14jade

Yes, everyone, there is a real reason why "Alice" was on the air as long as it was. Anyone in their late twenties and older can probably remember that for many years, this show was broadcast either before or after "The Jeffersons," a "legitimate" hit. Both shows ironically had their best ratings when paired together. I think most of us remember them coming on back-to-back on Sunday nights for several years. "Alice," as a lead-in or follow-up show to "The Jeffersons," rode the ratings wave and the results were phenomenal.

Sure, the show was trashy, with elements of south[west]ern humor, but I actually thought it was genuinely funny with Polly Holliday onboard. To be truthful, if Holliday and Vic Tayback had done the show without Linda Lavin, I wouldn't have been upset. I have always believed Lavin was responsible for Holliday's departure. Was hasn't E! done a "True Hollywood Story" on a show that can rival "Three's Company" on cast changes? Surely if they have the budget to profile porn stars, a one hour "Alice" special can't hurt.

Diane Ladd was a good replacement as Belle on the show, however, she was terrific playing Flo in the movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," which the show is loosely (and I do mean "loosely") based on. When Celia Weston first appeared as Jolene in 1981, I changed the channel. It's amazing that the show went on for more four years before being cancelled in 1985. Not even pairing with "The Jeffersons" could have helped the show by the time Jolene came aboard. Somebody must have been lying to Nielsen.

I actually enjoyed `The Cosby Show' for the first half of the series, but as most people will agree, it should have ended a lot sooner than it actually did. Adding characters is always the kiss of death. Theo and Denise (played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Lisa Bonet, respectively) were the funniest of the kids as a whole, but when the show started adding characters to compensate for their adulthood, the writing was on the wall. I know Bill Cosby had said in interviews that he only wanted the show to last five years. Too bad that didn't happen. I think the NBC suits put him under pressure to keep it on (and make the content more `family-oriented') since it was a ratings war-horse at the time. So while the first five seasons were really good, seasons six through eight left much to be desired. Nevertheless, I'd much rather look at `The Cosby Show' on three networks than `Family Matters' on one.

I loved this version of "The Match Game," too...especially since it came on after school! Yes, the rules were better, and the star wheel sucked, but it was still funny!

However, to beat all irony of ironies, in my hometown, "The Match Game PM" and "Family Feud" were aired back to back!

I'm sure Richard Dawson was thrilled...