Any fellow sitcom lovers know the story of when CBS blew up the successful trifecta of The Beverly Hillbillies/Petticoat Junction/Green Acres, ushering in more "modern" classics like The Mary Tyler Moore Show:
It was an empire! A grimy pig pooped doused empire! Nothing could stop this hick town juggernaut trilogy! Except for CBS which ran all three shows. Petticoat Junction was cancelled in 1970. Then in 1971, CBS cancelled the still popular Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies as part of a sweeping move on the networks part to get rid of all its "rural" comedies. Smart programming guys. "Gee, people still love these shows but lets cancel them anyway because they seem to have country appeal and not city appeal. And we want urban viewers not farmers."
The Beverly Hillbillies was a terrible show, and I've never actually watched Petticoat Junction. But I will put up the brilliant satire of Green Acres against almost anything. That fucker was laugh-out-loud funny and smart.
Stupid CBS!
No comments:
Post a Comment