Why did that 80s Show crash and burn?

Originally published at: Why did that 80s Show crash and burn? | Boing Boing

3 Likes

I actually watched most of it and enjoyed it, though my opinion of it was that the bones of the show was very much a copy of That 70’s Show and as far as i recall it started to air while the original show was still on going. Doubling up on what is essentially a similar show made it hard to really emotionally invest into the 80s one, had they waited until the original ended it might’ve succeeded or at least had a better chance.

12 Likes

Next up, “Those MAGA Years”. I truly hope not…

14 Likes

There was a That 80s Show?

Clearly their marketing sucked.

14 Likes

You may also want to watch: “13 Week Theatre” is a series about failed television shows (that, as the name implies, didn’t make it past their first season) and what went wrong. Some of the shows covered didn’t make it past even ONE episode!! (https://) (www) DOT youtube DOT com SLASH watch QUESTION MARK v EQUALS SIGN ayKOlSxSpY4

8 Likes
1 Like

Thanks Bryan and congrats on your first comment here :kissing_heart:

2 Likes

I honestly loved That 80s Show and was sad when it went away. It was missing whatever that magic chemistry is that made That 70s Show work so well, but it was also a young show that hadn’t had the time to develop that yet. Glenn Howard was clearly star material and Chyler Leigh was goddam radiant in it, so the pieces were there. I think the analysis in the video is pretty good- That 80s Show leaned pretty hard on the cliches and stereotypes of the time period, rather than using it as a barely-mentioned backdrop like That 70s Show did. It did feel more gimmicky as a result. Still, I loved it!

For a look at what That 80s Show should have been, look no further than Freaks And Geeks. That was an outstanding piece of television that happened to use the '80s as a backdrop. The cancelation of that show was goddamn criminal and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. It was doomed anyway because the entire cast was clearly destined for superstardom (that was some epic casting… I mean, holy shit). They were all gonna go off and make movies soon anyway. But wow, what a moment in television that show was.

13 Likes

That 70’s Show was a teen comedy which was a lot more frank about sex and recreational drug use than similar predecessors. It crossed lines for content while staying within FCC rules. The show lost a lot of steam when it’s teens graduated high school and had to contrive ways to keep the cast together. More difficult with the departure of 2 of its main characters towards the end.

Trying to glom off the same audience for a young adult/workplace comedy was kind of missing the point.

Happy Yes Yes GIF by LCL

3 Likes

Like most new shows I get hooked on I rarely watch them first run. I get hooked once they hit syndication so I missed the 80s show. I might have seen one or two but I’ll probably never see it if it doesn’t hit the rerun channels.

I love the 70s show but that Fez was quite the preevert.

I may tune into the 90s show if I know when it drops.

1 Like

I worked in promotions at a local FOX affiliate when this show came out. We knew from the get-go that it wouldn’t last.

TL;DR: This pablum goodThat pablum bad

I don’t remember the 00s as having an 80s nostalgia kick to it, 70s nostalgia was still in full swing with bars like Flares in the UK being very prominent in many city centres and established bars also having 70s nights still.
I don’t recall ever seeing an 80s night until we were into the 2010s

2 Likes

What part of the '00s would we even be nostalgic for?

Two massive wars? Flip phones? Mythbusters?

3 Likes

There’s no need to be insultingly reductive. The writing on That 70s Show is very good. It tells human stories. This is what humans do. I’m sorry you think that isn’t worthwhile.

7 Likes

Just FYI, there’s nothing stopping you from linking directly to relevant content here. Welcome to the BBS.

2 Likes

Assuming you cant post links, here’s the link

4 Likes

I wasn’t talking about nostalgia for the 00s, rather which decade was the general target of nostalgic sentiment during the 00s.

1 Like

Ah, I see now.

1 Like

Freaks and Geeks captured the feel of my high school experience (I graduated in '83) far better than any other media portrayal I’ve seen.

3 Likes