On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 1970s flop The Good Life!
THE GOOD LIFE
Programming Details:
September 18, 1971 - January 8, 1972
15 episodes
NBC
Starring: Larry Hagman, Donna Mills, Hermione Baddeley, Danny Goldman, David Wayne
Created by: Lawrence J. Cohen and Fred Freeman
Plot: Albert and Jane Miller (Hagman & Mills) are tired of their boring life so they upend their life and seek service employment with a millionaire industrialist, Charles Dutton (Wayne). They work as the butler and cook while also dealing with Dutton's sister, Grace (Baddeley) and son, Nick (Goldman).
I'll say the best thing first. The Good Life had a very nice theme song, a very pleasant tune that was an early 60s pop song re-recorded by Tony Orlando. The episode listed as the first episode was actually the second because NBC had aired a pilot back in March 1971 (more on that below). The plot I listed above wasn't clear at all in the first episode that aired in the season and it basically dove into a standard sitcom plot like it was the middle of the season. Without at least some level of exposition, it was confusing and this show didn't have a plot that had to be confusing.
On the plus side, Hagman and Mills did have some nice chemistry and it was quite different from Hagman's dynamic with Barbara Eden on I Dream of Jeannie (which was also good chemistry but just different). I know Hagman could be a pain to work with but I think he was actually a pretty underrated comedian. He has a great manic energy that is strong here just as it was on Jeannie. The car "heist" plot in the pilot is pretty silly but executed fairly effectively and it is aided by a guest appearance from the great Jack Riley. It plays like a mad-cap, screwball comedy and has some funny moments.
The Good Life premiered on NBC just a year after I Dream of Jeannie left the airwaves. Considering how unhappy Larry Hagman claimed to sometimes be on Jeannie, it's a little surprising that he jumped into another sitcom. Although maybe he wanted to show the audiences quickly that he could do something different even though it's not all that different. NBC aired the pilot in March 1971 alongside two other pilots. This was an unusual move because they were already committed to the series so they weren't testing the waters and NBC would not air its second episode until months and months later. The pilot received mixed to negative reviews.
NBC wasn't doing great in the early 1970s and this series aired on Saturday night after another new comedy, The Partners, and against the hit CBS lineup. Though The Good Life was against the little remembered Funny Face, basically everyone who was watching TV on Saturday nights in the early 70s was watching CBS. The series didn't make much of a dent in the ratings and was cancelled after 15 episodes. After the cancellation, Hagman quickly appeared in another failed sitcom - Here We Go Again, in 1973 as well as several TV movies. He reached icon status in the 80s though as the star of Dallas. He was also reunited with Donna Mills in crossover episodes with Dallas spinoff Knots Landing, where Mills starred.
Tomorrow: A recap of Parks and Recreation including the best and worst episodes!
Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at Chicken Soup!
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