Avatar Contest August 18-24

[Ben Charles]

I confess, I have a soft spot for entertainment concepts that are so unbelievably bad that they're actually good. Well, good might be pushing it.

So, without further ado this week's theme will be:

Laughable Attempts In Television History!

Going with a broad definition here. Doesn't have to be a failed pilot. Just go with what you think fits the bill. Could even be long standing shows that aged poorly.

I'm in with Dr. Jonathan Chase and the lovely Detective Brooke Mackenzie for the phenomenally substandard special effects used in the epic that was...Manimal!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/BDikman1/manimal.jpg

[Sagafan]

Pink Lady and Jeff is the first thing that popped into my head.

[Matt Algren]

Dibs on the final episode of The New Adventures of Wonder Woman.

[Paradox]

Dibs on Cop Rock.

[Donald M.]

I'm in with Heil Honey, I'm Home! the British sitcom deemed so offensive, it was cancelled after just one episode.

Not many related pictures to be found online, but here's the Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Honey_I%27m_Home!

And a link to a YouTube video of the first and only episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbj9otRPdiM

[Josh M]

I'm going with Twin Peaks. I remember watching this show and thinking that is is so shitty and so dumb that it makes it so wonderful and charming.

[Donald M.]

I'm going with Twin Peaks. I remember watching this show and thinking that is is so shitty and so dumb that it makes it so wonderful and charming.

Which was kind of David Lynch's intention.

I don't think you'll find too many people here who agree it was a terrible show, but good luck!

[Josh M]

Which was kind of David Lynch's intention.

I don't think you'll find too many people here who agree it was a terrible show, but good luck!

No, no ,no.

I loved it. It was great! it just that every episode left me...looking for more. It's just.... I don't know. It made me....mad. After all this years, I still don't know what to think about it.

[DubipR]

I'm in this week with the beyond laughable and downright horrid....

Homeboys in Outer Space

http://epguides.com/HomeboysinOuterSpace/cast.jpg

The plot centers around two astronauts, Tyberius "Ty" Walker and Morris Clay, who flew around the universe in a winged car in the 23rd century. The duo's car, which was a cross between a lowrider and an 18 wheeler, was piloted by a talking female computer named Loquatia. The show was intended as a parody of science fiction shows such as Star Trek as well as Red Dwarf.

[ChadH]

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx133/ChadH_01/BJBear.jpg
My pick is a brilliant gem from 1978 titled BJ and the Bear.
Riding high on the "guy and a monkey" wave begun by Clint Eastwood in his "Every Which but.etc" movies, this light-hearted romp starred Greg Evigan (BJ) and a hairy little chimp named Bear.
Premise copy/pasted from IMDb:"A trucker and his pet monkey travel the highways of America, getting into various adventures and misadventures along the way." Pure gold.
Note: This show is not to be confused with "My Two Dads" which also starred Evigan and a different hairy little chimp named Paul Reiser.

[StoneGold]

I'm in this week with the beyond laughable and downright horrid....

Homeboys in Outer Space

http://epguides.com/HomeboysinOuterSpace/cast.jpg

The plot centers around two astronauts, Tyberius "Ty" Walker and Morris Clay, who flew around the universe in a winged car in the 23rd century. The duo's car, which was a cross between a lowrider and an 18 wheeler, was piloted by a talking female computer named Loquatia. The show was intended as a parody of science fiction shows such as Star Trek as well as Red Dwarf.

I'll see your Homeboys and raise you Desmond Pfeifer.

http://epguides.com/SecretDiaryofDesmondPfeiffer/cast.jpg

Because nothing says funny like a black British nobleman forced into slavery who ends up working for Abraham Lincoln.

[Matt Algren]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the final episode of The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, "The Man Who Could Not Die". In a last ditch effort to save the series, this episode presented a retooled show with Diana moved to Los Angeles and getting a completely new supporting cast. She got a new irascible boss, a chimpanzee, and was joined by computer science (it was 1979, after all) professor from Big University who was a superman of sorts.

She also stopped even trying to hide the fact that Diana Prince and Wonder Woman were the same person (spoiler alert). She even ditched the glasses, but nobody figured it out.

It's a totally mind-blowing episode, but none of that put it over the top for me. No, that was done by one T. Burton Phipps, III (T. for short), a young black boy with his own blaxploitation theme music who strutted around the halls of the IADC selling snacks. From his trench coat. Like they do with stolen watches. He also had a jaunty hat and was smoooooth with the ladies.

Hulu has the episode online. (http://www.thewb.com/shows/wonder-woman/the-man-who-could-not-die/5d56b473-eee7-4f28-86cb-1a97d537ff40) Watch it and thank Hera that CBS cancelled the show before it got any further.


(And yes, I know that a two-part episode aired after this one, but it was clearly a pilot for the new show and the order was probably swapped once they knew there would be no fourth season.)

[thehod]

My pick is a brilliant gem from 1978 titled BJ and the Bear
Christ, that title is a gift for anyone involved in animal porn.

[Donald M.]

Christ, that title is a gift for anyone involved in animal porn.

Or gay porn.

[Mac Danny]

I am in with Fonzie water skiing over a shark while wearing a leather jacket. A television move so awful, when other shows outlive themselves we call it Jumping The Shark.

http://www.thevarguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/gartner-and-fonzie-jump-the-shark.jpg

[Spike-X]

Okay, I know Matt's already done Wonder Woman (as it were), but I'm going to go him one better, with the pilot for a Wonder Woman series that was proposed in 1967, by the makers of the Batman TV series.

Done in a similar vein, but even camper and more ridiculous, they took the liberty of making a few minor changes. Such as...hell, I can't even describe it. Just go watch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tKZJVhn7M4).

[Sagafan]

Voting time. I'll give mine to Mac Danny. I would have voted for StoneGold had he changed his avatar. Desmond Pfeifer was my second thought for this theme.

[DubipR]

Josh M gets my vote. I loved Twin Peaks when it was on...still enjoy it.

[Mac Danny]

Spike-X. I watched that wonder woman spot. Wow, how did that get passed the networks.

[Matt Algren]

Donald M.

[Ben Charles]

Honorable mentions to Matt Algren & Spike for both WW selections, but that zany couple Adolf & Ava bring home the vote for Donald M..

[Donald M.]

Spike-X. I watched that wonder woman spot. Wow, how did that get passed the networks.

It didn't. There was no show, it was just a proposal.

Anyway, I'd have voted for Paradox if he'd actually changed his avatar, Cop Rock is straight up the dumbest tv show concept ever. Since he didn't, I guess I'll have to go with DubipR and the execrable Homeboys in Outer Space, a.k.a. The Outer Space Adventures of Stepin Fetchit and Sleep 'n' Eat.

[ChadH]

Mac Danny is #1 (that Happy Days episode is the stuff of legend)
Spike X ran a close second for that truly terrible Wonder Woman spot.

[GozertheGozarian]

Donald M.. Hitler and Eva Braun in a sitcom?

[Josh M]

Mac Danny has my vote.

[Spike-X]

Spike-X. I watched that wonder woman spot. Wow, how did that get passed the networks.
Luckily it didn't.

My vote goes to Donald M. If even the country that laughed along to shows such as Love Thy Neighbour and Mind Your Language thinks your show is offensive, you should probably listen.

[Sagafan]

Let's tally up the votes.

With one vote each: Josh M, Spike-X and DubipR.

With three votes: Mac Danny.

And our winner with four votes: Donald M.

Congratulations Donald! Get crackin' on that new theme idea.