MovieChat Forums > The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979) Discussion > Much Better Than Its Reputation

Much Better Than Its Reputation

posted 17 years ago by tgibbs279
5 replies | jump to latest

I've never understood the critics' reaction to this show. I watched this show from 1979 to '81, and saw it again in syndication in the mid-80s. It was a funny show, not deserving of its reputation as one of the worst shows of all time. Were critics seeing the same show I was seeing?
No, it's not Shakespeare. But even if you don't like it, it's NOT one of the worst shows of all time. Not even close. Yes, there were too many car crashes, but there were also a lot of genuinely funny moments, some good jokes and funny situations, a lot of solid guest stars, a good cast, and a wonderful comedy team in Claude Akins and Mills Watson. The two had a terrific chemistry.
Again, if it's not your cup of tea, fine. But it's far better than 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' 'B.J. and the Bear,' and most of the sitcoms on the air right now, frankly. Some critics have a tendency to dislike any show set in the rural South, just BECAUSE it's set in the rural South.
TV GUIDE called it one of the 50 worst shows of all time. Did TV GUIDE's editors actually go back and watch this show, or did they just repeat the stale "conventional wisdom" that's been floating around for 25 years? It's almost as if TV GUIDE said "Gee, everyone says it's bad, so I guess it must be!"
The name "Sheriff Lobo" has unfortunately become synonyous with bad TV, and some people who've never seen the show will still list it as a bad show, based solely on its reputation. Forget everything you've heard and read, and go back and judge this show on its own merits. If you don't like it, fine. But I'm baffled at the idea that anyone could see this as one of the worst shows of all time.
Admittedly, the move to Atlanta in the second season was a mistake. But it was still funny enough to be worth watching, but it wasn't as good as the first season in Orly County.
Oh, and the first season theme song, sung by Frankie Laine, was fantastic. It's up there with 'Green Acres' and 'Sanford and Son,' as far as I'm concerned. It's not on the all-time great theme songs list, only because very few people know about it. Why isn't it on any TV theme song CDs?
Good show. I'd love to see it on DVD.

[–] pisovka 17 years ago

Sadly "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" will probably never get the recognition it deserves.

Agreed, it was not a great show, but it certainly was a fun show with a strong cast: the ever reliable Claude Akins (Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo); the hysterically funny Mills Watson (Deputy Perkins); and the under-rated and very sexy Brian Kerwin (Deputy Birdwell Hawkins).

Having had the opportunity recently to view both the first and second season episodes, the first season holds up very well nearly twenty-five years later; the second season, with the move to Atlanta, seems a bit more dated, but is still enjoyable.

The poor reputation of this series probably has more to do with the period when it was released: Fred Silverman (the wunderkind who struck gold at CBS and ABC) was an unabashed flop at NBC, being responsible for several of the worst series in TV history: "Super Train", "Pink Lady & Jeff" and "The Big Show" -- which has, unfortunately stigmatized all the NBC shows from that era. The Peacock network had retired its mascot, which hung like an albatross around 30 Rock -- for a while it almost seemed like the departed peacock had given NBC the bird. Also going head-to-head wtih ABC's then powerhouses "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley" (which IMHO have not held up well with the passage of time) unfortunately failed to generate the necessary demographics for the series.

The main reason why this show will likely never again be syndicated probably has less to do with its undeserved reputation, but because of music-licensing issues. "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" (and later "Lobo") used many cover songs from that period, and for some episodes that background music is an integral part of the storyline. From the butchering done to "WKRP in Cincinnati" because of music licensing, it's a foregone conclusion that NBC/Universal won't make such an investment for a series with limited appeal. Though I'd definitely purchase it were it ever released on DVD.

[–] tgibbs279 15 years ago

"The poor reputation of this series probably has more to do with the period when it was released: Fred Silverman (the wunderkind who struck gold at CBS and ABC) was an unabashed flop at NBC, being responsible for several of the worst series in TV history: "Super Train", "Pink Lady & Jeff" and "The Big Show" -- which has, unfortunately stigmatized all the NBC shows from that era."

I agree with this argument completely. I once read a blog that referred to the critics' inexplicable hatred of 'Sheriff Lobo' as "guilt by association." Critics hated Silverman and the brand of TV he represented, and they just lumped 'Lobo' in with the other bad shows -- even though Lobo didn't deserve it.

[–] tgibbs279 15 years ago

One other thought: I've always been amazed that critics just ripped "Sheriff Lobo," while holding back on its main competition, "Happy Days."
Not that "Happy Days" was critically acclaimed. It wasn't. But it just got worse and worse as time went on (inspiring the phrase "jump the shark," of course).

By 1979, when "Sheriff Lobo" premiered, "Happy Days" had entered the era of:
(1)out-of-place '70s-hair
(2)the Fonz practically doing magic
(3)the audience screaming when anyone entered the room.

Then, in the fall of 1980, Ron Howard left the show and it became -- in my opinion -- absolutely unwatchable. Poor writing, cartoonish characters, sappy dramatic sentiment, etc.
Yet, for reasons I didn't understand then and don't understand now, "Sheriff Lobo" was the show critics were gunning for, while "Happy Days" only received mild criticism, if that.
I defy someone to watch a "Lobo," and a 1979-81 "Happy Days" back to back, then tell me "Happy Days" is the better show.

[–] pisovka 13 years ago

"One other thought: I've always been amazed that critics just ripped "Sheriff Lobo," while holding back on its main competition, "Happy Days.""

As said above, Fred Silverman's programming decisions at NBC at the time damaged the reputation of any new show from that period.

Personally, I think a big reason why the critics from that period (and the dirty, little secret for modern-day critics) is real-life media/news department guilt and attempting to avoid being labelled as racist/classist in the news that's covered.

"The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" was set in backwater Orly County, Georgia c. 1979; in 1980, the governor of Georgia appoints "Lobo" and his deputies to a special crime-fighting task force in Atlanta (ostensibly because the Atlanta police can't do their job properly). In the real-world Atlanta, Georgia, of that time, the Atlanta police _were_ incompetent -- as were the media -- as the Atlanta Child Murders were occurring: 22 African-American boys were murdered in a killing spree that started in July 1979 and finally ended in March 1981.

While I wasn't in Georgia at the time, I was one state over in Alabama. The local news out of Birmingham and Montgomery didn't start covering the murders until something like the fifth or sixth child. The national news didn't start covering the story until the body count was somewhere at the 12th or 15th child! This was one of the most horrific child abduction and murder cases ever, terrorizing not just Georgia, but Florida, Alabama and Mississippi (as murdered children were found in these states, too, though none attributed to the Atlanta killer) -- and no one outside of the Deep South was hearing about it! The difference between the media's in-depth/salacious coverage of serial killer Ted Bundy's crimes (he'd been caught in Florida about six months before), and their disinterest in the child killings was apparent to anyone of conscience.

"The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" could have possibly survived staying in mythical Orly County; moving it to Atlanta sounded its death-knell.

[–] vtfcr 16 years ago

Isn't it Homer Simpson's favorite show?