Fun Friday: Camp Cucamonga

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Oh, camp movies! They seemed to be everywhere twenty years ago, from Heavyweights to Poison Ivy, and one of my personal favorites, Camp Nowhere. It might be the middle of winter, but NBC announced last week that it will debut a summer camp drama, Camp, later this year. Set at Little Hawk Family Camp, "parents decompress with gin while teenagers make gleeful mischief and fall in and out of love." Well, thanks to Netflix and their suggestions, I checked out Camp Cucamonga recently, and thought it was cute. Not great, but had I seen it when it originally aired on NBC in 1990, I might be singing a different tune now! I bring it up today because, not only was it a TV movie, but it cast mainly television stars as the characters. Read on:

John Ratzenberger, most known as Cliff on Cheers, played the kind-hearted owner of a camp that, while beloved, may only be a few violations away from shutting down. Jennifer Aniston, now known most for playing Rachel on Friends, was one of the two main camp counselors in this film, and the daughter of Ratzenberger's character. And, Sherman Hemsley, renown for his role of George on The Jeffersons, acted as the handyman, though he was mistaken for the inspector throughout most of the movie!

Quite a few of the kids were favorites from my childhood, including Candace Cameron (DJ on Full House), Jaleel White (Steve Urkel on Family Matters), and Josh Saviano and Danica McKellar (Paul and Winnie, respectively, on The Wonder Years). Sure, there were folks from shows I never watched, like Chad Allen (Zach on My Two Dads) and Brian Robbins (Eric on Head of the Class), but I'm sure some of you recognized those faces! There were also a couple of non-television people, like the never-did-much-else-besides-ten-episodes-of-South Central Tasha Scott and the silver screen wonder Breckin Meyer, too.

I'd love to give this proper credit, but I could only find it here:
http://landofcandycanes.blogspot.com/2012/07/ten-on-tuesday-burned-brotchen-corgis.html

What's the movie about? Well, there's plenty of young love, some cliques, a little bit of wilderness survival, and plenty of antics. There's a resident dork, an attitude chick, a skater, and a bad boy. The show drips with late-80s fashion and jargon, and once you see it you'll never forget the "cu-ca-mon-ga" chorus from the music video the kids create to try to save the camp. Much of the plot is predictable, but there are a couple of twists which will keep you laughing!

Have you seen Camp Cucamonga? Will you be adding it to your Netflix queue? Are you interested in NBC's upcoming Camp? Weigh in below!

My List of the Top 10 Spin-Offs

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

First, an apology to those who got this post early. I upgraded some things last night and wasn't used to some new shortcuts when I began this post this morning. 

This is an area where I have a lot of interest. I'm not really sure where it started, but I've always been curious about spin-offs. The idea that certain characters from a main show become popular enough that they get their own storylines without a crutch is just cool. And, over the years, there have been tons and tons of spin-offs. And, as per my usual, I'm pretty sure that some of my selections will shock readers. I tend to like things that are a bit off, and tend to loathe things that others adore (you will notice that Animaniacs did not make my list, for instance).

10. A Different World, from The Cosby Show. I actually like this show quite a bit, and it did great. But it was created to be a vehicle for Denise Huxtable, who only lasted a single season on the show, which is why I gave it the #10 spot. In case you've never seen it, it's about college kids at (mostly black) fictional school Hillman, and the troubles they deal with.

9. The Simpsons, from The Tracy Ullman Show. This one fell low on the list because a lot of people don't know that The Simpsons is a spin-off. And, I must add that I've never seen The Tracy Ullman Show, aside from the clips of the original Simpsons family that have come up over the past twenty years. Still, the show about an overweight guy and his somewhat average family is certainly a household name! 

8. Quack Pack, from DuckTales. As a child who was in her early elementary years during the height of The Disney Afternoon, I loved DuckTales as much as anyone. And, while I was partial to Webby storylines, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were great characters. So, when I found Quack Pack in middle school, I was delighted to see the threesome appear as teenagers. Only 39 episodes exist, but I think that the essence of the characters continued from childhood into adolescence, making for a very believable show.    

7. Melrose Place, from Beverly Hills, 90210. I didn't know that Melrose Place was a spin-off when I began watching in 1996. It was one of the only shows that my mom ever watched in original run, so that was my draw to it. In fact, I didn't know it was a spin-off until I was in graduate school and working my way through 90210 for the first time. The connection took place in the second season, as Kelly was interested in a guy named Jake, who lived in the eponymous apartment complex. On the whole, Melrose Place was way too mature for a young teenager, but I watched the final few seasons anyway... though it didn't entice me enough to ever go back and catch up on the entire series!    

6. Joey, from Friends. Yes, it failed miserably. People couldn't stand it, and nobody understood why Joey didn't talk about his friends... plus, no guest appearances in 46 episodes! Now, if you're a long-time reader, you may remember that I had a love-hate relationship with Friends until I was almost done with college. I ended up seeing the entire series and enjoying it, and worked my way through Joey in less than a week. I found the show to be amusing, though it was full of issues as the writers struggled to find an audience.

5. All Grown Up, from Rugrats. Rugrats was such a captivating show, as I believe that I have mentioned a few times. It's one show that I can say both of my siblings and I enjoyed together (which was a problem when we got the Playstation game - it was only 1 player!). All Grown Up ran for 55 episodes, and featured the kids aged ten years from the original show. This is another case where I think that the characters were very believable - the traits and personalities really matched what you might think the kids would grow up into. The show didn't really end with any closure, but was a good addition to the Rugrats franchise.

4. The Jeffersons, from All in the Family. A true classic spun from another well-loved show. The Jeffersons is downright hilarious, and my brother and I have many great memories of watching it together on Nick at Nite. Although George wasn't on All in the Family until it had been on a while (Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway at the time), his family was an interesting dynamic on the show, which took place in working-class Queens. The family later moved to a luxury high-rise in Manhattan, during one of the greatest lead-ins in television history - one week you move from the characters on one show, the next you move into a new place on a new show!

3. Daria, from Beavis & Butthead. I LOVED Daria. I thought that it was such a good, funny, clever show. Daria was a recurring character on Beavis & Butthead, a show which I am proud to say I've never seen. But, for a recurring character to go on to have a five-season success and two tv-movies says something. Daria's witty and pessimistic outlook on life amused me to no end, and I just thought that Quinn was the cutest thing ever. I've been waiting for the complete series to go on sale again, because I really must have it!

2. Family Matters, from Perfect Strangers. I loved Perfect Strangers when it ran originally.  I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of night-time television, but I vaguely remember catching it my grandparents' house or something a few times. I can't say that I remembered Harriet Winslow from that show, and therefore wasn't aware that Family Matters was a spin-off when it began (which I did watch by the third season or so). One might argue that Family Matters was far more popular (and much longer-running) than Perfect Strangers, though they were both very different shows. Harriet's character was clearly the same as it was in Perfect Strangers, and Family Matters became a memorable sitcom across the country.

1. Frasier, from Cheers. One of my favorite shows since I began watching it, Frasier is a very long-running show spun from a long-running show. I've seen several dozen episodes of Cheers, and the overall feel of the show is vastly different from that of Frasier. And, although some people gripe about how different Frasier's character is between the two shows, I think that it was addressed throughout Frasier, and the Cheers characters still got along with Frasier for the most part. The storylines in Frasier were also very different (and many ran much longer) from those in Cheers, but both shows' successes certainly define the greatness that Kelsey Grammer embodied.

To end this post, I though I might point out to one of the craziest chains of spin-offs that I've ever come across... Sabrina's Secret Life was a spin-off of Sabrina, the Animated Series, which was a spin-off of the 1996 version of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch which was a spin-off of Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies which was a spin-off of The Archie Comedy Hour which was a sequel to The Archie Show. ...yeah.

Top 10 Guest Stars who became Regulars

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Ever watch a show and realize that a character just comes along and steals the show... over and over? It happens, and while it's not incredibly common, it's far from a rare occurrence. Today I'm going to give some examples of this character type, and feel free to suggest others that I might not have thought of.  

10. Mimi on The Drew Carey Show. Although I have only seen a couple episodes of this show, I am familiar with the character Mimi. I think that she is kinda synonymous with the show, and I was amused to find out that she wasn't originally intended to be a main character.

9. Spock from Star Trek. He was the only character carried over from the first pilot to the second for the television shows, and ended up becoming one of the most-identifiable characters in all of the Star Trek saga.

8. Elmo on Sesame Street. He was originally a background Muppet without a name, but has really become a mainstay fixture since the 90s. Who knew that a preschool speaks-in-the-third-person red monster would end up taking popularity from Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the crowd?

7. Slimer from Ghostbusters. Yes, he's originally from the movie, but he was so popular in it that he became a major character in the television series. A one-hit ghost that even ended up with a flavor of HiC named for him... cool. Ecto Cool.

6. Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls. Originally, she was intended to be a supporting character... but tested so well that the writers included her as one of the main characters. Kinda funny when you think about how they eliminated Coco the housekeeper after a single episode... perhaps partially to give Sophia more of a role.

5. Butters Stotch from South Park. He fought so well with Cartman that he ended up a regular, and even got his own episode to give the audience more background on this nerdy, strives-to-please kid. Butters is unlike the other main characters in so many ways, yet he fits right in.

4. Carol Hathaway from ER. The well-known retcon that a suicide became just a coma. Carol went on to have an interesting run on the show, and everyone seemed to be rooting for her and Doug Ross (George Clooney's character) by the time she left the show. The final season revealing that they were still together was heartwarming.

3. Fonzie from Happy Days. Probably the best example of this idea, since they were considering renaming the show because of his popularity. Again, Fonzie was different from the main cast of characters on this show, but he managed to fit in and add a new angle on the retro show.

2. Maxwell Klinger on M*A*S*H. He was originally written just to get a laugh out of crowds at the crazy things that people did to try to get a Section 8 discharge from the armed forces. He ended up becoming a regular, continuing to fight for a discharge up until his time in the service was about over.

1. Urkel from Family Matters. This instance is my favorite. I can't really imagine how this show would've played out without Steve. And, when I was a kid, my family referred to this sitcom as "The Urkel Show." Oh, and were there toys made of any of the other characters? Because I had a friend who had that talking Urkel doll... and he was so dorky he was cool!  

so... who else fits this description?

Favorite Episodes: Family Matters

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Family Matters, which is apparently known to today's youngsters as "The Urkel Show" (I don't know that ANY of the elementary schoolers I taught this summer EVER called it "Family Matters"), ran for nine seasons from the late 80s through most of the 90s. It was a spin-off from Perfect Strangers (which I am slowly in the process of seeing every episode of), and had quite a popular life. For the past ten years or so, near-constant airings of old episodes on channels like TBS and Nick-at-Nitehave almost flooded the interest market... only the first season has been released on DVD in the United States, and that was just this summer!

The show never broke into the Top 10 shows of a season, but generally hovered around #30 (except the final season, which aired on CBS instead of ABC, where the show finished at #99!), and the good plotlines came and went (probably because certain characters gained popularity and hence more episodes were devoted to the likes of Myra and Stefan, among others). I think the best seasons were 3-7 or so. There are some fantastic things in the early seasons as well, but the last couple are really hard to watch, and coincidentally, I don't seem to catch them in reurns as much, either.

Season 1: "Mr. Badwrench" (S01E08) Carl sets out to renovate a bathroom for his mother while she's out of town. The job turns out to be much larger than he was expecting, and Eddie isn't the greatest help. Harriette keeps suggesting that they hire a contractor, but Carl is dead-set on completing the job himself. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Season 2: "Busted" (S02E19) Eddie and Urkel go to an underground casino (fronted by a bakery) to obtain enough money to fix the car (Eddie got into YET ANOTHER accident). But, the funnier storyline is that Carl mixes the ashes of Harriette & Rachel's great aunt with those in the fireplace and has to act like nothing happened... Part 1 | Part 2 [I'm not counting on this working very long, it's only been up a couple weeks]

Season 3: "Born to be Mild" (S03E09) The Dragons gang makes an appearance. First, they tear up Rachel's Place, the diner that Rachel runs, then they beat up Eddie pretty badly. When Eddie enters the diner all bloody, it shocks me... every time. Urkel ends up being the savior, wearing a wire and infiltrating the gang to get them to confess. [no video]

Season 4: "Mama's Wedding" (S04E19) Estelle and Fletcher are preparing to marry, but Carl wants them to have a much larger affair than they desire. They eventually all come to terms on the small ceremony, but it ends up being a rocking event anyway... Waldo put the wrong date on house party invitations, and Eddie's friends show up at what was supposed to be an adult-free house. [no video]

Season 5: "It Didn't Happen One Night" (S05E02) Laura misses the bus with her cheerleading friends, so she can't go to Cincinnati for the competition unless she finds another ride. Urkel must take her, but Laura is constantly annoyed with his problematic vehicle. They end up breaking down and staying the night in a run-down motel, where Steve finally confronts Laura over her behavior. Meanwhile, Carl is upset about the public displays of affection that Fletcher and Estelle show one another... as he never kisses Harriette in public. [no video]

Season 6: "The Gun" (S06E15) In perhaps one of the most memorable episodes of the series, this "very special episode" centers on gun safety and control. It all starts when Laura gets pretty beat-up when some gang members want her jacket. She begins to fear for her safety, and considers buying a gun. Steve begs her not to, and we cut to a shooting at school: rather than beating the next girl up, she gets shot when she won't give up her shoes. Then we get a fun rap by Steve, and Laura and Steve head up a "turn in your weapon" drive. Here's the rap & the PSA:

Season 7: "The Naked and the Nerdy" (S07E02) The title comes from the storyline where Laura and Steve see one another naked when they both go to take showers. However, the amusing part of the episode is the plot where Carl is holding onto a diamond bracelet for a neighbor, so the neighbor's wife doesn't find it. Harriette ends up finding it, and assumes it's a very expensive anniversary gift for herself! Carl has to come clean. Part 1 | Part 2 [note, sound quality is poor]

Season 8: "Father Time" (S08E16) I'm always a fan of alter-life episodes, where we see "what could have been" (except for the one in Friends... that two-parter is weird). In this one, Steve and Carl go back to the 70s and Carl gives himself some stock tips (I *believe* they were Microsoft & Holiday Barbie, but not positive) and ends up being the richest guy ever. But he has no kids (and they act like Judy never existed, as they only mention Laura and Eddie not being born). Plus, Harriette and he are getting a divorce. It's a very sad alternative, but it's interesting nonetheless. [no video]

Season 9: "Lost in Space, Part I" (S09E21) This is the first half of the series finale. Eddie, who dropped out of college a while back to become a cop, has really started worrying Harriette, so she gets him assigned to parking meter violations. He ends up getting shot anyway, but lives because he had a bullet-proof vest. Meanwhile, NASA buys the patent to one of Urkel's artificial-gravity inventions, and wants Urkel to go up into space and test it with the astronauts. He does, but problems occur and he ends up possibly trapped in space (he makes it home in part II). [no video]

Top 10 Snowy Episodes

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, since I'm sitting here snowed in in Pennsylvania, my husband actually suggested today's topic. But, for some reason, most of the episodes that I thought of with blizzards and snowstorms are Christmas episodes. It took me a while, but I finally found some that fit! Here are my favorite ten episodes in other snowy conditions!

10. Family Matters: "Just One Date." Steve has officially asked out Laura 1,000 times. He's at the point of desperation, and he decides to camp out on the Winslow roof... during a blizzard. Both parts are on Youtube, but here's the more relevant half (all you've missed is Steve's declaration that he's camping out):


9. Daria: "Antisocial Climbers." As per the usual with this show, they tried an atypical teaching method: field trip to the wilderness. Well, the boys pay more attention to Quinn than the supplies, and the principal cares more about publicity than safety. After everyone is trapped in a cabin, we find out that Daria's parents are also trapped in a different cabin. Both parts are on Youtube, here's the second half:


8. 3rd Rock from the Sun: "Frozen Dick." Dick and Mary are supposed to fly to Chicago for work. Dick freaks out and they have to drive. Then he freaks out because it starts snowing, and wrecks the car. So, he and Mary are snowed in at a truck stop. This is the first time the main four see snow on Earth, so they all respond really differently. All three parts are on youtube, here's the middle section:


7. The Simpsons: "Skinner's Sense of Snow." Skinner keeps the school open, and students still go, but not the teachers. So Skinner and Willie show the kids a bad movie, and end up getting trapped inside. Skinner becomes a drill sergeant in making the kids do what he wants. Homer and Flanders try to rescue the kids, but end up frozen in their car, passed out. Skinner eventually gets trapped by the kids, and sends out a hamster for help. it's a strange episode, not gonna lie. Simpsons episodes are not on youtube, but I found it on another site. The first 4 minutes aren't snowy.

6. Everybody Loves Raymond: "Snow Day." Ray, Debra, and Amy are stuck at Frank and Marie's during a snowstorm. They're all having a good time until Debra accidentally insults Frank, and that's when Marie decides to tell the truth about how she feels about Debra. I could only find it in other languages, haha.

5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: "The Snow Must Go On." It's election night and Mary is stuck broadcasting her first show: the results. However, the results aren't coming in, and the show must stay on until the results are in. This one's on hulu.

4. Family Ties: "Birth of a Keaton." Everyone goes to the station to help with an annual telethon. However, things take a turn for the worse when Elyse goes into labor on-air. Steven, a plumber, and Skippy try to make it to the hospital, but eventually Elyse just pleads on TV for them to come back to the station. This is only part 1, sadly. The good stuff's in part 2.

3. King of Queens: "Ice Cubed." Carrie goes out to buy an ipod, isn't charged correctly, and ends up stuck at a church waiting out the storm with an ethical dilemma on her hands. Meanwhile, Doug is delivering packages in the storm, and gets invited in by a couple who are about to invite her father to live with them... just like Arthur. Part 1 and Part 2.

2. How I Met Your Mother: "Three Days of Snow." Ted and Barney are in charge of MacLaren's during a storm, and end up partying with a college marching band. Marshall and Lily deal with keeping traditions alive when he makes Robin drive him to the airport in a snowstorm while she goes all over trying to find a microbrew for him. In the end, the marching band shows up at the airport as well. It's all a bit more complicated, but I can't find a video of any of it anyway. :(

1. Friends: "The One With Phoebe's Wedding." Phoebe and Mike are getting married during a snowstorm. The officiant can't make it, so Joey fills in. Therefore, Chandler fills in for Joey in walking Phoebe down the aisle. Ross is stuck holding a stinky dog. Meanwhile, many other things go wrong, but tyrant Monica saves the day. It's all on Youtube, but here's the part that deals with the snowstorm:


Honorable Mention: The Simpsons: "Mr. Plow." Some may argue that this definitely deserved to be in the top ten, but I didn't want to repeat any shows, and I like "Skinner's Sense of Snow" much better than this one, although it is the more memorable and iconic of the two episodes. You can find it here.

11 Days til Christmas!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

we're getting down to the wire now, next week is the last cluster of great holiday episodes! But before those, here are this week's five! I've kinda been in a more childish Christmas mood lately, if that makes sense... I think it's because I watched A Muppet Family Christmas yesterday afternoon, and that one makes me smile so wide I can't close my mouth, LoL.

Family Matters: "Deck the Malls." (1997) This episode is of specific significance because it was the final one with the original Harriette, and the last one at all for the Rachel, Estelle, and Ritchie characters. Carl as a mall Santa, Laura as his elf, and Steve and Myra wrapping presents. Here's the warm & fuzzy part, hehe:

3rd Rock from the Sun: "Jolly Old St. Dick." (1996) It's the Solomons first Christmas, and everyone is struggling in their own way. Each character actually has his own storyline... Tommy struggles in finding a gift for his girlfriend, Harry finds out that mall Santas aren't the real thing, Sally starts out gift-wrapping at the mall but ends up trying to help people choose better gifts for loved ones, and Dick can't get into the holiday spirit without overdoing it. Opening clip (you'll probably be hooked, so rest assured that the same user has uploaded the whole thing).


Rugrats: "The Santa Experience." (1992) The families take a Christmas trip together. Angelica doubts in the existence of Santa Claus, and Chuckie is afraid of him. There's a bit of The Gift of the Magi in there with Angelica antagonizing. Didi decides the most beautiful tree in the woods can't be cut down, so they have to get an artificial. In the end, it all works out. Here's a clip of said ending.


Shining Time Station: "'Tis a Gift." (1990) Tanya and Matt can't wait for Christmas. The adults all want to play "Santa's Helper." A man named Mr. Nicholas is waiting for a train that nobody has heard of. An annoying girl named Vicki is stuck at the train station while her mother goes shopping. I love it when Schemer tries to act like other people are dishonest, LoL. The clip is the end of the hour-long special, including the song from the title.


Christmas Eve on Sesame Street: (1978) This is such a good Christmas special. And no, it may not be an "episode," per se, but I couldn't help myself. Skating, The Gift of the Magi, caroling, interviewing kids about Santa, Cookie Monster trying to ask Santa for gifts, Big Bird trying to prove Santa is real, the whole thing is precious. This clip has a little bit of everything (well, except Big Bird, but his plot is kinda being handled by Grover, haha).

Top 10 Worst Male Middle Names

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm one of those people who were given a middle name that sucked. When I got married I gave it the boot, throwing my maiden name into that slot instead (which, actually, is much worse in a sense, but anyway). There are a lot of television characters with unfortunate middle names. This week we'll go over some males, next week the females!

10. Theodore Jasper Dettweiler (Recess). "Jasper" isn't all that bad, but it's bad enough for a fourth grade to go by TJ instead.
9. Bartholomew Jojo Simpson (The Simpsons). "Jojo" isn't that bad, either, but let's keep in mind that it's Bart, and he's not exactly high on the list of kids-so-perfect-nobody-will-tease-them. Plus, it sounds goofy.
8. Leonard Leakey Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory). Yes, he's named after an archaeologist friend of the family, but it's geeky and laughable.
7. Waldo Geraldo Faldo (Family Matters). Now, having each of your names rhyme might qualify you to be higher on the list, but the strangeness of the character in general balances that out some.
6. Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten (The Simpsons). Um, who names their child after the founder of fascism?
5. Douglas Yancey Funnie (Doug). Here, we have a name that you could play off as being some beloved ancestor's name. But only if it was used sparingly. On Doug, we see the name used frequently, and the guidance counselor ALWAYS makes sure to use the Yancey.
4. Maxwell Beverly Sheffield (The Nanny). For a man so important in New York, you'd think they'd give him an honorable middle name. But the other reason he ranks so highly is the humorous scene in which the name is revealed, and Fran's reaction to hearing it.
3. Geoffrey Barbara Butler (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). Boys with girly middle names top the list because it's odd and hard to play off. I went to school with a girl named Michael (first name), and it was very strange. I haven't seen her in ten years, but I wonder if she eventually began going by something else... Oh, and let's not forget the irony of having your surname be your profession.
2. Drew Allison Carey (The Drew Carey Show). Allison is a REALLY girly name, and not even in an old-fashioned way. Plus, it's his REAL name as well. AND, all three of his names have female spellings but the same pronunciations.
1. Chandler Muriel Bing (Friends). Not only is "Muriel" a really unimpressive middle name, but "Chandler" "Bing" never really had a chance in the first place. I mean, Chandler is not that enticing of a name, and even Phoebe's dimly-portrayed brother chooses it as a girl's name for one of his triplets. And once a name gets used by a dog, that's it.

Top 10 Disappearing Characters

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This is a category that is up for much debate. For instance, on Saved by the Bell, most of the secondary characters appear on less than four episodes.

10. Chuck Cunningham. The obvious choice, since the idea of missing characters has become synonymous with "the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome." (He was Ritchie's older brother on Happy Days in the event you don't know what I'm talking about)

9. Jenny Kelly. The name probably doesn't ring a bell, but she was a best friend to Sabrina (The Teenage Witch) for the first two seasons. She even co-crushed on Harvey. But she was dropped like a hot potato with no explanation or warning!

8. Judy Winslow. Honestly, I watched Family Matters in original run and it took me a good season or so to realize that she was missing. (Cousin Richie also vanishes, as does Waldo, but that's beside the point...)

7. Bob on Becker. While Reggie's write-off was stupid (she went to travel through Europe for TWO YEARS with friends after sleeping with Becker...), Bob's was practically invisible. Jake mentions at one point that Bob had gone on vacation, but that's the only mention audiences have, with no big departure from Bob at all.

6. Maggie from A Different World. Maggie was Marisa Tomei character's, a military brat who was Denise's roommate during the "sophomore season." Come Season 2, no more Maggie. Probably because she wasn't black, and they were going for realism at an HBCU.

5. Eric, Jessie Spano's stepbrother. He was in two episodes, and in the end he decided to stay in LA, and make a life in California instead of New York. But in the next episode, he's gone without a trace. um, what? I guess he wasn't "Saved" by the Bell.

4. Sara Spooner. You know, Carrie's little sister on King of Queens? She even moved in with Doug and Carrie at the same time Arthur did - she got the office and he got the basement. But, after the sixth episode of this long-running series (207 episodes in all), she vanished. What's worse, it pretty much seems like Carrie is an only child after that!

3. Minkus. He made a good classmate to Cory and Shawn on Boy Meets World, and a good opposite after Topanga became cool instead of dorky. But the weirdest thing about it is the reappearance he makes at the end of the high school years, where he claims he's been there all along, just taking classes in a different hallway.

2. Brendan Lambert. You remember him... the littlest boy on Step by Step. He was cute, but other than sharing his birthday with his dad's wedding, he really didn't get many storylines to himself. What was even more amusing is that they age Lily so she's five years old, yet Brendan gets cut for being just a few years older.

1. Steven Floyd and Ruth Ann Torkelson. Of The Torkelsons five children, two of them disappear and are never mentioned when the remainder of the family moves from Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma to Seattle. Technically the show was then called Almost Home, but it kept the same story idea and such, so it should have included the entire family.

Possibly worth mentioning: Denise, who plays Little Richard's niece on Full House, disappeared as Michelle's best friend. But Teddy is still there (as is Aaron), as are newcomers Derek and Lisa.

"20 Killable Characters?"

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

so today's topic stems from today's news. One of the first things I read this morning was "Top 20 Sitcom Characters You'd Kill in Real Life." And I must say that I severely disagree. We must have very different opinions on personas, the other blog writer and I. I'm going to argue why I wouldn't kill the character, rather than nitpick on why the other writer would.

20. Frasier Crane. Awesome guy to have around in real life. He knows EVERYTHING. Definitely worth a phone-a-friend slot on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

19. Joey Gladstone. While I wouldn't want to moocher living in my home for an extended period of time, he's pretty darn funny. The common sense, notsomuch, but I'm not worried about him diapering my imaginary baby with paper towels and ziplocs, so no worries.

18. Larry David. I've never seen Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I don't even know when it was on (is it still??), so no comment.

17. Cosmo Kramer. clearly the blogwriter has no spontaneous friends in his life. I love the craziness of people like my friend Joe, and their unexpected popping in and continual "great ideas" are something to be admired.

16. Marie Barone. I'm gonna agree here. The woman has no redeeming qualities. Hell, when she wanted more grandchildren, she bought her son wine and silk boxers, and gave his wife romantic CDs! Does pushy get much worse?

15. Archie Bunker. Agreed again. I can't stand his closed-minded bullsh!t. It drives me insane. In fact, I tried to get into this show at one point when it was big on Nick-at-Nite, but it just wasn't happening. Bigotry blows.

14. Carlton Banks. I think he's quirky. I also love perfectionists. I can relate to the idea of "all-nighters" in high school. He doesn't strike me as incredibly annoying, especially when you consider his stupid jokes ended after the first season, and became much more bearable.

13. Roseanne Connor. Sure, she's foul-mouthed. And I don't know that I'd want her as my mother. But I don't think that she's a bad person, and while I'd much rather have Jackie as a friend, I don't know that she'd truly "annoy" me.

12. Cindy Brady. Little sisters can be annoying, but Cindy never had any real storylines of her own (what, the tonsils thing? losing Kitty Cariole? the see-saw record with Bobby? what else was there?), so she really didn't have a major role. In a real-life scenario, there's not much harm in having a baby sister when there are already enough siblings to make you miserable from time to time.

11. Sheldon Cooper. I still have not seen even one minute of The Big Bang Theory, so I can't comment.

10. Phoebe Buffay. What? seriously? I'd love to have her as a daily plant in my life! I love to hear about the lives of those who grew up in crazy-different backgrounds. I love the unconventional hairstyles and clothing choices she had. Please, pour me a mocha and sit me on the couch, there's no way I'd off Phoebe.

9. Michael Scott. He's from the office, and I'm guessing he's Steve Carell's character. But I still don't know a thing about him.

8. Kimmy Gibbler. hmmm. now this is a toughie. She was pretty annoying on the show, and if she was my friend/neighbor in real life, I'm pretty sure it would drive me mad. Especially when you consider the crazy things that her family did, that would annoy anyone in a mile radius!

7. Lucy Ricardo. See here's the thing... yeah, she was a pretty big ditz, but women weren't portrayed as the pinnacle of intelligence at that time anyway. Either way, she was whiny, and I don't deal with that. agree.

6. Fred G. Sanford. he's a really mean old man. a codger, even. but it's not like he leaves his house much, so he doesn't have a lost of opportunities to bother you. No killings.

5. Steve Urkel. Yeah, I could see how he could get on absolutely every last nerve, but death is not an appropriate sentence. Lock your doors, hide your daughters, and call it a day.

4. The Janitor. I don't do Scrubs.

3. Screech Powers. It sure is handy to have a friend who can concoct devices in the blink of an eye with very little to work with. It's also great to have a scapegoat who can pull the wool over the Principal's eyes. the only downside that's coming to mind? he can't keep a secret. but neither can several of my friends. so don't keep them filled in and you're good to go.

2. Fran Fine. this is a tricky one. She had a unique sense of mind. A flirty nature. An eccentric mother. A nasally voice. A tacky wardrobe. A skewed view of life. I think she's very "take it or leave it," since there's nothing that sets her apart on either end of the spectrum... she's just balanced out in the middle, plain as day.

1. Gilligan. In my world, I don't live on a deserted island ninety minutes from the nearest bit of civilization. So the buffoon's charm at foiling escape plans isn't as problematic for me. However, he does sort of embody a kind of immature nuisance that I don't know I'd want to deal with forever...

Overall, I disagree with this list a LOT. Who would I kill, you ask? Well, I'd start off with Taub from House, MD, because he's useless, spineless, and boring. Cheryl from 7th Heaven, she was dumb and had no ambition. Plus, she stopped Matt from being with nicer, prettier girls. And there's Beverly Hills, 90210, definitely Valerie Malone, hands down. I hated her from like the second episode she was in, and I really tried to like her, since I was a big Tiffani Amber-Thiessen fan in the 90s. What an evil, sinister girl. And to finish off the list, all four girls from Sex and the City: Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. That show's attitude alone just kills me.

Top 10 Shows set in Chicago!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So this is kind of a strange topic, I know. I thought about it when I was watching ER this morning, and thought about how much I love that show, and Perfect Strangers. And from there, I just went with the idea.

10. The Bob Newhart Show. The only one on this list I don't watch, and I had to use the internet to find it to use as filler.

9. Webster. Funny show, it aired both in the city and the suburbs (Webster burns down the apartment at one point, forcing the family to move into a huge house instead).

8. Good Times. Depicted the Projects of Chicago.

7. Married... With Children. Chicago suburb. white trashy house, too.


6. Punky Brewster. definitely Chicago. and a way cool show! also in an apartment building. but Margeaux had a mansion and I think Alan lived in a different complex, so we saw some other real estate options. And of course there was Fenster Hall, the orphanage that Punky goes to on and off before Henry's official adoption.

5. Two of a Kind. bet you forgot about this show. It was one of the Mary-Kate and Ashley shows, running one season on the ABC TGIF lineup. Definitely a house with a backyard.

4. Roseanne. It was in Lanford, Illinois, but this was apparently only an hour from Chicago, so I'm going to count it. It's a house in a decent neighborhood, but definitely designed in the working-class mindset (no dishwasher, for instance, LoL).

3. Family Matters. From Day 1, it's very Chicago. A really large house depicted in a clean-cut neighborhood.

2. Perfect Strangers. Obviously Chicago, since it's a spin-off of Family Matters. Larry and Balki have a small apartment, and I think I equated apartments to being just like theirs (I was young when it premiered, LoL).

1. ER. obviously I was saving this for the #1 slot. They take the L-train often, so that's a dead-ringing indicator. some of the characters have houses, others have apartments. Carter's grandparents' estate can't be too far, he did live there and commute for a while.