Buffalo Bill: Pilot
Buffalo Bill: Pilot
NBC
June 1, 1983
Sitcom
DVD
C+
The most interesting thing here is the cast, so let's get to that right away:
Not only that, the one and only Russell Johnson plays Dr. Murphy, Bill's guest.
Director Tom Patchett co-wrote this premiere with Jay Tarses, and, yes, they'd both worked on The Bob Newhart Show. (And Patchett would later produce ALF.) I watched this show at the time, mostly because I knew Dabney Coleman from 9 to 5, Tootsie, and other movies. Watching it now, well, it does have Terminal Loud Laugh Track Syndrome, which might be OK on some shows of the era but is really glaring on what is trying to be a cynical insiders' look at television. (I thought before looking it up that this would've turned out to have aired on CBS, because of the references to 60 Minutes; I definitely knew it didn't have the feel of an ABC sitcom.) I can see why this wasn't a hit and I can also believe it was critically acclaimed. I'm certainly willing to watch at least another episode or two, if only to see who drops by.
NBC
June 1, 1983
Sitcom
DVD
C+
The most interesting thing here is the cast, so let's get to that right away:
- Joanna Cassidy (pre-Roger-Rabbit) as Jo Jo White
- Dabney Coleman as the title character, Bill Bittinger
- Geena Davis (one year after she and Coleman were in Tootsie) as Wendy Killian
- John Fiedler (a few years after The Bob Newhart Show)
- Claude Earl Jones (just about the only non-household-name among the regulars) as Stan Fluger
- Mesach Taylor (pre-Designing-Women) as Tony
- Max Wright (pre-ALF) as Karl Shub
Not only that, the one and only Russell Johnson plays Dr. Murphy, Bill's guest.
Director Tom Patchett co-wrote this premiere with Jay Tarses, and, yes, they'd both worked on The Bob Newhart Show. (And Patchett would later produce ALF.) I watched this show at the time, mostly because I knew Dabney Coleman from 9 to 5, Tootsie, and other movies. Watching it now, well, it does have Terminal Loud Laugh Track Syndrome, which might be OK on some shows of the era but is really glaring on what is trying to be a cynical insiders' look at television. (I thought before looking it up that this would've turned out to have aired on CBS, because of the references to 60 Minutes; I definitely knew it didn't have the feel of an ABC sitcom.) I can see why this wasn't a hit and I can also believe it was critically acclaimed. I'm certainly willing to watch at least another episode or two, if only to see who drops by.
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