095 - The Torkelsons

The host is back with more hiatus nonsense, including fond memories of the Minnesota State Fair and a not-so-fond memory of the state fair, involving Dolly Parton. 

Didn't season 7 come to a close a few months ago? You are correct, but that didn't stop the host from taking a look back at a show that failed, twice, despite NBC's extraordinary effort to find success. 

 Have you ever listened to the Brain Invaders podcast? The producer is a co-host of that show, and both the producer and his co-host  join this show for a roundtable discussion related to failed television. We drop some knowledge, and a little misinformation when it comes to the history of "ALF," but we have a lot of fun answering insignificant questions from our differing perspectives, and we conclude with the most important question, a question that came from a Can't Turn it Off listener! 

The first of several potential season finale episodes of the podcast looks back at a failed television show from the 1980s. It failed, unquestionably, and spawned box office gold that continued to pay dividends in 2025. Beyond a look back at a wacky sitcom that failed to find a sizeable audience, the host will deliver two very different monologues to close out the show. And all for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

Season 7 of the podcast has featured a deep dive into failed television, all of which has fallen under the broad umbrella of comedy. That ends today, with a deep dive into a failed network drama that debuted nearly 29 years ago and was forgotten after its 17-episode run. Forgotten by most, but not the host. With fresh eyes and a faded memory, the host revisits a show he doesn't remember. Is it better or worse than he imagined?  And it's a deep dive... so deep the host doesn't have time for a monologue! (Thank him later.)

How does the actor behind a beloved TV character such as Seinfeld's Cosmo Kramer fail to dazzle a television audience as the star of his own NBC sitcom? It wasn't hard, as it turned out, and Michael Richards proved it during the fall of 2000. The host examines how he did it. And after deconstructing a failed sitcom, the host's closing monologue unloads more opinions on pizza than any one person should be allowed to have.

During the early 1970s, a simple show about the merger of two half-families spawned characters that have lived on for generations. The host looks back at several ways a lovely lady, three very lovely girls and four men, living all together, have touched the lives of millions of Americans. And then he'll shake his head in disbelief at the musical variety show that first reunited them, and is remembered fondly by almost no one. Listen here! 

The 1970s were a splendid time for television, at least it seemed like it at the time. In the spirit of all that was entertainment during the '70s, NBC introduced us to Pink Lady in 1980, and brought Jeff along for the ride. Who were they and why is their TV show frequently cited among the worst TV shows of all time. Find out here! 

What did a group of Las Vegas showgirls have to do with the Fonz, Mr. C and the rest of the Happy Days gang? That's the beauty of a short-lived, unspectacular sitcom that most people couldn't name if their Final Jeopardy lives depended upon it. And rightfully so. But it's an impressive display of just how formulaic network television could be back in the day, when networks ruled the world. Beyond a look back at the glitz and glamour of Vegas, the host unloads one of his most famous tirades, just in time for Thanksgiving. 

Was it a show ahead of its time, a show that was just too offensive or a show that was too progressive for its network? Perhaps it was all of those things, or maybe it was just a victim of the wrong place and the wrong time. The host looks at a 2001 sitcom that should have had more success than it did.