FOX 25th Anniversary Special

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Up until earlier this year, I didn't know that I was older than FOX. I knew it was younger than ABC, CBS, and NBC, but I didn't realize just how new the network is! So, imagine my amazement when I thought about the fact that The Simpsons is almost as old as the network! I was even more intrigued when I heard a couple of weeks ago that they'd be re-airing the pilot from Married with Children, their first primetime series. I never liked that show (nothing changed this time around, either), but a whole new dimension is added when you think about it being such an early program for FOX. Actually, the special got me thinking about all sorts of things that set apart FOX from the other networks - some of which are rather remarkable, really. So, I'll use those to direct the bullet points of this article. Agree, disagree, think completely different things stood out? Let us know in the comments!

CR: Sony Pictures Television

- Using animated characters to fill the tables at an awards dinner. It was kinda funny overall, but there were little things that made this a success. The kids table, the blurred-out faces of criminals on COPS, Stewie's questioning of how you can be a fan of an entire corporation... great lines. Of course, the dropping of names got a little old, and the whole "if they wanted us to be nicer, they probably shouldn't have canceled us twice," was expected, but it made for a nice intro and cut-ins throughout.

- Spending a chunk of time looking at FOX's primetime animated series was good, as I've often argued that it's weird for a major network to devote so much time to the Animation Domination, but this gave some background on the risks that FOX took in starting that trend, and building upon it over the years. And, Primetime Comedy Series Emmy nomination or not, why would you review politically incorrect Family Guy before flagship The Simpsons? A quick compilation of some of the celebrity voices was fun, though including Kelsey Grammer to talk about his recurring role of Sideshow Bob was a bit odd.

- In the past, I've thought about COPS being such an early reality show, but hadn't considered the implications it really created in that field. When you consider some of the other reality junk that FOX has done (Shocking Behavior Caught on Tape, Celebrity Boxing, and When Animals Attack,for instance), it really just makes you think about how they paved the way for people to post that stuff on the internet!

- I also appreciated how they made fund of themselves multiple times. Not just the standard "we're FOX, not FOX News" line, but listing off some of their unsuccessful series and even showing a few screenshots from them (I had only learned that Top of the Heap existed a couple days earlier, so that split-second with Matthew LeBlanc caught my eye!) was fun. And, let's not forget the animated versions of the former network presidents! Why don't more networks try this? It certainly works for FOX... they've been doing it since Married with Children, and have included it in everything from Family Guy and The Simpsons to X-Files.

- Hello, Sci-Fi! I remember how big The X-Files was when I was younger, and knew that it was a big step in launching science fiction television series, but hadn't thought about how hard FOX pushed for that to work. Too bad they didn't say more about Firefly, eh? I think the stand-out moment in this area was when David Duchovny said, "when I catch the show on TV now it's like watching home movies."

- Another area where FOX apparently tried really hard? Matchmaking. I hadn't realized that Who wants to Marry a Millionaire?, Married by America, Mr. Personality, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance, AND Joe Millionaire were all FOX shows! Yikes!

- Reuniting the cast of Married with Children for the first time in fifteen years was a really important thing to do - yes, it gives off the impression that you're good to work for, as people who were there in the beginning still help you out, but it also gave a little sense of family, and I was sad that they weren't able to bring back more casts in this way. Why couldn't we have had more Beverly Hills, 90210 folks? We all know that Shannen Doherty takes whatever she can get on TV anymore, nobody's thought about Gabrielle Carteris in years, and nobody wants Ian Ziering, but what was with Jason Priestly being the only hottie to appear? And, speaking of which, why did we completely ignore the second HALF of that series? The only clip I saw in there that was post-Andrea's baby was the one with Val contemplating suicide. It also seemed that maybe too much time went into earlier parts of the special, as the partial cast of That 70s Show only had a minute or two.

CR: Beth Dubber / FOX

- I was a little disappointed with the lack of attention paid to the currently-running programs on the network. A little Bones here, a mention of Fringe there... we got a little background on House (Hugh Laurie's right - that program probably wouldn't have lasted so long with another network) and more than one shameless plug for New Girl, but that was pretty much it. And, I gotta say, the junk about "New Girl - she's not moving. That's right, she'll be Tuesday nights at 9 for a long time," was a bit eerie, don't you think?

- While I don't mind Ryan Seacrest being the host of the special, I thought that there was entirely too much time spent on American Idol. I don't care that it's been such a break-out and inspired so many other reality competition series (from So You Think You Can Dance to Hell's Kitchen), we didn't need to see clips from EVERY season, re-announce EVERY winner, catch a bunch of auditions, and hear the harsh criticism of Simon Cowell yet again. I'll admit, though, it was a throwback to see William Hung again!

- I think the biggest surprise of the night (for me) was learning that FOX introduced putting a score box on the screen during sports! I never understood the phrase "what's the score?" when you enter a room - why wouldn't you just look at the screen? Well, now I understand that this didn't exist pre-1994. Nice advancement!

- Given the previews and clips we kept seeing about In Living Color, I was expecting to see more about the "edgy, raw" show that began in 1990. And, I don't know that the point about it getting away with more then than they could now fits, exactly. No, the nation was not as stringent on political correctness twenty years ago, but there are other areas where they could do so much more now than they could have then, so it's really more of a toss-up.

- Regular readers know that I watch mainly comedies, but I've been attached to many a drama in the past (hence how I've seen every episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 at least twice, and the bulk of the series three times). The bits of Party of Five and The O.C. that were shown made me seriously consider going back to them - I was late learning about the former and gave up on the latter in the first season - they could be well worth the time. Luckily, I was also reminded of shows that I don't care about, like Melrose Place and The Simple Life.

CR: Sam Jones / FOX

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.