramas/thrillers, not reality shows.

Answer: Honestly, there have been numerous TV shows cancelled before a complete first season was aired. Another great example is cult-favorite sci-fi series "Firefly," which was cancelled before the 14 produced episodes finished airing. "Emily's Reasons Why Not" is another good example. It's a romantic comedy series that was cancelled after only one of the six produced episodes aired. (The remaining five episodes never aired on TV, but were quietly released on a DVD set.) "Viva Laughlin," a musical comedy-drama series produced by Hugh Jackman was cancelled after only two episodes, and none of the remaining episodes have aired or been given a DVD release. "Mockingbird Lane," a re-imagining of "The Munsters," was cancelled after it's pilot was aired as a TV-special, so the remainder of the first season was never produced. There's honestly probably hundreds of shows that were cancelled before a complete first season was aired.

TedStixon

I was wondering if there are contracts that require the entire first season to be shown, before a network can decide not to show another season. I guess not, based on the answers here.

Shows being pulled mid-season isn't indicative of what other shows' contracts consist of. Some shows may have had it in their contracts that the entire season be aired (there are shows that get pulled mid-season beyond season 1). I don't have personal knowledge because that would be a lot of contracts to read to find out. So maybe someone does. But there's plenty of shows that don't produce an entire season prior to being picked up, so it's possible all the episodes produced were aired.

Bishop73

The "Friends" spinoff, "Joey," with Matt LeBlanc reprising his Joey Tribbiani character, was one such show. LeBlanc had a contractual guarantee that the new show would air for two full seasons, regardless of ratings. It was canceled after season 2.

raywest

Answer: So, so many. Drive comes to mind - Nathan Fillion thriller about an illegal road race, only had a few episodes before being pulled off air. "Selfie" (2014) with Karen Gillan and John Cho was cancelled by ABC after only 7 episodes. "Do No Harm" (2013) cancelled after 2 episodes. The Dictator (2012) starring Christopher Lloyd only had one episode.

Answer: One of the shortest TV shows ever was the 1997 series "Lawless," starring former NFL player Brian Bosworth. It was cancelled after the first episode. Also, "Cop Rock," a TV show in the 90s, was cancelled after only 11 episodes. "When The Whistle Blows," a TV sitcom in the 80s, also only lasted 11 episodes.

raywest

Answer: There was a police drama roughly 10 years ago called Golden Boy. It was about the youngest police Commissioner in NYPD history and kept hinting at a department-wide shootout that led to the man's promotion. It lasted 13 episodes.

Answer: Another show was called "Brimstone" and had actors Peter Horton and John Glover. The show only had 13 episodes.

The 1963 ABC "The Jerry Lewis Show" was originally planned for 40 episodes in the first season. It went off after 13 shows.

Leicaman

Answer: Outlaws 1986, was cancelled after a few episodes. Sitcom In Case of Emergency, with Kelly Hu, was cancelled after only a couple of episodes.

9th Jan 2023

General questions

Are there any notable examples of a TV character being written out/killed off because viewers hated them?

Answer: Roseanne Barr was killed off from the second version of "Roseanne" when she became too controversial.

Leicaman

She wasn't killed off because viewers hated her. The show's target audience quite liked her. She was the main character after all. She was killed off after ABC fired her over racist tweets.

Phaneron

It was never stated that she was fired because she was hated by viewers.

Answer: Nicolette Sheridan, who portrayed Edie Britt in the TV series Desperate Housewives was considered a diva and didn't get along with the shows creator Marc Cherry. Her character was killed off when she swerved to avoid hitting Orson. Unaware that there was water under the car and that a powerline had snapped, Edie gets out of the car, is electrocuted and killed.

Answer: During the season 4 run of "Moonlighting," Cybil Shepherd was pregnant in real life, so it was written into the show. During her paternity leave, her character, Maddie, was having mixed emotions about the baby and her relationship with David. She goes home to do some soul searching. She's still unsure, when on the train ride back to L.A, she meets a man. Walter Bishop, actor turned director Dennis Dugan, on impulse she marries him. Viewers thought this was the dumbest mistake, since the "Dallas" it was all a dream season. Everyone waited with baited breath on how they were going to fix this. Finally the character, Walter, realised the whole thing was a mistake and got an annulment. He says goodbye to everyone and as he walks out the office door, he turns toward the camera and says, "Are you happy now."

Answer: I would include Jennifer Love Hewitt, who replaced Jeanne Tripplehorn in "Criminal Minds" after season 9. Love Hewitt wasn't well received by viewers. The official reason given for Love Hewitt's departure after one season was that she was pregnant. Despite the show's claim that viewers had "warmed" to her character, she was permanently written out.

raywest

Answer: I think the character Seven was written out of "Married with Children" because viewers disliked him so much. He was an example of "Cousin Oliver Syndrome" - an annoying younger child character who is added to a show after a few seasons. He basically disappears. The neighbors mention that he is staying at their house, but eventually, he is never mentioned again.

6th Jun 2016

Dirty Harry (1971)

Question: When Harry delivered his famous "do you feel lucky" monologue at the start, did he know his gun was empty? And when he repeated it at the end, did he know the gun was loaded?

MikeH

Answer: He certainly knew at the start, which is why he felt confident in pointing the gun at the (disarmed) robber and pulling the trigger. Harry knew he was bluffing, but passed it off so well the robber wasn't sure. At the end of the film, again, he knew he had one bullet left and wanted to bait Scorpio into attacking him, giving him an excuse to fire.

Chosen answer: That question is the entire point of the first scene. You're meant to wonder whether he knew or not. At the end of the film, you're given the impression he does know, and is hoping the killer will attack him, giving him an excuse to fire.

The way I see the scene, he knows that he still has one round, and he is giving Scorpio a chance to live. He will only fire if he has to.

Leicaman

Chosen answer: While no specific date is given, Mel Brooks wanted to do a tribute parody to the classic 1930's horror film, thus the Black and White film and the 30's style film techniques. However, Hans Delbrück (the brain Igor is suppose to steal) was a real-life person who died in 1929. Given that and the cars seen, it's a safe bet it's suppose to be set in the early 1930's.

Bishop73

Answer: Near the end of the film the (now improved) monster is in bed reading the Wall Street Journal. The article in the top left corner refers to the Brown Vs. Board of Education Supreme Court case after 25 years. That puts the film in 1979. (It was made in 1974.) Also, the young Dr. Frankenstein refers to his grandfather, the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. The original movie was made in 1931. That places the movie two generations later.

Leicaman

Question: I'm not sure if this is a mistake or not, but shouldn't Greg be wearing a yarmulke during his wedding? He and his family are Jewish so why would he not be wearing one?

Lummie

Chosen answer: Wearing a yarmulke is a custom, not a religious law. There are orthodox jews who don't wear them, as well, since it's a cultural thing.

Not so. Many Jews don't wear yarmulkes, but Orthodox male Jews do-as a religious law, not a custom.

Leicaman

Answer: The laboratory is the same set used in the 1933 movie.

Leicaman

Answer: It mostly borrows from the Karloff film rather than the book. However, it is not a remake but a sequel and a broad spoof of the 1930s Frankenstein movie and is set years later. Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is the grandson of Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who reanimated the dead. Frederick had disavowed his grandfather's work, calling him crazy. However, after discovering Victor's secret lab, he becomes intrigued and recreates the experiment, making his own monster. The similarities included him using the same lab and the same techniques, has a hunchback assistant, steals corpses and uses an abnormal brain to create the same kind of monster. He starts to become a bit crazed himself. The monster also escapes and roams the countryside, and like in the original film, he is befriended by a blind priest and also encounters the young girl. In the DVD interview, Gene Wilder says the film was based on Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939) and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

raywest

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