My Mother The Car

The other day I was watching one of the new channels available on free TV, and lo and behold, there it was: “My Mother the Car.”  When people talk about the worst shows of all time, “Mother” comes up pretty consistently.  The premise revolves around a man whose mother has been reincarnated as a very old automobile.  She speaks only to him through the car’s radio.

The episode I saw was actually not that bad, but the premise of the show is pretty lame.  Not too lame to be re-invented by “Night Rider,” in which David Hasselhoff drove an anthropomorphic talking car that solved crimes, or something.  That car had the voice of Mr. Feeney from “Boy Meets World,” who was also Dr. Mark Craig on “St. Elsewhere.”

But, I digress. “My Mother the Car” made me think about some of the dumber concepts for situation comedies in the sordid history of television.  The premise, or situation, is the hook that is supposed to grab viewers, and should make for much hilarity as wacky things happen.  Some show have a dumb premise, but are actually pretty good, thanks to good writing and acting.

It seems that a lot of sit-coms revolve around aliens who crash into the earth and live with humans.  “Mork and Mindy” was good because of how cute Pam Dawber was and how talented Robin Williams was.  “Alf” was pretty clever.  “My Favorite Martian,” Staring Walter Alston of “Damn Yankees” and Bill Bixby who was later the Incredible Hulk, was pretty good, considering the level of special effects available in 1963.

“Third Rock From the Sun” also involved aliens, but they came on purpose to study earthling culture.  A dumb situation, but a good situation comedy.  “Homeboys From Outer space is a show I don’t think I ever saw.”  Here’s what Wikipedia says about the show: “The plot centers around two astronauts… who flew around the universe in a winged car, nicknamed the “Space Hoopty” in the 23rd century. The duo’s car… was piloted by a talking female computer named Loquatia.”  How could that not have been a great program?

“The Beverly Hillbillies” might just as well have been about aliens.  They were newly wealthy hill people who moved to Los Angeles where they didn’t understand much.  “Harry and the Hendersons,” featuring John Lithgow, who was also in “Third Rock,” was about a family that adopted a Sasquatch – otherwise known as Bigfoot—named Harry.  Harry wasn’t an alien, but I guess he wasn’t a citizen either.  Hey; it could happen!

My mother wasn’t a car, and I don’t drive a Hoopty.  Nobody I know is from outer space – as far as I know.  I don’t know any hillbilly millionaires.  So, I guess my life isn’t likely to become a situation comedy.  However there are days…