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What Were They Thinking: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History By David Hofstede ( Back Stage Books )
Release Date: 2004-10-01
Average Customer Rating:
List Price: $15.95
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Product Description
Ranking the top 100 most memorable mishaps in a countdown format, this book begins with #100 and proceeds all the way to the single most indelible TV blunder. Organizing the material in this manner invites readers to discuss and debate whether Cop Rock was really a bigger fiasco than The New Monkees, or whether the presentation of Elvis Presley only from the waist up on The Ed Sullivan Show was a sillier bit of censorship than the coverage of Barbara Eden's belly button on I Dream of Jeannie. The blunders in this compendium take many forms-good and bad, inexplicable network decisions, casting catastrophes, and TV "events" that weren't. Each entry is covered in a detailed individual essay that answers such questions as "Why did this happen?" and "What were they thinking?"
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 Interesting but not well-written. ( puzzler125 )
A fun book but there are many errors. I still found it an interesting read but can't recommend it without reservations. A second edition, with careful editing, would be much more entertaining (since some of the facts are glaringly incorrect*) and I'm surprised that previous reviewers said it was well-written. *(I started making penciled corrections in a library book!)
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 Mapping out American TV's cheesiest moments... ( bobbaluka )
Ever since "Mystery Science Theater 3000" first caught me eye all those years ago, I've had a fascination with popular entertainment gone horribly wrong-- especially movies and television shows. Needless to say, when I caught my first glance at this particular tome, my cheeseball-mania came to the forefront, and I decided to give it a look. I was hoping that it would, at the least, be a mildly entertaining read... so long as it wasn't trying to retread and/or rip-off the whole "Jump the Shark" deal that John Hein & Co. established a few years back on the JumpTheShark.com web site.
Fortunately, for the most part the author blazes his own little bad TV trail, usually going well beyond the "jump the shark" concept in this Top 100 list of the least magical moments in American TV. Not only does Mr. Hofstede cover the worst episodes of legendary TV shows (e.g. "Spock's Brain" from classic Star Trek (#71), "The Great Vegetable Rebellion" from Lost in Space (#24), "The Bad Old Days" from the Dick Van Dyke Show (#93)), he also recounts the moments entire cable channels went downhill (e.g. the moment Nick at Nite lost its innocence when it started airing "Taxi" reruns (#74), and American Movie Classics going commercial... and not being all that "classic" anymore (#99)), as well as some of TV's more scandalous moments (e.g. Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" (#78) and the late `50s quiz show fixes (#6)).
Actually, I'm not on the same page with the author when it comes to the part about Nick at Nite going downhill when it added "Taxi" reruns to its lineup. While the show may have "stood out amidst the network's wholesome line-up like a loud drunk at DisneyLand®", as the author stated in the entry, it was also by far the funniest sit-com the channel ever rebroadcast. All of the other sit-com reruns Nick at Nite aired before this new addition hailed from the pre-Archie Bunker era, and tended to feature fairly innocuous, safe humor-- humor I usually found completely unfunny at worst, and only lightly amusing at best. If I wanted THAT kinda humor, I'd check out the "funnies" section of the daily paper! Anyhoo, "Taxi" was what finally got me to tune into that silly channel... well, aside from "Dragnet" that is.
All right, it's off the soap box, and back to the main event. Also covered are the worst TV ad campaigns, such as CNN promoting the sexiness of Paula Zahn (#5), as well as those Burger King "Herb" commercials from the mid-80s (#42)... which I had almost forgotten about, until this book made me remember all over again (thanks a LOT, Mr. Hofstede). Then there are the lamest moments in televised sports, like the infamous 1968 "Heidi game" between the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders (#10)(adding insult to injury, they pre-empted the game with a mid-60s remake, rather than the Shirley Temple version). Or Roseanne's less-than-inspiring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a San Diego Padres game (#73). Howzabout the whole Janet Jackson Super Bowl halftime "scandal" (#78)? But the ultimate has to be the corporate sponsorship of every little action taken on the field of play-- from the practice swings an on-deck batter takes right on down to the number of Gatorades the linebackers down while the offense is on the field-- during a nationally televised sporting event (#16). I mean, really, guys, d'ya HAVE to have every, er, "adjustment" a baseball player makes in the batter's box "brought to you by Cruex®"???
Also covered are the medium's most glaring continuity changes, timeline-benders, and just-plain-silly leaps of logic. Like the "just a dream" season of "Dallas"(#2), or the complete disappearance of Chuck Cunningham after the first season of "Happy Days" (#37). Or the final episode of "St. Elsewhere"(#27). Then there were the just-plain-bad-ideas-for-TV-shows-that-somehow-made-it-to-the-air, like "Cop Rock" (#29), "My Mother the Car" (#12), "Supertrain"(#20), and "The Flying Nun"(#80). And we mustn't forget "Joanie Loves Chachi"(#65), referred to as "one spin-off too many" by the author... and I'd be hard-pressed to disagree with that sentiment.
But even though Mr. Hofstede transcends the whole "jump the shark" deal, he isn't afraid to mention a few significant JTS-like moments. Like the final season of "Laverne and Shirley"(#88), or the introduction of obnoxious kiddies into "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" (#98). Or the addition of Scrappy-Doo into the Mystery Machine fold (#7), creating an entire generation of Scrappy-hating Hanna-Barbera aficionados. The latter entry kinda ticked me off, BTW. I mean, why does Scrappy get a top ten worst-moments-in-TV billing while "Star Trek NextGen's" Wesley Crusher isn't even amongst the twenty-five honorable mentions in the back of the book?! That's just plain wrong. At the least, "Wuss-ley" shoulda been in the top 25! Oh, the injustice of it all...
Also taken to task are the various scandals (like the quiz show scandals of the late `50s (#)), talk shows & variety shows (like the Chevy Chase show (#70)), low points in "reality" TV ("Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?"(#9)), troublesome recasting (e.g. the two Darrens of "Bewitched"(#79)), game-show goofiness("The $1.98 Beauty Show"(#28)), ridiculous made-for-TV movies-of-the-week (like when all three major networks put out their own "Amy Fisher Story" flick(#19)), infamous instances of celebrities goin' wacky (Like Farrah Fawcett's scary appearnce on David Letterman's show in `97(#97)), and just-plain-stupid things TV networks do some times(the erasure of entire libraries of shows, sporting events, etc. recorded from the late `40s to the late `60s(#69)).
Finally, there's the A-numero-uno entry. While I'm not sure I agree with the ranking the author gave it, I have to agree that it is one of the biggest milestones in really, REALLY bad television (and that is no understatement). What is this awful, awful moment in the history of radiating cathode rays? Why, none other than... the "Star Wars Holiday Special", which has become a bootleg-video sensation for well over two decades now! Only thing is, I hafta disagree with the author about Bea Arthur's song number being the only watchable part of the show. In fact, I consider it the most UNwatchable part of the show! I'd rather have all my toenails yanked out by a rusty pair of pliers than listen to Bea Arthur's gawdawful caterwauling! Call me a sick weirdo, but the show's only watchable parts are the animated short featuring the first-ever appearance of Boba Fett, and the Jefferson Starship musical number.
Well, actually, the book itself concludes with a three-page "Appendix" of twenty-five (dis)honorable mentions, AKA the "runners-up" that didn't quite make the Top 100 cut. We're talkin' such boob-tube milestones as "The Morton Downey, Jr. Show", the forgettable SNL cast of the 1980-81 season (and boy were they forgettable!), "Baywatch Nights", and... "She's The Sheriff"!? Aw, come ON, now! "She's the Sheriff" deserves a Top 10 spot at least! It must be something in the air where the author lives, that's the only logical explanation...
But seriously: through it all, Hofstede maintains a good attitude, and his enjoyment of the television medium as a whole in spite of its occasional cheesiness really stands out in his writing. I got a pretty good laugh at several of the man's zingers and put-downs, which tended to be fairly hard-hitting but usually ended up a little short of being mean-spirited. Though the caption that accompanies the photo with the "Joanie Loves Chachi" entry comes pretty close to the mean-spirited end of the spectrum. One of the author's better zingers was in the "Star Wars Holiday Special" entry, where he states that Mark Hamill "wears more eye makeup here than Liz Taylor in `Cleopatra'." Personally, I thought Hamill's lame haircut in that show was far worthier of goofing on... but, that's me.
Anyhoo: if you're a big-time TV buff who loves to reminisce about and laugh at the medium's not-so-great moments, "What Were They Thinking?" is worth a read. And it's a fairly fast read, too! At least it was for me...
BTW does anybody know where I can get a reasonably priced VHS copy of "Bad Ronald"? After reading about it in the book (#90), it sounds like it contains all the cheesy goodness I love... but I'm not quite up to payin' the somewhat extortionate prices for a used copy that the Amazon Marketplace sellers are askin' for it. If you can help a guy out in this matter, please let me know. Thanks much...
`Late
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 If any diehard TV fans don't read this book, I'll wonder "what were they thinking?" ( cyber-chuck )
Hofstede has done a fine job of recollecting those TV moments many would rather forget (save for a few minor factual errors, but these really don't detract from the book's excellent content, IMO), and the foreword by Tom Bergeron's definitely a nice touch (is it just a coincidence that the network interference which killed his series, Fox After Breakfast, is one of the events that made the top 100? LOL). Plus, Hofstede's humorous comments on each event are sure to leave readers laughing...here's a sample of his wit and wisdom:
- On the viability of QVC's infamous "Poopin' Moose" candy dispesnser as a romantic gift: "I love you, honey, and to show how much I care, here's a moose that craps Milk Duds."
- On Dan Rather's infamous "Courage" signoff: "Was he sending a message to the Cowardly Lion? Did he just discover The Boogaloos?"
- On the two failed attempts to turn Neil Simon plays (Barefoot In the Park and The Odd Couple) into all-black sitcoms: "I look forward to seeing Bernie Mac in Brighton Beach Memoirs any day now."
So if you're a diehard TV fan, or even if you're not, pick it up today...def worth a read!
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Fun read, but watch for errors ( cebarat )
I enjoyed this well-written book - with some reservations. Some of the entries seem more like philosophical disagreements with certain TV trends (e.g., the corporate-sponsorship craze and the numerous attempts to create TV series from famous and not-so-famous movie franchises) than specific moments in time that one can point to and intone, "Now THAT's dumb!" More troublesome to me were the large number of errors that I spotted in the entries where I had some background knowledge of my own about the series. Case in point: the entry on the Lost in Space episode "The Great Vegetable Rebellion." The retelling of the ep's plot isn't the problem. The first two paragraphs of the entry, however, contain multiple errors about the background and fundamental details of the series. For the record: The Robinson family lifted off in 1997, not 1977; they were traveling to Alpha Centauri, not Alpha "Centurai"; and the comic title Space Family Robinson was not produced by Disney (though Carl Barks did suggest an idea like it long before the actual comic book made its debut). I can only wonder how many other major-league boners -- ones which I lack the expertise to discern -- are sprinkled betwixt the humorous anecdotes and bemused descriptions in which Hofstede specializes. It's still a fun read, but caveat emptor and all that.
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Very entertaining trip down TV land lane ( rockinandrollinsince1967 )
Reliving the embarrassment I felt for Farrah Fawcett as she stumbled through her appearance on David Letterman's show was just one of the many highlights this book delivered. It not only relives classic specific moments, but complete network disasters (like the whole 1983 new series line up on NBC where not one show was picked up for a second season) and episodic failures. It travels from the earliest broadcasts to the modern times in an entertaining fashion. I had trouble putting it down as I couldn't wait to read the next entry. It is as enjoyable to the casual viewer (do they exist anymore?) as it is to the "idiot box" junkie and while there are a few mistakes in the book (and a couple proofreaders errors), it is still a new favorite I highly recommend. It makes me want to find "Small Wonder", "Pink Lady and Jeff" and "Supertrain" and watch them again to relive the pity I felt for those involved the first time around. Does anyone know where I can find the show "Turn On"?
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Addiction
